Sprinkled sparingly over ordinary meals or used as a table salt, it is the world’s most expensive fine fining salt. One pound of Fleur de Sel is made for each 80 pounds of fine gray sea salt. There is a controversy surrounding Fleur de Sel. Some people claim it is a poor substitute because it costs more than Perrier. The latter has been used in restaurants and food business to give salty flavor.

Many people confuse fleur de sel with fleur de lis. In fact, they are not the same; the former is sea salt while the latter is an inland salt mined from coastal areas by experts. Both the words mean the same thing though, so here is a tip you will not want to miss if you plan to make this kind of purchase. The real thing can be bought in France while fake salts that imitate the former can be bought in various European countries including Italy. It is best to buy fleur de sel from reputable stores.

Another controversy surrounds fleur de sel. The name comes from fleur de sel’s original spelling. Some say the term was actually named fleur de lis, which is more appropriate since the color of the salt has nothing to do with either lis or de. Nevertheless, fleur de sel is French in origin. It has remained that way since the middle ages.

When picking fleur de sel, one should remember that the quality of fleur de sel depends largely on the source. If the salt is mined from the sea bed, the fleur de sel taste might be a bit off compared to mined fleur de sel from inland sources. In addition to that, there are some varieties of sea salt that have very few mineral content at all. So, aside from the actual taste, do not forget to check the mineral content as well. You can buy this type of salt in various packaging and with various minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc and copper included.

Fleur De Lis comes in both bags and buckets. Those that are harvested directly from the sea bed cost more. Those that are harvested from inland sources usually cost less than the ones that are harvested directly from the sea bed. Those that are harvested with both kinds of sprinklers cost more.

With the popularity of fleur de Lis, many imitators have come out of the woodwork. You need to be especially careful when buying online or from flea markets, because some manufacturers just rip off the brand and sell it as another. Before buying any type of fleur de lis product, check the reputation of the brand and if you cannot find it, buy from another source.