Mixteca salt is mined from ancient salt mines in Puebla, near the Oaxacan border and processed by letting the natural spring waters evaporate. But what’s really amazing about this salt is the fact that it’s naturally high in bicarbonates that will actually soften your beans.
Most bean lore insists that adding salt before your beans are soft will actually make them harder. I’m not sure if this is true but I do know a pinch or so of Mixteca Salt at the beginning of cooking beans will soften them. It’s like the old trick of adding baking soda, without the nasty taste!
The salt isn’t a good finishing salt and it will ruin your pasta but it will perform magic on your beans, and if you add it to the cooking water, it will keep your vegetables bright and green! But a little dab will do you so only use a small amount or your beans and vegetables will turn to mush or porridge.
Don’t be scared, just be careful. In reality. most Rancho Gordo beans are so fresh, they barely need any soaking, let alone any help for softening, but if you have some old stock on hand or want to experiment with an interesting new salt, we think you’ll love the Mixteca Salt.
From a women’s cooperative in the Yucatan comes these glorious “salt flowers”, perfect for finishing your best dishes. A simple plate of heirloom tomotoes sprinkled with a little Flor de Sal becomes an intense dish, burtsting with flavor.
