What's the best way to hold a salt tasting?

[stevea]

We were given a gift of three high-end salts:

Cyprus Black Lava Salt

Chocolate Salt

Sal Marina aux Deux Piments

We know nothing about these salts, but we think having some sort of tasting would be an interesting idea. They have different textures (the black lava salt are almost "chunks." Any suggestions on what medium to use to best show off the salts and any differences between them? I assume we should sprinkle them on something instead of cooking with them, but I would appreciate any thoughts on what to serve them on.

[Kerry Beal]

How about on top of nice chewy caramels? That's what I do with different salts.

[petite tête de chou]

I'd do a savory and sweet tasting. The caramels are a great suggestion. Watermelon is another idea for the sweet side of the tasting. For the savory end I'd use steamed potatoes, tomatoes and possibly Belgian endive leaves.

[ElsieD]

How about on top of nice chewy caramels?  That's what I do with different salts.

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Try it as a topping on focaccia bread.

[Fat Guy]

What are you trying to accomplish with this tasting? Different purposes call for different tasting structures.

It's like when you have a wine tasting. Maybe you just want to have fun with friends, in which case you serve cheese and salume and stuff that professional wine reviewers would never have at a tasting. With salt, if the goal is simply enjoyment, that's one thing. If the goal is to establish some sort of empirical data set, you'll want to do the tasting blind, in lots of variants (dissolved, undissolved, sweet, savory), etc.

[andiesenji]

I have a "collection" of quite a few different salts and have tried various methods of tasting.

I would vote for a selection of melons, tomatoes, and very thin sliced breads, spread with unsalted butter (it must be very good butter). The latter is particularly suitable for the smoked salts and salts that are herb infused.

That being said, I just ordered a couple of salt "items" that are offered in the newest NapaStyle catalog.

[stevea]

Thanks much for all the suggestions. We're not trying to establish any empirical data set, just have fun with friends. So I really like the bread and butter, melons, and tomato ideas. Especially since my garden is now brimming with tomatoes. I hadn't thought about caramels before. Intriguing idea.

[Jim Dixon]

Joao Navalho from Necton uses dark chocolate as a medium for tasting differences in salt.

Jim