Germany is not a country associated with sea salt for the simple reason that they don't produce it. At least, they didn't until 2013. The problem, you see, is that, while the North Sea has a salt content of 3.5%, an ideal percentage for salt extraction, the climate is not conducive to the normal methods for this. But this is Germany, a country that seems to have an engineering code within their collective DNA. Why do I say this? Because the man who “worked meticulously on a new technical method to recover North Sea salt“ is a chef. (The quotation is a translation from the company Sylter Meer Salz website).
Chef Alexandro Pape has been the chef at Fährhaus, a two Michelin star restaurant, since 1999. Okay, so he's not just any chef but, then again, how many two star chefs have you read about who have time to invent a method to extract salt from North Sea water? He did though and, due to the fact that my in-laws enjoy vacationing on the island of Sylt (more on this in a moment), we find ourselves in possession of a 125 gram jar of Sylter Fine Meersalz. The company also sells a “Grob“ size, which is large sized crystals, as opposed to fine or small sized crystals. We especially like the Fine Meersalz to use as a finishing salt. It is brilliant as a last minute addition to a rib-eye, or rally any, steak, sprinkled on just before serving; however, we use it most frequently in the French style - sprinkled on the unsalted butter we smear on a slice of bread. The Germans call dinner (or supper) Abendbrot, or evening bread, which is quite appropriate considering that many of them literally eat bread (with charcuterie, cheese, and various toppings) for dinner. This is a German household and Sylter Meersalz is a perfect accompaniment to our Abendbrot.
Unfortunately, at present this salt can be purchased only at select retailers throughout Germany (you will find a list under “Im Handel“ on the website), on-line on a website that is only in German (which means that it is unlikely that they ship outside the EU), and on the island of Sylt itself. Now, I have said “unfortunately“ but really this is a wonderful opportunity to take a trip to my favorite island in the world. It is worth noting at this point, that I am always cold and so have always preferred tropical islands as vacation locales. Germans do swim in the waters off Sylt but I personally find it way too cold for swimming, even at its warmest. It's not usually even warm enough for me to lie out on the beach, which brings me to another great invention of the Germans, the Strandkorb, literally a “beach basket“. It is a wicker beach chair for two but this is not just any chair. First, the back of the “chair“ curves up over one to protect against wind and, if you wish, the sun. Second, you can recline it. Third, there is a foot-stool that flips out to act as a footrest. Fourth, it has an awning if you want/need maximum sun or wind protection. And fifth and most brilliantly, the space under the footrest is a locker where you can keep your valuables (it locks) when you go for a walk or to get food or, if you are crazy, for a swim. These beauties, which line the beaches of all of northern Germany during the season, can be moved around to provide maximum wind protection. They are, in short, inventions of pure genius!
But what was I talking about? Oh, right. Sylt. Sylt is just off of the mainland of Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. In fact, most of the land you see from Sylt is, in fact, Denmark, rather than Germany. One can fly to the island as there is an airport on Sylt; however, I prefer to take the train. Sylt is connected to the mainland by a large dike/artificially created land bridge but there is no road. There is only the train. By this means, they can control the number of cars on the island. My journey to Sylt began when we drove the car onto the train… Yes, it is a car train! You stay in your car for the journey over. We went in April, which is lamb season in Germany. The land the train drove over is salt marsh and the sheep and lambs feed on these marshes and develop an amazing flavor. I waxed positively idiotic about the adorability of the pure white little lammies with their Muttis (mothers) that we passed on our way to the island. They even dotted the sides of the dike, like large white flowers. Then we arrived in Westerland, the principle town on the island (and the least photogenic), drove off the train and went to dinner, where I enjoyed a regional specialty of plaice (locally, Scholle) fried in butter and covered with mini shrimp.
Westerland is in the middle of Sylt and, as well as being a great base for exploring the island, it is also the best bet for English speakers. Sylt is a tourist destination but most of those tourists tend to be German. Don't let this deter you though. English is the number one foreign language studied by German school children. In fact, around 98% of the kids from 2nd grade on learn English. This means that, while the shop keeper at the cute little place you stop at, might not speak English, someone in the shop will more than likely be able to translate for you. The same can be said of the restaurants. You can even get a cafe mocha in Westerland.
You are likely still wondering why I'm rhapsodizing about Sylt though. Sylt is an island of sand dunes and dune grasses. It has more bike paths than roads. There are no trees (an important consideration in April to someone who is allergic to pollen), there is a tang of salt in the air, and, because this is much further north than where I'm from in Ohio, the sky and sea appear to touch. Then there are the houses. They are mostly white-washed white and a great many of them are thatched. Yes, really! They are thatched. You can even rent some of these beauties, though, given the prices for a thatch roofed house at the real estate offices that dot the larger towns on Sylt, I imagine the rental fee is a bit high. Alternatively, you can just stay at the Fährhaus hotel, where you can fall into bed immediately after your two Michelin star meal or, if you can't get a reservation there, you can go to the Käpt'n Selmer Stube, another of the hotels three restaurants. We enjoyed a meal there one of our evenings on the island and, while it may not be Michelin starred, it is still excellent, and more affordable.
If you do make it to Sylt, you should start or end (or both) your trip at Sansibar. You have to look hard to find it because the only thing visible from the road is the parking lot and a path up over the dunes. When you find yourself on the other side of those dunes though, you will find yourself at a nice shack with a superb kids play area out front. Don't be fooled though. This place is THE place on Sylt. Hamburg has the third largest population of over 30-million-aires in Germany (that's over 30 million Euros, not over 30 years of age). Many of them have vacation homes on Sylt and Sansibar is where they go to let their hair down, which helps to explain the menu, not to speak of the difficulty of getting a seat during the high season. The menu is about 50 pages long. The first two to three pages are food and you should either go with a large group of hungry people or don't order an appetizer because the restaurant provides a selection of appetizers on the house - at least they did for us. This selection was essentially a meal in and of itself. Then they bring you your entree and the portion sizes aren't precisely small (my Wiener Schnitzel hung off of both sides of the plate and Michi's steak would have done a Texan proud). Surprisingly enough though, the prices are reasonable and quite affordable, even if you're not one of the rich kids. After the first three or so pages, one starts on the wine menu. This continues for 40 or so pages, with bottles ranging in price from “I wish there was an American restaurant with prices this good“ to a few thousand Euros. Then there are a couple of pages of rums and the book ends with a cigar menu. You can enjoy a wine or aperitif or a small meal sitting in a Strandkorb. You can sit outside (they provide blankets in case it gets a bit chilly) or you can sit inside, behind glass (though I think it is designed to be opened up in summer).
Michi is German and I lived in Germany for three years so it is possible that we are simply prejudiced. However, I hope that you won't let that dissuade you from visiting this beautiful island. Pack running shoes or rollerblades or rent a bike and work up an appetite so that you have an excuse to order more than one course at one of the several excellent restaurants here. And, when you leave Sylt, don't rush to one of the usual suspects (like Paris). Remember that Germany is the country with the third highest number of Michelin restaurants after Japan and France, and also lots of more affordable and approachable places that won't serve Bavarian comfort food. So take some time and visit Hamburg and L¨beck and Berlin and the small, quaint little towns in between. Then you won't have to take our word for how nice it all is.