ALGARVE RESIDENT || FRIDAY, MAY 29, 201524 gourmet

By BRUNO FILIPE PIRES

PLANTS || The first sam-ples of the marsh samphire (Salicornia ramosissima) cur-rently being harvested in Ria Formosa are already sur-prising Algarve chefs. Miguel Salazar, the CEO of start-up company ‘RiaFresh’, tells the Resident why he decided to produce this deliciously salty little plant in the Algarve.

It is light, fresh, crunchy, succulent, naturally salty and very easy to fall in love with. Although salicornia (common names range from marsh samphire to glass-wort and pickleweed) is already well-known in the Portuguese gourmet mar-ket, Miguel Salazar - a Span-iard living in the Algarve for

13 years - believes Ria For-mosa’s variety is in a class of its own.

“A lot of places offer the right conditions to culti-vate salicornia,” the head of RiaFresh told us. “It grows naturally from Wales to the Algarve coast.”

But it is “a very complex plant”, with a taste that varies “immensely” from area to area.

“Even botanists have difficulty identifying the many varieties that exist,” the 43-year-old with a PhD in agronomic engineering told us.

“In our case, we’re produc-ing an indigenous eco-type known as Salicornia da Ria Formosa which involves a ‘thorough selection’ of the plant’s tiny seeds.”

The start-up company is growing its first plants in a controlled environment, echoing the “natural condi-tions of Ria Formosa”, not far from Faro’s University of the Algarve in Gambelas.

These specially-produced plants are better protected from “extreme temperature changes, as well as other external factors” that could threaten quality standards, he told us.

With regard to “food safety”, production condi-tions basically nurture the little plants with kid gloves.

RiaFresh’s first seeds were planted last December. By the end of March, the plants were ready for harvesting, just short of maturity – and thus at their best.

The start-up’s initial goal

is to produce 300 to 500 kilos of Salicornia de Ria Formosa - just enough to introduce this new Algarve delicacy to the region’s gourmet market and fine dining restaurants.

“For now, all we need is a small group of chefs to get creative,” Salazar affirmed, adding: “this far, we’ve had great feedback.”

The first batch is ready for sale in 30, 60 and 100-gram packages. Salazar says it can stay fresh for up to two weeks “if kept cool” - but the likelihood is that people will gobble it up in a blink.

“Soon, gourmet stores and selected outlets will sell it, too,” he said. “But for now, we run an online store where people can order it.”http://www.riafresh.com

“The fifth taste”

According to Miguel Salazar, one of the characteristics of salicornia is a savoury taste known as “umami” – a word taken from Japanese, mean-ing “delicious”.

“Historically, we were told there were four basic taste receptors: sweet, sour, bitter and salty,” he explained. “But some years ago in Japan, a fifth was identified, in the cen-tral part of the tongue. It involves the reaction of chemical components that increase the palate.”

Thus the umami of sali-cornia acts as a kind of natural flavour booster. On its own, it “is very inter-esting”. In Salazar’s words, “its texture, structure and

morphology make it a very special finishing touch to many dishes. It is also a natural and healthy salt substitute.”

But RiaFresh isn’t limiting itself to salicornia. It is also planning to cultivate other vegetable species naturally found along the Ria.

“This is just the begin-ning”, Salazar told us.

RiaFresh has developed from research work con-ducted by mother-company Agro-On between 2011 and 2014 at Castro Marim’s Reserva Natural do Sapal.

The research was designed to sustainably produce halo-phytes – plants that grow in or near salty water. Based in Faro, Agro-On has worked on many quality control food projects around the world.

Salicornia: introducing a little-known Ria Formosa culinary delicacy

Miguel Salazar from RiaFresh

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the weekly food and wine digest

Market research con-ducted by RiaFresh has established that sali-cornia is not yet com-monly used in Portugal, though it is considered to be a super-food (rich in vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients). It is also a healthy alternative to salt, which means it is perfect for people with high blood pressure (hypertension).

Lambs are fed with salt plants like marsh samphire in Monegros - a Spanish province in Aragon - and in Wales. The special diet makes their meat naturally salty, as fine-diners who appreciate “Ter-nasco de Aragon” and “Welsh salt-marsh lamb” will testify.