Are you old enough to remember when crisps only came ready salted? The vast range of flavours now available were but a gleam in Gary Linneker’s eye, we were just grateful we didn’t have to search for those cute little blue bags of salt anymore.
Sometimes you got more than one, sometimes you got none, it all depended on the whim of the packing machine or possibly Doris on the production line ‘oop north.
When flavours did arrive one of the first was Smoky Bacon. To a young boy’s taste buds it was quite delicious and the best bit was tipping up the bag to fill your mouth with salty bacony dust after you’d eaten all the crisps. I tell you, we really had to make our own amusements back then.
Second best, for me at least, was the dust from Salt n Vinegar crisps, so a box arriving on my desk containing virtuously Natural Malt Salt, as well as proudly artificially flavoured Bacon Salt, made my day. Off with the lids and in with the tasting spatula, well ok a biro. Created by two friends, Justin and Dave, with the help of $5000 loaned by Dave’s 3 year old son (long story) these salts have savour.
The Malt Salt tastes of fish shop, it’s something Heston Blumenthal would approve of. Suddenly I was back in the classic chippy; the counter too high to see over and the smell of proper freshly cooked fish and chips wafting down to my short-trousered self expectantly gazing up. It has to be malt vinegar on chips of course, any fool shaking white wine vinegar, balsamic or rice vinegar is clearly no foodie.
The Bacon Salt is totally, irredeemably and unapologetically artificial. It’s a bacon flavour never found in nature. Like the malt salt it is zero fat, zero calorie and, good news if you’re Jewish, it’s totally kosher as there is not a single bit of bacon in it. It is at base a sea-salt with a lot of spices and it is rather addictive. What am I saying? It’s terribly addictive. I love it, dusted into a chicken burger could be quite brilliant and also rather good in mashed potato. The possibilities are endless.
The two inventors have run riot since their original eureka moment. Now in addition to the original there are Hickory and Peppered versions too, luscious Baconnaise available on Amazon, and even a bacon flavoured lip balm for those girls looking to land that very special man.
It’s American of course but available in some Morrisons here as well as direct online from a UK distribution point. check out their website to see more of what these bacon buddies have in store.
www.jdfoods.net
What would you do with Bacon Salt? Recipe ideas welcome.