White Gold

WHITE GOLD
2018 Salinas Grandes, Argentina
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El Santuario de Tres Pozos (the Sanctuary of Three Wells) is a rural town located about 150 km from the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, which has approximately 164 inhabitants. There live the members of the cooperative that is responsible for extracting salt from the Salinas Grandes. There are 40 families working in a community, each with its pool and its portion, exploiting a part of that great salt desert. Most of their work is done with the drag technique: salt is extracted from the surface and, as it has dirt and other impurities, it is sold by tons to whiten paper. But they also extract edible salt, thick, fine or so special salt flower that forms on the surface of the pools. This flower floats and is extracted manually, it has a different formation, different taste and it is the most sought after by luxury restaurants.