Creating flavor together: a salt-conscious 3-course menu by Verstegen and the Kidney Foundation

How can you make food flavorful and salt-conscious without compromising on the experience? This question is central to our collaboration as a Flavor Partner of the Dutch Kidney Foundation. Together with other flavor partners, we pooled our knowledge and passion to show that less salt doesn't have to mean less enjoyment.

In the Netherlands, many people consume more salt daily than recommended. High salt intake can contribute to health problems and poses an additional challenge for people with kidney disease. At the same time, flavor is an essential part of food and enjoyment. That is precisely where the opportunity lies: discovering how you can make dishes surprisingly full and rich with herbs, spices, and clever flavor combinations.

This idea led to the salt-conscious three-course menu. A menu that shows that conscious choices and culinary quality go hand in hand. By carefully matching ingredients and building flavor with natural aromas, herbs, and texture, a complete dining experience is created in which salt does not have to play the leading role.

Practical tips for salt-conscious cooking

·        Replacing salt is not about a single herb or spice, but about the interplay of flavors.

·        Choose umami-rich flavorings such as garlic, onion, shallots, or leeks as a flavor base.

·        Combine herbs and spices, such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, smoked paprika powder, or ginger, for more depth.

·        Add something sour, such as lemon, lime, or sumac, and a touch of heat with chili or cayenne pepper. This way, salt is missed less.

·        Match your herbs to the cuisine of your dish. Authentic combinations, such as cumin, coriander, and lime in Mexican dishes, naturally provide a rich flavor.

Working together on flavorful choices

How do you give dishes full flavor without adding unnecessarily much salt? That requires knowledge, craftsmanship, and creativity. Together with the Dutch Kidney Foundation, we continue to discover how herbs, spices, and clever flavor combinations can contribute to dishes that are both flavorful and salt-conscious.

This joint mission also comes together in OPZOUTEN!: a cookbook full of inspiration from twenty top Dutch chefs, with flavorful recipes and new insights into cooking with less salt.

Curious about how you can get started yourself? Order your copy of OPZOUTEN! here.