Simply Salt | deelish

Remember when salt was just salt, used to flavour an otherwise dull stew or added to chips to give them that extra zing? All we knew of salt growing up was that it was white and an accompaniment to add flavour to food. And then the likes of TV chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay introduced us to Maldon salt and Himalayan salt was being touted as the ‘next best thing’..Wow! How times have changed…

SALT IS ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE
Salt is essential for life and is key to the healthy, efficient and optimal functioning of the human system on many levels. Our physical bodies consist of a 70% (approx.) saline solution which facilitates vital cellular and metabolic processes, ensuring the efficient functioning of the internal organs and systems. The salt that one uses on a regular basis determines the quality of one’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being.

Simply Salt by Anthony Poseman

ARE YOU WORTH YOUR SALT?

So how to distinguish between various types of salt to ensure that you are using the salt most suitable to supporting optimal functioning, growth and development? Many people assume that “salt is salt” and have yet to become aware of the subtle, yet significant differences between the various salts available to us. These factors are also what determine a salt’s health effects and value as a nutritional asset. Are you worth your salt?

Here we have a look at a few of the different salts available on supermarket shelves and in gourmet foodie shops the world over, and try and explain the difference between them.

Table Salt: Found on most diner tables, this salt comes from underground salt deposits and contains more sodium chloride than sea salt. Most table salts also contain iodine and additives such as anti-caking agents. What most people commonly call salt today, is actually processed sodium chloride with chemical additives such as bleaching and flowing agents. Widely sold as Table salt, sometimes with iodine added, this salt is the reason that salt in general has suc bad reputation with regards to health. Any unnaturally processed substance with added chemicals is foreign to our bodies and essentially a poison. Unsurprisingly, salt used in this form has serious health implications, especially if used on a long term basis.

Rock Salt: Mined for far longer than we are ever likely to know. Salt deposits are made by nature, so the workmanship involved relates more to the extraction of the salt from the mountain than to the making of the salt. Significantly, rock salt is not processed, heated, refined or bleached, which means it offers some advantages over salts that have been through some kind of chemical, evaporation or heating process.

Kosher Salt: Originates from either the sea or the earth and its craggy crystals make it ideal for curing meat hence its name, coming from its use in the preparation of meat according to Jewish dietary guidelines. Kosher salt dissolves easily and is a good all-purpose salt. Kosher salt gives you more flavour for less salt when compared with regular table salt.

The difference between regular salt and gourmet salt:

Sea water contains not only sodium chloride but other other trace minerals as well as fine particles of clay. These impurities are filtered out of kosher and table salt. If these are not filtered out the sediments and minerals will affect the appearance and flavor of the finished salt. These ‘impurities’ is what gives “gourmet’ salts their colour and taste.

GOURMET SALTS:

Himalayan
One of the most precious varieties in the world is the pink rock salt to be found in the Salt Range of Pakistan in the sub-Himalayan region It is said to be the purest in the world and the only type of salt to contain 84 minerals and trace elements. It is used frequently in spa treatments. Himalayan salt is often used as a serving ‘plate’ for foods and due to its ability to hold a temperature is often used as a cooking vessel or even to serve ice cream.

India
The exquisite black Indian salt (kala namak) comes from volcanic rocks. It is used extensively in masala dishes and is often sprinkled on fruit. Black Salt is made in India by mixing salt water with harad seeds. The mixture is left to evaporate leaving behind black lumps of salt. When the salt is ground, the resulting powder is pink

Seaweed salt is a delicacy hand-harvested in the estuaries of the great French rivers as they flow into the sea in Brittany. While Fleur de sel, which is produced in the Camargue, is the caviar of the salt world.

Gros Sel: A pure sea salt made up of large grained crystals, it name in French means "large salt." Keep it in a salt grinder for freshly ground sea salt, use it to create a salt crust on meat or fish, or use it to season pasta water.

Fleur de Sel: Hand-harvested from the same salt evaporation ponds as sel gris.

This salt is collected by scraping salt crystals from the surface of the water before they sink to the bottom.

Fleur de sel which means "flower of salt" in French is traditionally, though not exclusively, harvested in Guérande, Brittany. The delicate, irregular crystals gently dissolve, making it a great finishing salt. Try it on fish, pork and vegetables. Fleur de Sel is quite expensive but if you can afford it, you should use it for everything.

Hawaiian Sea Salt: This fine or coarse grained sea salt can be either red or black. The red version gets its colour from a natural mineral called Alaea, a volcanic baked red clay and the black salt has charcoal added to it for its colour. Hawaiian sea salt has trace elements galore and is great with pork, seafood and more.

Smoked Salt: Slow smoked over a wood fire to infuse the crystals with a deep, smokey flavor. It is thus perfect for for grilled meats and scrumptious roast potatoes or any other vegetables.

Some Salty Trivia!

In the Middle Ages, salt was so expensive it was sometimes referred to as “white gold”.
In the kitchen, baking food in a salt crust is considered to be an extremely light and tasty cooking method, but it must be covered with a layer of at least 1.5 centimetres to form a sort of kiln around the food.
As early as 2200 BC, the Chinese emperor Yu tried to tax salt: from then on, the struggle to control it has led to retaliations, such as Gandhi’s salt march against the English tax.
A little tip to keep your champagne well chilled for longer: add a few spoonfuls of coarse salt to the ice in the bucket.
The human body contains from 4 to 6 ounces of salt; its function is to control blood volume, as well as regulating digestion and nerve fibres.

6. In Japanese theatres, it used to be customary, before each performance to throw salt on the stage to drive evil spirits away. The most expensive salt in the world comes from a small island just off the coast of Denmark, called Laeso. A kg of Laeso salt can cost up to $30.

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Simply Salt by Anthony Poseman