A World of Salts
A World of Salts
Understanding the different varieties will up your culinary game
Salt and pepper grace every table in America in an assortment of standard glass shakers, sets of plastic dolphins or cacti, or in complicated grinders. Salt, especially, is so ubiquitous in our culture that many people dust their food with a fine coating before they even taste it.
An essential element that regulates the ebb and flow of many of the body’s fluids, salt has always been a highly esteemed commodity whose trade has been governed by kings. The Latin word for salt, “sal,” formed the root of the word “salarium,” which was a special stipend that Roman soldiers received to buy salt. Our word “salary” derives from it. Productive people are deemed “worth their salt” while in Medieval times, those unimportant were seated “below the salt.”
In the Old Testament, salt was prescribed as an offering to God, and at a Polish wedding the bride’s parents present the newlyweds with the gift of bread and salt, two of the essentials of life.
Product of the sea, salt is our link with infinity—the essence of the primordial soup that formed the basis for life itself. Just one taste can satisfy the receptors on our tongue that have evolved to appreciate it; though few of us stop at just one taste. It is estimated that the average American man consumes about 2 teaspoons (4,000mg) of salt each day while women consume about 1 ½ teaspoons (3000mg) when we should be limiting our salt consumption to 1 teaspoon (1800to 2400mg) or less per day. A high salt intake increases the risk of high blood pressure, which leads to heart disease and stroke.
Most salt (sodium chloride) in this country is sold in round cardboard boxes and contains iodine, another essential nutrient, that has been added to table salt since 1924 to prevent goiter. To live up to its promise that “when it rains, it pours®” table salt also contains calcium silicate and dextrose to prevent caking in the presence of moisture. Another method of keeping salt free flowing is to put a few grains of rice into the shaker to absorb the natural humidity in the air.
Most of the salt sold in this country has been mined from the existing salt deposits of ancient seas. Sea salt is harvested from living seas through evaporation and has a more interesting, and stronger, flavor than salt that is mined. The United States produces about 42 out of a worldwide production of 294 million metric tons, with about three-fourths of that production coming from underground mines. China, India, and the US are the three top salt-producing countries.
Culinary professionals prefer Kosher salt because it is a purer form of salt with a jagged surface that is processed from evaporated brine under strict conditions according to Jewish dietary law. There is less salt in a teaspoon of Kosher salt than in the more granular table salt because of the irregularity of the crystals but the impact of the flavor is greater.
Pickling salt is a coarse salt that is additive-free because additives tend to make the brine cloudy in a pickled product. Rock salt is an unrefined variety of salt that is not for human consumption. It is used to present oysters on a stable bed and in ice-cream making because salt plus ice water is colder than ice water alone.
Vegetable salts, such as garlic salt, or onion or celery salt are made of vegetable powders combined with salt. When using these products reduce or eliminate the amount of regular salt in a recipe.
Maldon salt is a unique salt harvested in England that has a distinctive pyramid shape and a very salty taste. It is used as a finishing salt, something to sprinkle on your dish as a final touch. Fleur de sel from the Brittany region of France near Guerand is a highly prized finishing salt, as is Himalayan pink salt. These are not the salts to use in your pasta water; Kosher salt is best for that and Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is the top of the line. My current favorite salt is Laese Salt from Denmark, given to me by a Danish visitor. Its chunky nature is great sprinkled on a steak at serving time for maximum snazz factor.
I grew up in Philly and attended St Athanasius Parochial grade school where we had soft pretzels every day for a snack. The boys were in charge of delivering the pretzels in a canvas bag. One of my first gifts from a boy was on my desk one morning in fourth grade, a glistening pyramid of salt that John Cassidy shook out of the bag and left as an offering to me. He knew how to win a girl’s attention.
This New Year pay attention to the basics and appreciate the little things in life. It’s a small indulgence that goes a long way. Just use it judiciously and gift it to win friends and influence people.
