The Supremacy of Salt

Salt. It’s white right? Think again. It’s finely ground? Not anymore. It’s salty? If only it were that simple. It’s a common object, usually spotted in the middle of a kitchen table, sitting in a jar with holes just big enough to let the tiny grains slip through. It’s known around the world, a universal ingredient. Almost every recipe beckons its flavoring power. Yet this everyday product is re- defining itself, tired of being characterized as lackluster and boring. In todays hectic world specialty salts are fighting to make themselves known, wriggling their way into restaurants, grocery stores, boutiques, and even kitchen cupboards. The fancy salts are exotic, ranging from deep earthy oranges to delicate sparkly pinks. There are salts that look like dainty snowflakes and others that are just chopped up nuggets of glassy crystal. They come from voluminous places such as the sea, mountains, oceanic volcanoes, and rivers. Fancy salt is here, and it’s determined to prove to you that salts can be much more than average.  

 The 2012 winter Fancy Food Show showcased hundreds of new products that are “up and coming” in the food world. Guess what had shoppers and chefs “oohing and aahing?” Artisan salts. Now a novelty item, companies are working hard to take advantage of the trend. These salts are more labor intensive and harder to obtain that then the traditional table salt, and thus, have a hefty price tag. These salts can range anywhere from four to fifteen dollars for four ounces of precious crystal.

Yet prices do not seem to be getting in the way of business. Chefs and consumers alike are going gaga for the stuff. What is all the hype about? I am determined to find out. In addition to regular table salt, I purchased seven “specialty” salts, varying from Costco’s Mediterranean Sea salt to an online purchased Hawaiian black lava salt. I will compare, analyze, and taste these seven salts to give you a better understanding of each product. While all of this is thrilling and you are probably on the edge of your seats wondering what this ironic black salt tastes like, I feel it is my duty to first inform on salt’s impressive merits.  

HISTORY

 Salt is considered a treasured commodity in other countries. It probably helped our ancestors melt the snow at the mouth of their caves as well with its ability to lower the temperature of freezing water. Fast forward to 3500 b.c and salt was being used by the Egyptians as an offering at funerals. Their offerings were given to the dead to ensure that they were properly equipped for the afterlife. Salt must have been pretty exceptional for them to consider it!
After this salt made a reappearance during the middle ages. It cost so much that it was named “white gold.” Today, at fifteen dollars a jar, maybe this is not that far off. Maybe the Ethiopians heard of this trend. In their country pound sized bars of salt called “amoleh” were a used as a form of currency. Amoleh was used to for trade and compensation up until the 20^th century.

Salt is relevant in today’s world too. Salt is used for religious purposes, as medicine, as nourishment, and for preserving beauty. Even the formation of clouds is dependent on this inspiring mineral. Drilling for oil and natural resources, pottery production, soap making, and water softening are also heavily dependent on salt. Where would we be without this prized mineral?

HEALTH

Most humans crave salty flavor. Our capacity to enjoy salt is partly because saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is the only mineral that humans eat. In fact the body cannot produce sodium by itself, making it necessary for humans to consume salt. This does not mean that you need to go nuts covering your already salted French fries with even more white power. Nope, salt can be deadly in large quantities, and too much can lead to hypertension, kidney failure, heart issues, electrolyte imbalance, and osteoporosis. Yikes! Nonetheless salt is still important and the United States Food and Drug Administration recommends that you consume at least 500 to 2,300 mg of salt a day. That being said the average American consumes more than this, about 3,500 mg a day, thanks to chain restaurants, office cafeterias, and processed foods. The world consumes 240 million tons of salt per year, meaning that its consistent usage must mean that something about salt is special.

SKILL

One of salt’s special qualities is its ability to preserve foods. It has been used for preserving food since the ice ages. Acing as a natural preservative, salt stops the formation of mold and bacteria. Salt takes the moisture out of the air, making it impossible for these pesky things to grow. In fact, this ability created the groundwork for humans to preserving food. Humans no longer had to rely on what was in season; they would not preserve foods and keep it unspoiled on long voyages.

 Salt is used in cooking to create an equilibrium between sweet and acidic. By increasing the sweetness of the food, and reducing the amount of sourness, the product is much more enjoyable. The recent salty sweet fad is salted caramels. Yum!

 In addition to enhancing food salts can literally preform lipo- suction on meat. By covering meat in a salty crust the salt will absorb the fat but keep moisture and flavor from escaping. A juicy steak with less fat sounds like a good idea to me.

THE TEST

Whew, are you even more excited than before? I know that you are anxiously waiting to hear about all of these exciting salts that I have selected. The following is a brief description of each of the salts that I have selected. I included their background, price and where I purchased them. Finally, I taste tested all of them, ensuring that each was evaluated properly. In order to put the different salts into perspective I have rated them on a scale of one to five crystals, five being the most delectable.

1.     Table Salt- This salt is mined from salt deposits. The salt is forced into water and this creates a brine (water/salt mix). The brine then evaporates and leaves behind salt deposits. This salt has the majority of its minerals removed.                                                   This is the typical salt that you would find in a restaurant saltshaker. This finely ground salt is thin. Its flavor is thin as well. You need a lot of the salt of the salt to really taste it. It is bland and the taste does not linger. This salt is awarded one crystal.

2.     Basic White Sea Salt- Sea salt is more common that Celtic salt (see below) because it is less expensive. It comes either fine or coarsely ground. I have gotten both. The keenly ground salt is from California and the coarse one hails from the Mediterranean. This salt is taken from the ocean and then distilled. It also contains traces of minerals, more so than table salt but less than Celtic salt. The Californian Sea Salt is from Trader Joes costing 99 cents for 3.9 oz. The other is from Costco costing costing $4 for 13 oz. This simple salt is awarded three crystals.                                      
       The Mediterranean salt is white, chunky, and rough. The taste is bitter. It has a strong flavor at first than backs off. There is not a strong after taste. This one was the most similar to regular salt, just crunchier. The Californian salt was white and coarse but not as bumpy as the former. This salt was not as strong and you needed a little bit more to taste it. It has an even saltiness to it, and was a bit citrusy. It easily dissipates on your tongue. There was no aftertaste. This salt is awarded one and a half crystals.                                                                                                                                 

3.     Light Grey Celtic Salt –The most nutritious of salts, it has been recommended by doctors since the 1970’s. It is supposed to have potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. It is hand- harvested using a two thousand year-old traditional method of gathering and drying salt. The salt water is strained by hand in baskets and then dried by the wind and the sunshine. It comes from the Celtic Sea water of Brittany, France. It is grey because of the clay that is found in the part of France where the salt is harvested. This was purchased at Whole Foods for close to 5$ for one pound of salt.     The Celtic Sea salt is a whitish grey color. It is sticky, meaning that the crystals multitude of shapes and sizes were glued together. I would best depict them as shiny clumps. The salt is sweet and sunny like bubbling sea foam. The flavor is uneven, first shrill, then the saltiness sits on your tongue, and the sharp taste returns again. This left your tongue wanting more. The salt is crunchy and jagged on the tongue. After it is gone the saltiness lingers in your mouth. This salt’s aromatic taste is rewarded with five crystals.

4.     Hawaiian Red Alaea Sea Salt- Found in Molokai, Hawaii this salt is an glowing terracotta color. It has a very high amount of iron, due to the volcanic red clay (Alaea) where the salt comes from. It does not melt easily, so it is good for pre-cooking. This salt is held in high regards by native Hawaiians who find it to be spiritually healing. This was purchased online through The Spice Lab for almost $5 for 3.5 oz.   
       This amber colored salt Hawaiian Alaea salt reminds me of colored sand. The salt is finely ground (although not as much as the table salt). The flavor starts with an intense burst, and then lays off. The salt dissipates quickly. This salt is lively and hot in your mouth. This hot salt is awarded four crystals.                                      

5.     Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt- This salt, like the Alaea salt is also found in Molokai, Hawaii. This black salt is evaporated by the sun and combined with activated volcanic charcoal. This adds multiple health benefits to the salt. It is supposed to be strictly used as a finishing salt. Ordered from The Spice Lab, this was the same price and amount as the Alaea Sea Salt.
       The Hawaiian Black Lava salt is black and clear, resembling a spider web. It is shiny and thicker than the Alaea salt but thinner than sea salt. You expect the salt to have a cloudy taste yet it could not be clearer. At first there is a burst of bitter and tangy flavor. It is overwhelmingly salty, like a rush of ocean water in your mouth. The taste lingers but you don’t crave more, it’s satisfying. This unique salt is awarded three crystals.                                                                                                                                    

6.     Smoked Sea Salt- This salt is just basic sea salt that has been smoked over a wood fire. The salt that I have selected is from South Africa. It is most commonly used for salmon. It was $2 at Trader Joes. The smoked sea salt overpoweringly smells like smoldering wood. It has a darkish grey. It comes in chunks that are bigger than sea salt but smaller than the Himalayan rock salt. The smell and taste reminds me of a campfire. You taste a salty pinch and then wood. The flavor is sharp then dissipates. It is earthy and resembles musty moss. This unusual tasting salt is given three crystals.                                        

7.     Pink Himalayan Crystal Rock Salt- This Pakistani salt is from the Himalayan Mountains. It is two hundred and fifty years old, and is usually used in spas because it is said to have healing powers. It is best for adding saltiness to moist foods. It has an abundance of iron and eighty-four other trace minerals. It is sold in chunks, and needs to be ground by hand. Ordered from the Spice Lab. The Salt was a little over $5 for 3.2 oz.

                The Himalayan rock salt is a mixture of intense color and mute pink.
             It comes in big  lustrous cubes. The flavor is slowly intense and warm. If feels earthy,           even, sunny and clean on your tongue. This beautiful salt is granted four crystals.

            So there you have it, seven different salts that are all unique and different. They can be used on pretty much any meat, fish, or vegetable. Since “designer cocktails” are all the rage now (jalapeno infused vodka and arugula infused rum?) you can use these artisan salts on the rim of a customized drink. Even sprinkle them on your popcorn (although this may turn out to be an expensive habit). The Celtic grey sea salt will definitely become a staple in my pantry. As the organic movement forces us to dissect every ingredient in our pantries I predict that specialty salts will become pretty darn popular.