By Kathy Hughes
For most of us, at an early point in our lives, salt was salt, and pepper was pepper — “salt and pepper” was all there was to it. Pepper was first to change, suddenly there were new kinds of pepper in addition to black pepper: green pepper, red pepper, Pondicherry pepper, etc.
Perhaps, this splurge on pepper was precipitated by the widespread availability of pepper grinders, adopted first by the gourmet set, suddenly, salt and pepper grinder sets were hugely in fashion. The first ones I remember were of wood, resembling the wooden spindle for making wool thread. Next, with expanding popularity, sets were made of acrylic and stainless steel. Everyone who was anybody had one, making them popular wedding gifts.
All salt comes from evaporating sea water or underground salt mines. Table salt, Kosher salt and sea salt come from the same source, but the differences lie in the process used after the salt is obtained. Table salt is natural salt refined into tiny grains that are quickly absorbed by food.
Kosher salt is not only kosher, but its name refers to its use, not its holiness; this salt was used in the brine and dry methods of koshering meat (and pickles!), e.g., it was called “koshering salt” before the name was shortened, thereby causing the confusion. Kosher salt is no holier than table salt, or any other type of salt.
Sea salt undergoes the least refinement, and it is kept in its natural state. Sea salt crystals larger than table salt, but not as large as Kosher salt so it wouldn’t work in a then standard salt shaker. It was, and continues to be, used mainly in cooking. The large grains make it easier to gauge the amount of salt being added, plus, due to the grain size, measure for measure, it results in less saltiness: a cup of sea salt does not equal a cup of table salt. Some cooks recommend adding sea salt after cooking as a “finishing salt.”
Just recently, salt has been undergoing the same type of popularity change as pepper did years ago. People seeking exclusivity by the salt they use have introduced us to varieties of salt distinguished by their color and origins, namely: pink salt, black salt, Celtic salt, Himalayan salt and Hawaiian salt. There are as many as 12 varieties, but they are all salt.
For a quick rundown, pink salt or Himalayan salt, has a light pink color, and contains 84 minerals and elements, giving it not only its color, but a unique taste. It is harvested by hand in the Himalayan mountains of Pakistan. There is also a Himalayan black salt, (not to be confused with Hawaiian black salt). The Himalayan black salt comes from Nepal where it is mixed with charcoal and herbs before being thrown into a furnace. The result is a crunch, coarse texture and a smoky, eggy taste and aroma. Vegans, who don’t eat eggs, reputedly love it.
Celtic salt, you won’t guess it, comes from the Atlantic shores of France, where it is raked out of tidal pools, yielding a coarse, grey salt, with a definite briny flavor. Another salt from the same region is skimmed off the surface of the sea, yielding a delicate, flaky salt, which is known as “fleur de sel.” It is also known as the caviar of salt due to its exorbitant cost.
Hawaii produces both a red and a black salt. The red salt is red from its iron content, and the black from charcoal treatment.
Take your pick! It’s all salt.
