Tasty Treat
n Fleur de sel, the “flower of salt,” is considered the premier
When used conservatively and creatively, finishing foods
quality grey sea salt, with fine crystals, a crisp texture and
with natural salts can make nutritious eating more enjoy-
a delicate flavor and aroma.
able. According to purveyors of natural salt products, these n Grey salt, or sel gris, comes from evaporated sea water
can deliver 50 or more trace minerals, including calcium, off the coast of Brittany, France; its unrefined crystals are
magnesium, potassium and iodine, all within the bounds of purple-grey in color and have a fresh, light flavor.
good taste.
n Hawaiian black lava salt comprises a blend of sea salt
“Good salt has a tremendous impact on the flavors
and volcanic charcoal, prized for its dramatic color and
of various foods,” explains Dave Joachim, author of The
smoky flavor.
Science of Good Food and founder of Chef Salts, a line of
premier seasoning blends. “It can
n Hawaiian red sea salt contains alaea, a volcanic clay that
intensify some flavors, includ-
enriches the salt with iron oxide and gives it a distinctive
OF THE EARTH
ing sweet and savory, or
pink color and mellow flavor.
umami, while diminishing
n Himalayan salt, a full-flavored salt, has traces of iron that
others, such as bitter and
give its crystals a soft pink glow. Once a year, Nepali
tart flavors. That’s why
workers harvest this salt from an ancient fossilized seabed.
a salt rim on an organic
margarita glass works so
While savoring salt in sensible quantities, remember that,
well—salt suppresses the
“We eat with our eyes, too,” says Joachim. “We can ap-
tartness of the lime and
preciate the beautiful crystal structures of the different kinds
brings out its subtle sweet-
of salts. They’re astonishingly varied—large flakes and tiny
ness.”
grains; pyramids and delicate, flat chips. Like snowflakes,
With a mind-boggling
there’s an endless variety.”
variety of culinary salts avail-
able, choosing just the right
Rallie McAllister is a medical doctor with master’s degrees in
one can be a challenge. “Each
public health and environmental health. She publishes as an
type of salt has unique qualities,”
author, syndicated columnist and co-founder of MommyM-
advises Joachim. “Differences in
DGuides.com, a free website providing tips from integrative
color, flavor, and texture are cre-
physicians who are also mothers.
ated by the mineral and moisture content of the salt, the size
and shape of the crystals and even the harvesting methods
used.”
Each also stands in stark contrast to common table salt,
which is 99.7 percent sodium chloride that has been heat
blasted, stripped of other minerals and chemically treated
to re-infuse iodine content. Yes, iodine is essential for good
health; it is important for the production of thyroid hormones
and critical for pregnant women, observes Jim Roach, a
medical doctor and founder of Midway Center for Integra-
tive Medicine in Midway, Kentucky. He reports that as more
people shy away from their old salt standby, “Americans are
getting less iodine than 30 years ago.”
But another way to meet the body’s basic iodine needs
is with natural salt, as well as sea vegetables such as kelp,
wakame and nori, the seaweed used for making sushi. While
remaining mindful of our overall sodium intake, we can take
wide-ranging pleasure in experimenting with many varieties
of natural salt.
Salt Varieties
Following are seven favorites that turn up time and again.
n Black salt or kala namak is a pearly, pink-grey mineral
salt from India, characterized by a strong, sulfurous taste.
n Celtic sea salt, harvested from the salt flats of Northern
France, is marked by a mellow flavor with a hint of
sweetness; its crystals may be white, pink or grey.
March 2010 23
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