Progenitor of Civilization

The importance of salt cannot be understated. It is as critical to human evolution as it is for culinary evolution. Although it seemingly occupies the periphery of our lives, our choice in salt for cooking, brining, seasoning and tasting food, is not only integral for our enjoyment of food, but is a vital component of metabolism. Salt, like its counterpart sugar, is often derided for contributions to health problems, but usually when eaten in excessive quantities. While all this may seem obvious, we really put little thought into what it contributes.

Salt is a chemical term given to a substance left over from the reaction of an acid and a base. When sodium, an unstable metal that explodes when it comes in contact with water, combines with the poisonous gas chloride, the resulting substance is ordinary table salt, sodium chloride. It is the only rock eaten by man. For thousands of years, control of the salt trade was necessary for many governments to fund their infrastructure, and wage effective war. Salt was so valuable, it was often used as currency such as payment to soldiers. Roman soldiers were paid salarium argentum, or salt money. We use a derivative of that phrase to refer our wages, salary.

Salt can be extracted from inland deposits in the form of halite (rock salt), or it can be produced in shallow ponds next to salt water sources by a process of evaporation.

It is also required to live. The human body consists of a quarter percent of salt. Our blood is salinated, comprised of almost one percent salt. Like everything we put in our bodies, too much salt can be problematic. Salt is a key component in homeostatis. It helps transport nutrients and allows the body to regulate fluids. Too much salt contributes to high blood pressure and if excessive salt is eaten, the body can actually dehydrate itself extracting water out of cells to dilute blood salt levels.

Perhaps the most important trait of salt is its ability to enhance flavor. In food as it is in life, too much or too little salt can have disastrous results. Salt comes in many varieties, each with an appropriate application that makes it more suitable over other forms. These include granulated and iodized table salt, Kosher salt, fleur de sel, regular sea salt, and rock salt. We are probably most familiar with the blue tin with the girl holding the umbrella, Morton's iodized table salt.

Table salt is a good all-purpose flavoring when used in cooking, but for table applications is lacking complexity, and has a slight metallic aftertaste contributed by the iodine. If a person chooses not to use iodized salt, they must get their iodine from other sources. In modern America this is not difficult, but in less developed nations, iodine deficiency would be a public health concern but for iodized salt.

I use sea salt for cooking and table use, but not fleur de sel. Fleur de sel is a specific type of sea salt harvested in Brittany, France. It is unadulterated or refined, so the flakes resemble pedals of a flower, hence it's name 'flower of salt' (roughly translated, I'm sure there is a more eloquent phrase that describes it). Sea salts are produced by evaporating salt water in shallow pools that are nearby the source. It is more expensive than granulated sea salt, so therefore you wouldn't want to necessarily cook with it. Sea salt is an efficient ingredient because it carries a less salty taste than regular table salt, so it is a bit more forgiving in its application. Unfortunately to the uninitiated, the tendency to oversalt has to be mitigated, as something that is still cooking will concentrate the flavor to an unappealing, oversalinated mess. Sea salt can be tricky that way.

The reigning monarch of salt, Kosher, is bold, rocky, has a good crunch and great taste. It has many great applications, yet anything that requires the salt to dissolve would not be the best use of Kosher because of its construction. It's large rocky crystals do not readily dissolve, and could make salting uneven if added during cooking. It is best as an exterior ingredient, most notably shaken onto meat before grilling. I don't think anything extracts the flavor from a grilled cut of meat than Kosher salt. What might seem to be oversalted on the surface, will dramatically mellow during the cooking process when the juices drip into the fire.

There are also a bevy of new rock table salts on the market, previously found only in their native countries and haute restaurants. These include: Dead Sea Salt, Himilayan Pink Salt, Organic Grey Sea Salt, Smoked Fleur De Sel, Alaea Hawaiian Salt, I can't really espouse the superiority of one brand over another, I think it comes down to personal taste and texture. I do like the idea of smoked salts, seems to kill two birds with one stone if the smoke flavor is intense enough to be detected in the food. All of the 'gourmet salts' can be procured online, and I've seen them at Whole Foods. I wouldn't cook with any of them, I would definitely use these directly on the table because the cost is fairly expensive. For example, the Himilayan Salt is about a dollar an ounce, cheap for other things, quite expensive for salt.

So, if you want a simple way to enhance you and your guest's dining experience, think about alternative salts. It seems so academic, but it can make a distinct difference.