Salt

Our planet is rich in salt: it is present not only in our seas, but also in great quantities on dry land in the form of mineral deposits.

Common table salt has the chemical name of sodium chloride. At room temperature it is a colourless, odourless solid but with a distinctive flavour. Its crystals have cubic symmetry with the chloride ions at the cube's corners and the sodium ions in between them. When dissolved in water salt is an excellent conductor of electricity.

Salt is essential for life. The majority of the tissues and fluids of living organisms contain some quantity of salt and the sodium ions are essential for the transmission of the nervous system's sensory and motor signals. The fluids in our bodies contain a fair amount of salt without which, quite simply, we wouldn't survive. Every day we lose a certain amount through perspiration, urine and tears; this salt needs to be replaced by means of a balanced diet. The suggested daily intake for an adult varies from 3 to 8 grams of salt.

Since the dawn of civilization salt has been a precious commodity, both for its ability to enhance flavours and as the basic ingredient in food preservation methods: food which comes into contact with salt is dehydrated as the water is extracted by osmosis.

In nature, salt is found dissolved in sea water or in its solid form as rock salt deposits, which are nothing other than fossil remains of ancient seas. The salt production processes vary according to the form in which the sodium chloride is found.

Here are descriptions of some of the most highly regarded salts in gastronomy.

Maldon Salt

Maldon is one of the oldest towns in the County of Essex, in England, and is situated at the head of the Blackwater estuary. From Medieval times Maldon was an important maritime centre.
Legend has it that the secret to salt making was discovered at the time of Roman rule in Great Britain (around 2000 years ago). Historical documents state that the greatest increase in salt production, however, happened at around the beginning of the 1700s, and that the old Maldon salt works (still standing) were built in 1823. Around this time it became the fashion to bathe in the sea water and Maldon became a sea-side resort.
Maldon salt is produced thanks to the particularly dry climate in the area. The filtered water is allowed to settle and then the water is evaporated in large tanks. During the evaporation of the sea water, salt crystals begin to form on the surface. These crystals form as tiny, hollow, pyramid-like structures and are what make Maldon salt unique. As the salt crystals become heavier they sink to the bottom of the tank where they are harvested by hand and put to dry before being packaged.
Maldon salt has very soft, easily breakable flakes; it has a distinctive taste which especially livens up meat dishes. Whatever the dish may be, the salt is sprinkled on at the end of cooking.

 

Himalayan Pink Salt

This is a high-quality, crystalline salt, formed over a period of 250 million years. It is extracted by hand, as required by tradition, from the ancient salt mines at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. Sea salt suffers from pollution from the sea and then it is refined in a number of ways. In contrast, pink salt is unrefined and unadulterated: it isn't whitened and it isn't polluted. It remains rich in pure minerals and trace elements (calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium).
The salt crystals, flecked with pink - proof of the iron content - have a delicate and subtle flavour and yet they are particularly crunchy. The salt is recommended on tartare preparations of meat and fish, and also on vegetables.

Unrefined Mediterranean Sea Salt

Unrefined sea salt, of all the salts available on the market, is the one richest in the minerals so necessary for our body - iodine, for example. It is the salt commonly suggested for use in cooking. It is excellent in the cooking water of vegetables, pasta and potatoes, or for the making of crusts and the salting of meat and fish.

Fleur de sel

The 'fleur de sel' is a rare condiment, so precious as to be nicknamed "the caviar of salt". This sea salt is made of "young" crystals which form naturally on the uppermost surface of the saltbed. Harvesting, carried out exclusively by hand, takes place during the summer months and only produces very small quantities. It is a naturally white, soft salt which can be used at the table.

Smocked salt

Smoked salt is a very coarse sea salt which has been smoked for a long time with beech wood and herbs. A pinch of it gives a delicious flavour to fresh fish, but it is especially useful in food smoking processes.