Salt of the Earth

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Posted at 2:30PM, 18 January 2011 by Carol Wilson - Food writer

Look in any supermarket and you'll find a bewildering array of pricey salts from around the world in a variety of colours and textures. You may have thought that salt is, well, just salt, a basic commodity that none of us gives much thought to, as we use it in cooking and sprinkle it on our food.

Now however, top chefs and gourmets claim that the unique qualities of the many varieties of salt can enhance the flavours of foods. The difference in colour and flavour of salt depends on the type and amount of minerals and/or clays attached to the crystals of sodium chloride and the size and texture of the crystals.

Fleur de sel de Guérande, (reputed to be the world's finest and rarest sea salt) is hand harvested from the salt flats of Guérande. This mineral-rich salt is unrefined and the moist gleaming crystals have a slight iodine flavour with the tang of the sea. Some enthusiasts say they can also discern a faint scent of violets, imparted by the presence of microscopic algae growing in the salt marshes.

Smoked sea salts, which are smoked over aromatic wood fires and can range in colour from light grey to dark brown, have an assertive smoky aroma and flavour that's not to everyone's taste.

It's far cheaper to season salt yourself by adding your own flavouring

Flavoured sea salt is made by combining it with other ingredients, such as celery and garlic, which have been around for ages, but now you can buy salt flavoured with spices, coconut, herbs, seaweed and even vanilla and deep pink hibiscus. It's far cheaper to season salt yourself by adding your own flavouring. I add a couple of tablespoons of grated lemon and orange zest to a half a cup of sea salt and keep it for seasoning chicken and fish before and after cooking.

Then there's coloured salts, such as Black salt from Pakistan and India. This volcanic rock salt is actually pinkish grey and has a distinct sulphurous mineral taste. It's used in Indian cuisine as a condiment and in fresh chutneys and pickles. Another Indian salt, the pretty rose-coloured Himalayan crystal salt is rich in minerals, as is Hawaiian black lava salt, which is combined with activated charcoal. Red alaea sea salt also hails from Hawaii; the vibrant colour comes from the iron oxide in the red clay soil in the salt ponds.

Recently a friend gave me some Korean bamboo salt - sea salt roasted over a pine resin fire in bamboo cylinders sealed at both ends with yellow clay unique to the region. Apparently the salt absorbs minerals from the bamboo and clay, which leaches impurities from the salt. It's grey and powdery and has an intensely salty taste. I haven't seen it on sale here yet, but it can only be a matter of time.

Are these costly salts worth the money? Is there any difference in taste? I've come to the conclusion that expensive salts are best kept for sprinkling on food at the table, where their subtle, clean flavour, colour and crunch can be best appreciated. I didn't notice any difference in cooking with ordinary table salt, so don't waste high-priced salt by sprinkling it into a pan of potatoes! What do you think about speciality salts?

Comments

poppysuze

19 January 2011, 5:32AM
poppysuze

I never use salt in cooking or sprinkle on my meal, I prefer to enhance the flavour with herbs and spices, just a personal choice!

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robert

21 January 2011, 10:58AM
robert

I buy maldon sea salt. I think it has a sharper and better flavour than ordinary table salt and is well worth the extra money.

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StormyRaincloud

21 January 2011, 1:07PM
StormyRaincloud

I'm with you Poppysuze, I never buy salt, it's just not needed. There is enough natural salt in foods and herbs and spices are much more flavoursome.

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smitty

25 January 2011, 10:08AM
smitty

I think you do need salt to bring out the flavour of food. I couldn't eat chips without salt for example. I also think its worth spending more for good quality salt. I buy sea salt crystals for grinding at the table and the taste is much better than ordinary table salt.

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scottchef

31 January 2011, 6:55PM
scottchef

you HAVE to use salt in cooking as its a flavour enhancer, in the restaurant i use maldon sea salt to finish seasoning - fish, meat etc but in soups and sauce we use regular table salt. anyone that dosnt cook with salt cant really have that much of a pallete.

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ipek

10 February 2011, 3:25PM
ipek

We use salt crystals from Sicily. We think it tastes grand. Or do we imagine so? May be we should do a blind-test.

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almira

25 February 2011, 6:09PM
almira

How does one cook without salt?

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msmarmitelover

1 March 2011, 10:05AM
msmarmitelover

Scottchef is right: things like porridge oats don't even taste of themselves until you add salt. Ridiculous health scares are distorting your palates. Don't eat less salt, eat good salt. No doctor worth his salt will tell you any different. There is No, repeat NO, connection between high blood pressure and salt intake.

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VikCakeStar

24 April 2011, 3:33PM
VikCakeStar

Salt is definitely a flavour enhancer, just use it sensibly. I tend to use the cheap stuff to cook and the fancy crystals at the table where you're really going to taste the subtleties. I must eat double the government guideline amount and always have low blood pressure, not high!

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