Last Updated on March 30, 2024 by Ali Hamza
As a child, weren’t you told not to put too much salt in your food? We’ve all heard that!
Salt, also called sodium chloride, is a crystalline mineral composed of 60% sodium and 40% chlorine. There are many risks associated with consuming too much salt. But did you know that too much salt also poses health risks?
Salt is essential to our health. It helps the brain and nerves perform vital functions. It allows us to send electrical impulses, maintain fluid balance, and regulate muscle function. All salt is usually taken from two main sources, either mined from a centuries-old salt mine called the Khebrah Salt Mine in Pakistan, or evaporated seawater.
To produce salt, water is evaporated from seawater or brine is extracted by injecting water into rock salt deposits. After the water is removed, the remaining rock salt crystals are processed in a different way. Sometimes these crystals are treated with an anti-caking agent to prevent them from sticking together.
But what is rock salt? It is the common name for a mineral called haloysite. Salt is used not only as a seasoning in everyday cooking, but also as an excellent preservative to prevent the growth of bacteria.
However, not all salt is the same. There are as many as nine different types of salt, each with its own nutritional value, taste, and origin. Himalayan rock salt and kosher salt are two of the most common types of salt. Both salts are used for flavor, but there are distinct differences between kosher salt and pink salt.
Let’s compare the history, differences, and uses of Himalayan rock salt and kosher salt.
Kosher Salt:
Kosher salt is made by pressing small granular flakes into large irregularly shaped plates. It can also be grown by evaporation.
Coarse-grained kosher salt has a very low degree of purification and is extracted primarily from underground rocks and evaporated seawater. One of the main characteristics of kosher salt is that it does not taste very salty, and many experts consider it to be milder than table salt.
Kosher salt has an interesting name. It has its origins in the Jewish practice of “purification of the flesh.” For kosher baptism, the meat was soaked in water and then coated with kosher table salt.
Because of its coarser particles, kosher salt does not dissolve as completely as other salts, such as table salt. The meat is then left outdoors for an hour to absorb as much blood as possible. The blood salt is then washed off.
This coarse salt can be bought at the store. They also sell a substitute for the kosher salt used to wash the meat. This salt is called kosher because it was popular in the Jewish community at the time of kosher baptism.
Kosher salt is not iodized and some brands may have anti-caking agents added. Kosher salt is best suited for preserving meats, but chefs around the world use it to flavor everything from vegetables to pasta.
Kosher salt is also unique in that it does not dissolve as quickly as other salts, whether coarse or fine. It has an interesting texture, and its coarseness makes it easy to process. For this reason, it is often used for pickling, seasoning, marinating, and making brine.
Kosher salt is preferred in the preparation of meat dishes to retain the moisture in the meat and make it more succulent.
Interestingly, kosher salt weighs much less than a tablespoon of regular salt. A common question is how much sodium is contained in a tablespoon of kosher salt? One teaspoon of kosher salt contains almost 1,800 mg of sodium.
Himalayan Salt
Himalayan salt, also known as pink salt, is artificially extracted from the foothills of the Himalayas. 300 million years ago, there was an ancient sea where the Himalayas now stand.
When the sea dried up, large deposits of mineral-rich salt remained, which were buried deep in the earth by natural forces and formed the mountains. The high mountains surround the Himalayan salt crystals, protecting the salt from outside pollution, chemicals, and contaminants. This preserves the pristine quality and stability of the salt.
This pure salt comes from the Khebrah salt mine, the largest source of Himalayan rock salt. The mine is located in Khebla, in the Punjab region of Pakistan, in a mineral-rich mountain range that stretches for more than 200 km.
The proven properties of Himalayan salt have led to its use in over 360 Ayurvedic medicines. Some of them can treat high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. This salt is mind-blowing.
