If you’re ever in Italy driving towards Rome from the north, you might well be traveling on the Via Salaria, or salt highway. Scholars theorize that the location of this ancient city was governed by its proximity to the salt marshes of Ostia, a town at the mouth of the Tiber River close to Rome. The far-reaching importance of this simple yet complex compound to people throughout the ancient world—and, in turn, economic, social, and political development—cannot be overstated. Salt has been used to extract moisture from high-protein perishable items as well as preserve and season our food. Of greater importance, then and now, is that salt is a necessary nutrient that regulates the balance of fluid in all living things.
The Origins of Salt
Salt is a mixture of two minerals, sodium and chloride. Whether evaporated from shallow ponds and marshes or mined from underground deposits, it is marine-based. Windmills, an Arab invention, have been used to pump seawater into shallow, clay-bottom ponds throughout the Mediterranean for centuries. The water is evaporated with the help of the sun and wind, leaving a mineral whose flavor and color is derived from the clay, algae, and volcanic ash in the environment.
Salt in the Kitchen
Because of its purity and ease of use, kosher salt is used in most professional kitchens. Originally named for its ability to draw out blood and moisture in the koshering process, this type of salt is larger in size than normal table salt. During processing, kosher salt is crystallized, giving it a larger flake with flat sides that adhere very well to food. Because of its size, kosher salt absorbs larger amounts of moisture than table salt, making it beneficial in curing and seasoning. Although many brands of kosher salt are pure salt, others have additives, so it’s wise to check the label.
Salts from the Sea
In addition to kosher and table salt, sea salt is increasingly being used in professional kitchens. Sought after for its delicate nuances in flavor and texture, sea salt is available in a myriad of colors, flavors, and prices; specialized varieties can sell for well over $100 a pound.
Often tasting like the environment from which they are harvested, flavors can be slightly sweet, sour, sulfury, smoky, or briny. More expensive than its counterparts, sea salt should be used with a light hand. It is often wasted when dissolved into a soup or vinaigrette and is most efficiently applied to food as a finishing salt, at the very end. A final dusting on a salad or a sprinkle over perfectly cooked seafood adds a subtle flavor and textural contrast that strengthens and refines the dish.
Some interesting varieties of sea salt include:
- Fleur de sel de Camargue: Hand-raked from the southern French waters of Camargue, this salt has a dry, fine texture that is almost brittle.
- Hawaiian alaea sea salt: Resembling the light brown alaea clay that is added during harvesting, this salt is mellow in flavor and not very harsh. Because of the more than 30 minerals found in the clay, the salt is thought to provide many health benefits. Traditionally, this salt has been used in ceremonial blessings.
- Trapani sea salt: Originating in Trapani, Sicily, this very pure, white, high-quality salt is gathered in wheelbarrows, piled high, and covered in roofing tiles until it is perfectly dry. Locally, it is used to cure wheels of sheep’s milk ricotta cheese.
- Jurassic sea salt: Marketed as a salt from the time of the dinosaur era when the sea covered what is now the state of Utah, Jurassic sea salt is invigorating, with an interesting texture and flavor.
- Japanese Suzushio sea salt: Found in the Ishikawa Prefecture (one of the governmental jurisdictions of Japan), this premium salt has distinctive mineral properties and is damp in texture. It graces the tables of exclusive tempura restaurants, and the salt’s limited production adds to its mystique and value.
- Smoked sea salt: Produced throughout the world, smoked sea salt has interesting characteristics that come not only from the salt, but also from alder woods and even old French oak wine barrels used in the smoking process.
