The importance of good quality salt cannot be overlooked. Good quality salt not only tastes better, but it is better for you. As you will see, salt can come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.
First, what is salt? Salt in the most basic sense, is a chemical compound known as sodium chloride (NaCl for those chemistry nerds out there). Salt is harvested in two ways- it is mined from underground deposits or gathered from evaporated sea water or mineral water1. Salt is essential for our bodies to function, and since it is a nutrient that cannot be synthesized by our bodies, it must be obtained through our diet3. Salt is necessary in that it helps the nerve and muscle functions and regulates the fluids in our body. Without salt, we would die. Salt also tastes really good. Who doesn’t love really well salted french fries or a really well salted soft pretzel? If you said no, I’m calling shenanigans.
Because unrefined salts contain minerals, it is important to go over them briefly. There are two types of minerals- macro and trace. Macro minerals are minerals that make up 1 percent of your total body weight. You need at least 100 mg/day of macro minerals. Trace minerals on the other hand make up less then 0.01 percent of your total body weight and you need significantly less of it on a daily basis2. Macro minerals include: sodium, chloride, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium. Trace minerals include copper, chromium, fluoride, iodine, molybdenum, manganese, selenium, and zinc. All of these minerals are essential to good health. Most if not all of these minerals can be found in unrefined salt.
While most people have probably only had or are only familiar with table salt, there are atleast 27 different types of edible salt (29 if you include brine and halite (rock salt)). Is your mind blown? My mind is blown because I didn’t know there were that many! The different types of salt are as follows:
- Alpenbergkern Salt
- Anglesey Sea Salt
- Alaea Salt
- Black Lava Salt
- Curing Salt
- Dead Sea Salt
- Flake Salt
- Fleur de sel
- Fortified Table Salt
- Himalayan Salt
- Jukyeom
- Kalahari Salt
- Kala Nama (Black Salt)
- Khoisan Salt Pearls
- Kosher Salt
- Maras Salt
- Murray River Salt Flakes
- Namibian Salt Pearls
- Persian Blue Fine Salt
- Pickling Salt
- Sal de Tavira
- Sale Marino di Trapani
- Sea Salt
- Sel gris
- Sel de Guerande
- Smoked salt
- Utah Salt
Wow, well, that’s sure is a lot of different types of salt. So, let’s get to it!
Alpenbergkern Salt: Salt from the Salzkammergut area of the Alps. This salt contains 84 minerals, including iron, which gives it a tan color.
Anglesey Sea Salt: This salt comes from Wales in the U.K. It is also known as Halen Mon 
Alaea Salt: also known as Hawaiian salt, is salt from either Hawaii (very expensive) or California that is mixed with red volcanic clay. The clay is has over 80 different minerals in it, including magnesium, potassium, and iron oxide. Alaea salt has a distinct, rich flavor that doesn’t lose it’s flavor through the cooking process5.
Black Lava Salt: Salt that is infused with charcoal or black lava (depending on the vendor). It is black in appearance, and has excellent skin detoxifying properties, and is also rich in minerals.
Curing Salt: A salt containing sodium nitrate, which is a preservative.
Dead Sea Salt: Salt harvested from the Dead Sea. The salt from the Dead Sea is high in several minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, and zinc. Dead Sea Salt also has a lower sodium content then most table salt. Dead Sea Salt also has a high amount of bromide (it can be toxic), so that must be removed from the salt crystals during the harvesting process6.
Flake Salt: Flake salts are, as the name suggests, shaped like flakes. They are delicate and have a saltier flavor, and are used as more of a finishing salt7.
Fleur de sel: Fleur de sel is a hand harvested sea salt that is used as a finishing salt. Fleur de sel is unrefined, and has trace minerals in it. It usually comes from the Brittany region of France.
Fortified Table Salt: This is the salt that is found in salt shakers on the tables at restaurants and sold at Walmart for 88¢. Table salt is made from salt that is mined and then refined. The refining process strips the salt of all minerals. Iodine is then added back into the salt to help prevent thyroid problems and birth defects. Anti-caking agents are also added in to the salt as well.
Himalayan Salt: Himalayan Salt, aka Himalayan Sea Salt or pink salt, is mined in India and Pakistan from what is believed to be a prehistoric sea. Himalayan salt has 84 trace minerals in it including iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, chloride, boron, fluoride, iodine, zinc, selenium, and copper8.
Jukyeom: A Korean salt that is stuffed into bamboo, plugged with clay and roasted. It is believed that trace elements from the clay and bamboo infuse into the salt9.
Kalahari Salt: Salt harvested from the Kalahari Dessert. The salt is found in underground salt pans. These salt deposits are believed to be from the Paleozoic Period10. Kalahari Salt contains trace minerals.
Kala Namak (Black Salt): A south Asian salt that is pungent due to a high sulfur content. Kala namak was originally harvested from rock salt found in mines in the Himalayas, but is now being synthetically manufactured. This salt is black in rock form, but is pink when ground to a powder. It is used extensively in Asian cooking11.
Khoisan Salt Pearls: A South African sea salt. Khoisan Salt Pearls has a high calcium content and a distinct sweet and salty flavor. Like other sea salts, it contains trace minerals and elements12.
Kosher Salt: A refined salt that does not contain iodine. Kosher salt is larger then table salt, and has a more flat plate-like shape. Kosher salt is not named as such because conforms to the Jewish dietary laws, but because it is used to make meats Kosher22. Nearly all salt is kosher in the Jewish dietary law sense. Since kosher salt is fluffier then other fine ground salts, if you do use this in baking, you will need to increase the amount slightly to compensate. I tend to use kosher salt for it’s intended purpose- drawing surface blood out of meat.
Maras Salt: Salt from the Andes Mountains in Peru. Maras Salt is obtained by evaporating water from a subterranean water source in evaporation ponds13. The water source is believed to be an ancient ocean.
Murray River Salt Flakes: Salt that comes from Australia in the Murray Darling Basin. The salt is peach colored and has a mild taste. Murray River Salt is also high in magnesium and calcium. It also has potassium and iodine in it14.
Namibian Salt Pearls: Salt from Namibia that is formed naturally from the Namibian Berg Wind (a hot dry wind)15. The salt is in the shape of a pearl.
Persian Blue Fine Salt: Salt that is mined from the province of Semman in Iran. The salt appears blue due to it’s crystalline structure. Persian Blue Salt is a rock salt and contains trace minerals16.
Pickling Salt: A non-iodized salt that is used in the pickling process. It does not contain anti-caking additives either.
Sal de Tavira: A Portugese sea salt from salt pans in the Ria Formosa National Park. It is made out of water from the Atlantic Ocean. Sal de Tavira is unrefined and unwashed17.
Sale Marino di Trapani: An Italian Sea Salt from the salt pans of Trapani. This salt contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, sulphates, iron, lead, zinc, copper, chrome, mercury, cadmium, and iodine18.
Sea salt: Salt derived from the evaporation of sea water. The mineral content of the salt will vary based upon the sea water from which it was harvested.
Sel gris: A French-style sea salt. Also known as Celtic Sea Salt, sel gris is grey in color, has a coarse grain size, and has a higher moisture content then other salts. Sel gris is hand harvested and has a good mineral content, especially for a moist salt19. Sel gris can be used for either cooking or as a finishing salt.
Sel de Guérande: A French sea salt from the salt marshes of the Guérande Peninsula. It is unrefined and is high in trace minerals.
Smoked Salt: Salt that has added flavors by smoking. The salt is smoked for up to two weeks over a wood fire. It can be used to flavor meats and heartier vegetables20.
Utah Salt: Salt mined from an underground deposit in Central Utah. The salt is the remains of a prehistoric sea. Utah Salt is also called Redmond Real Salt and has a light pink color. It is also rich in 60 trace minerals21.
If you made it through that list, bravo.
I currently have three types of salt in my house- Himalayan, Celtic Sea Salt (Sel gris), and Kosher Salt- but now I want to try more! I tend to use the Himalayan salt for baking because it is such a fine grind. I will occasionally use it for cooking, but usually if I’m in a rush and I want salt that will dissolve quickly. I like to use Celtic Sea Salt for general cooking purposes, and for putting on vegetables with butter (a finishing salt). I also use it in my salt grinder. The Kosher salt I use almost exclusively for drawing blood out of meat or for a brine for meat. I will also put it on soft pretzels for my husband.
I think that of all the varieties of salt I learned about, I am most interested to try Halen Mon for the flavor, Alaea Salt for the trace minerals, Namibian Salt Pearls because they look so cool (a dumb reason, I know), and the Utah Salt because ‘Murica.
What salt looks interesting to you?
1Wikipedia, Edible Salt, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt#Edible_salt
2Emily DeLacey, Trace Minerals: What are they and why are they important?, http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/vitamins-minerals/trace-minerals-what-they-are-and-their-importance.html
3Wikipedia, Essential Nutrients, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_nutrient
4Love Sea Salt, Halen Mon, https://www.loveseasalt.com/halen-mon/
5Aloha, What is Hawaiian Red Alaea Salt, https://aloha.com/magazine/articles/what-is-hawaiian-red-alaea-salt-5-reasons-to-find
6Tamar Genger, Dead Sea Salt, https://foodandnutrition.org/march-april-2014/dead-sea-salt/
7Wikipedia, Flake Salt, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flake_salt
8Marie Dannie, What Are the Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt, http://www.livestrong.com/article/26690-health-benefits-himalayan-salt/
9Wikipedia, Jugyeom, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugyeom
10Kalahari Salt, http://www.kalaharisalt.co.za/company.php
11Wikipedia, Kala Namak, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kala_namak
12Khoisan Salt, About Khoisan Salt, http://khoisansalt.co.za/about-salt/
13Wikipedia, Maras, Peru, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maras,_Peru
14Murray River, https://www.murrayriversalt.com.au/
15Cerebos, Namibian Sea Salt Pearls, https://www.cerebos.co.za/retail/artisanal/namibian-sea-salt-pearls
16The Ink Rag, Persian Blue Salt, http://www.theinkrag.com/seasaltchef/salt_persian_blue.html
17Tasting Europe, Sal de Tavira, http://www.tastingeurope.com/quality-labels/sal-de-taviraflor-de-sal-de-tavira
18Wikipedia, Sale Marino di Trapani, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sale_marino_di_Trapani
19Loren Cordain, Celtic Sea Salt (Sel Gris): Not Even A Pinch Paleo, http://thepaleodiet.com/celtic-sea-salt/
20Zak Hansen, The 12 Different Types of Salt and How to Use Each, http://www.wideopeneats.com/12-different-types-salt-use/
21San Francisco Salt, Redmond Real Salt, https://www.sfsalt.com/redmond-real-salt?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6em-gJSo1gIVRwaGCh1CXAE_EAAYASAAEgLlQvD_BwE
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