PR: Battle Of A Salt

Salt is arguably the most important ingredient that we add to our food. Without it, a dish can taste bland and unappetising.

While non-foodies might believe that salt is salt, as a fan of food, you probably know quite a bit about the different salts that are on the market, everything from table salt, kosher salt, desert salt, sea salt, fleur de sel and even Himalayan salt, the list goes on.

Did you know that not all salts are created equal, with significant differences in processing methods that can affect your health and the wellbeing of the earth? While sodium is recommended in the average diet, some forms of salt have as much as 98% sodium content, which can lead to dehydration and impaired cognitive abilities.

Salt is the most common condiment that we add to each dish, and it’s probably the one we know least about.

Who is the purest salt of them all?

Let’s review the three most popular types of salt available on shelves today.

Sea Salt

Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater and like its predecessor, table salt, it is mostly sodium chloride.

This is dependent on the area in which it was harvested and how the seawater was processed. Sea salt also has small amounts of trace minerals such as potassium, iron and zinc that can affect the taste.

Much has been made about the recent find of insoluble microplastics in sea salt sold in retail stores. This is evidence of its origin where plastic contamination is found in the ocean at any given time. An estimated 12.7 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. This is equivalent to dumping an entire refuse truck filled with plastic waste into the ocean every minute of every day.

Sea salt is only 30% saturated, which means they can only harvest salt a few months of the year, and the sea water has to be layered three times or more to reach 100% saturation required for harvesting.

Himalayan Pink Salt

This pretty pink salt is mined in Pakistan in the second largest salt mine in the world, the Khewra Salt Mine. The pink colour is due to the presence of iron oxide (rust). The salt is mined from a non-renewable resource using conventional mining methods that cause environmental impacts such as land disturbance and greenhouse gas emissions.

Himalayan salt contains slightly less sodium than regular salt and contains trace minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. According to reports, the salt contains a total of 84 trace minerals, although scientists have agreed that most of the minerals listed are of minute quantities that would not have any significant effects on your health and wellbeing.

The mineral content in Himalayan Salt is made up of 98% of sodium chloride which leaves 2% that contains 84 trace minerals.

Desert Salt

Located in a 2.5 million square metre saltpan in the Kalahari Desert, desert salt lives in harmony with the natural rainfall and surrounding areas. Surrounded by the ancient Dwyka rock formations, this ancient saltpan is geo-scientifically tested to be around 250 to 300 million years old.

Salt water is sustainably sourced from an endless, unlimited, underground saline lake and dried organically on the saltpan above under the scorching Kalahari sun. Because it is 98% saturated, it can be dried in the desert sun without the need of an oven. Desert salt is one of the only salts that do not receive any additives, anti-clumping agents or preservatives.

To answer the question, “are all salts created equal?” No, because unlike other salt processes, desert salt is an unrefined and unprocessed salt that only takes what nature provides, naturally.

Oryx Salt will be available in over 450 Sainsbury stores across the United Kingdom on 14 December 2017. For more information visit Oryx UK today.