WORTH YOUR SALT?

Is Himalayan pink sea salt the next super ingredient? Or are the claims to be taken with a pinch of salt?

It’s composed of something that doesn’t sound very appetising — sodium chloride — but the importance of salt is hard to overstate. Over the years, several people have moved past table salt to include sea salt, kosher salt or celtic salt in their diets due to the traces of minerals found in them and other health benefits. And the latest kind of salt to create waves world over is Himalayan pink salt.

Recently, American footballer Tom Brady, who won the fifth Super Bowl title at the age of 39, revealed his secret to fitness. Besides following a diet that comprises plenty of vegetables, brown rice and quinoa, he uses pink Himalayan salt as well. “I never use iodised salt,” said Brady.

THE EVOLUTION

Apparently, nearly 200 million years ago in the Himalayas, crystallised salt beds were drowned in lava. The salt remained buried under snow and ice for over a century, which protected it from pollution. Now, the salt is unrefined, unprocessed and mined by hand. The crystals are harvested in the Khewra Salt Mine in Pakistan.

A HEALTHIER OPTION?

Chef Vicky Ratnani of The Korner House in Khar (W) believes Himalayan pink salt, due to its crystallised nature, can be used in lesser quantities as compared to table salt. “It has the same effect as regular salt even when used in smaller amounts. It also reduces a person’s sodium intake,” he says. Nirvaan Thacker, head cuisine chef of La Folie Lab, (W) agrees, saying pink salt has no added iodine or whitening agents.

TASTE MATTERS

Several city chefs use Himalayan pink salt to add to the taste and presentation of the dish. Thacker, who finishes the Cured Salmon Tartine at La Folie with the salt, feels the unprocessed nature and coarseness adds depth to the flavours. “Besides heightening the taste, the beautiful crystals add to the appearance of a dish as well,” he says. At Woodside Inn, Lower Parel, the Four Cheese Pizza, Beef Tornadoes and Roast Chicken are seasoned with the pink crystals. “It lends a unique flavour to the dish,” says head chef Nikhil Abhyankar. Restobar 145, Kala Ghoda, substitutes regular salt with pink salt in all its street food such as Pani Puri and Amritsari Chole. “Pink salt is also used to marinate meat extensively. The flavour is more rounded and complex than regular table salt, which has a sharper taste,” says Prakash Joshi, head chef, 1Above, Lower Parel.

The Cured Salmon at La Folie Lab is sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt