Gone are the days of simple table salt. Today, salt has exploded on the scene — kosher, sea, pink, black. Who knew there were so many variations of America’s favorite seasoning, which is not technically a spice but a mineral. That’s just one granule of trivia I learned while researching this week’s column. Here are a few other fun facts to help you distinguish among some of the many trending salts.
Kosher salt: Don’t let its name fool you; not all kosher salt is certified kosher. This salt is characterized by its coarse grain, and the fact that it usually does not contain added iodine or anti-caking agents.
Sea salt: Whereas table salt is harvested from underground salt deposits, sea salt comes from evaporated sea water, giving it a more complex flavor profile.
Himalayan pink salt: Considered the purest salt in the world, this salt is harvested by hand from Pakistani salt mines. It is often touted for being packed full of trace minerals — potassium, magnesium and calcium, for example. But recent analysis actually shows that those minerals exist in minute quantities. In fact, the analysis showed, Himalayan pink salt is 97.41 percent sodium chloride — about the same amount that’s in regular table salt.
Black Hawaiian salt: Also known as black lava salt, this up-and-coming salt comes from the volcanic islands of Hawaii. The black color comes from the addition of activated charcoal, said to help with detoxification.