Egg Scented Salts and Other Atypical Salts

Did you know that salt comes in many flavours and colours beyond the typical, humdrum white table salt?

For nearly 15 years of my life I thought that there was only ONE type of salt, a simple commodity that is found in the same form all over the world.  At sixteen (oh, salty sixteen), my understanding of salt started to change as I discovered Fleur de Sel, Maldon Sea Salt, and Kosher salt. I’ve been addicted to salt ever since. Those with high blood pressure need not follow my example.

Here are the few types of salts that I’ve tried or that I’m waiting to try:

Kala Namak: this salt has been used in India for centuries. Sometimes called Black Salt, is actually pink in colour.  I’ve been told that it has a pungent sulphuric smell, a smell that resembles rotten eggs.  I’m tempted to order some from the Internet, but what would I flavour with it?  Any suggestions?

Hiwa Kai Sea Salt: harvested in Hawaii, this type of sea salt gets its distinctive black colour from the activated charcoal that it is combined with.  Some say that Hiwa Kai salts have anti-aging and cleansing powers, which I suppose makes sense since one would be eating activated charcoal…

Maldon Sea Salt: this brand of salt is gathered off the coast of Essex in England. Salt harvesting was once a thriving industry in Essex, but now Maldon is the only surviving company that still produces salt from that region. Their salt is marginally saltier than table salt. Appearance-wise, it is flaky and white (I’ve always thought that it looks like fluffy snow). This was the only type of salt my roommate and I used during our second year of university, and I’m pretty sure made everything we cooked taste better, including KD, once upon a time.

Fleur de Sel: traditionally collected off the coast of Brittany in France, it is slightly greyish in colour and sometimes a very pale pink. I’ve never purchased this type of salt but I tasted it when I was working at Williams-Sonoma… my favourite perk of that job was the food-sampling! Frankly, I was a teenager at the time, and no way was I about to spend that much money on salt.  Due to the high price and small crystal size, Fleur de Sel is best used lightly sprinkled on your meal, just before serving.

There is a lot more salt out there to discover… hopefully your curiosity for salt has been piqued, and make no mistake: MSG and salt are not the same thing!

[Salt Pictures From Saltworks]