It is salt that distinguishes the smell of food and the properties it has — when added, it releases molecules in air giving food the aroma, which is an integral part of taste.
Depending on the amount you sprinkle, it either highlights or suppresses different flavours. With lesser amount, it bites into the bitterness (in bitter gourd & brinjal/eggplant), but enhances the sweet and sourness of chutney or dahibaigan. On the higher hand, it enhances the umami — try the sweetened dal and khichdi of Maha Prasad. For savouries and meat dishes, salt does play an important role. And not to forget the curing of foods with salt which has been an old practice.
Salt comes in many forms and hues — fine powder, course, flaky, chunks, pink, sea grey and black or white. Normally at the culinary level, we have 12 major types — Table Salt, Kosher Salt, Sea Salt, Himalayan Sea Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, Fluer De Sel, Kala Namak, Flake Salt, Black Hawaiian Salt, Red Hawaiian Salt, Smoked Salt and Pickling Salt.
In Odisha’s own backyard, we have quite a big patch in Gajapati and Ganjam districts. The saltpans patch stretches to about 10 km by 2 km. This is mainly in Huma and Ganja. Bringing in the seawater and leaving it to dry harvest the salts, and slowly collecting the layer with a specially made bamboo bat. Depending on the water content and size of the chunks the price is decided. In the heydays, salt from these areas was in much demand and they even had a port in Gopalpur from where salt was exported. With time and advancement of technology, it is diminishing now.
Types Of Salt
In India we are restricted to table salt or common salt, which dissolves quickly and has Iodine in it. In small quantities it is good for health.
Kosher salt or the health salt has less iodine content and mostly used for those who do not go for solid intake.
Sea salt or pickling salt is produced by the evaporation method. This salt is rich in minerals and takes time to dissolve. It is mainly used for making pickles.
Low sodium salt contains less sodium and is highly processed. It is mainly used by those who have high blood pressure.
Pink salt is the latest addition on the dinner table and harvested from Himalayan rock salt. It is mostly used for its health benefits: reducing muscle cramps, blood circulation. This variety is very popular among athletes.
Quality & Purity
The best way to select a good quality of salt and its purity is to check the manufacturing processes. Do not consider the price as a quality determinant. Always check the colour, moisture content, chemical content which is important for our health. Usually a good percentage of moisture is good to have the minerals in place.
