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Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Salts, Seasonings, Herbs & Spices

Culinary Salt Glossary

Fine Sea Salt & Artisan Salt From All Over The World

Master the terms in this glossary, and you’ll be able to use “salty” language with the experts. You’ll also discover delicious new salts to flavor your food and decorate your plates. We’ve provided an overview of some of the more readily-found sea salts and artisan salts. The category is burgeoning, and every geographic area from the Cayman Islands to Africa is offering up a sea salt.

While any sea salt is going to be tastier than supermarket table salt, it’s also much pricier. Just like “wine,” the label “sea salt” doesn’t mean the product is an outstanding sea salt. Any evaporated sea water will produce sea salt: It’s the particular mineral content and quality of the water that makes a great sea salt. For your first foray into the category, you might get a better handle on sea salt by sticking to some of the standards. A good “starter kit” would be one of the great French salts, Fleur de Sel de Guérande or sel gris; a flake salt like Anglesey, Maldon or the pink Murray River salt; a smoked salt; and if you love to present with flair, alaea red volcanic salt and one of the black salts from Cyprus or Hawaii. For an extensive selection of fine sea salts and artisan salts, visit Saltworks.us. To look learn more about other foods, visit our collection of more than 40 food glossaries.

Click on the appropriate letter of the alphabet on the bar belowto go to that section without scrolling.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

ALAEA or ALAE or HAWAIIAN SEA SALT or RED VOLCANIC SALT

A Hawaiian sea salt, alaea takes its name from the area’s red volcanic clay. On the island of what is now Kauai, the sediment of iron oxide-rich red volcanic clay, called Alaea, seeped into the ocean from Kauai’s rivers. When this red ocean water became trapped in tidal pools, evaporation created alaea sea salt. The clay imparts a subtle flavor that is more mellow than regular salt. Alaea adds a subtle crunch to dishes and can be purchased mixed with herbs for use on fish. Alaea, kala namak (Indian black salt) and sel gris are considered to be the most mineral-rich salts. A traditional seasoning in Hawaiian dishes, it can be used elsewhere in pork dishes, fish, prime rib and as a colorful accent on corn and potatoes. Photo of finely-ground alaea courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

AMERICAN SEA SALT

Not to be confused with fine natural sea salts, American sea salts, often found in grocery and healthy food stores, are manufactured products that have been totally refined until they are no better than sodium chloride—ordinary table salt. Yet, because they originally derived from sea water, they can be labeled sea salt. It is because they are harvested from general sea water, not pristine sources like those of fine natural sea salts, that refining, bleaching, and additives are required.

ANGLESEY

Sea salt harvested from the water off of the west coast of Wales, where it is freshly harvested from the Atlantic waters that surround the Isle of Anglesey. Anglesey has a soft, flaky texture. The salt is also smoked over 800-year-old Welsh oak chips, producing a Champagne-colored flake with a delicate smokiness. Salt sold under the Halen Môn brand is Anglesey. Crunchy in texture, it is also available in a spiced form with peppercorns, cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, chili and cloves. Photo of smoked Anglesey courtesy of ChelseyMarketBasket.com.

ARTISAN SALTS

Salts that are produced more extensively than by simple evaporation of seawater. These include smoked salts and sea salts that are created in solar houses rather than evaporated naturally outdoors in evaporation ponds, basins or pans. Artisan techniques are popular in countries like Japan where where high humidity and/or frequent rainstorms preclude efficient natural evaporation.

BLACK SEA SALT

A variety of unrefined mineral salts that range from dark grey to black in color, including Hawaiian volcanic sea salt (black lava salt) and Cyprus black sea salt. Indian black salt, or kala namak, is actually pink in color. Photo of black salt, at right, courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

BAMBOO SALT or PARCHED SALT or JUKYOM or JOOK YEOM

A Korean salt made by roasting sea salt in bamboo cylinders plugged with yellow mud. The salt absorbs minerals from the bamboo and mud, which in turn leach the salt of impurities. Sea salt can be substituted in recipes.

BLENDED SALT

Salt that is mixed with other flavoring like herbs, berries or seaweed. As opposed to seasoned salt, which mixes different everyday seasonings with the salt for convenience, blended salts are more gourmet in concept.

CANNING SALT

See pickling salt.

CELTIC SALT

A grey French sea salt, hand harvested using the Celtic method of wooden rakes allowing no metal to touch the salt. Celtic salts are available ground in different levels of coarseness. See sel gris.Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

CHLORIDE

Along with sodium, chloride is one of the two elements that make up salt. According to the Salt Institute, chloride is essential for human nutrition, as it preserves acid-base balance in the body, aids potassium absorption, supplies the essence of digestive stomach acid, and enhances the ability of the blood to carry carbon dioxide from respiring tissues to the lungs. See also sodium and sodium chloride.

CITRIC SALT or SOUR SALT or CITRIC ACID

A salt substance derived from acidic citrus fruits, such as lemon and limes, that is dried and formed into a powder or crystal. When used as an ingredient to flavor foods, it provides a distinctively sour or tart taste. It is a common substance used in sausage making and in canning, to keep the color of fruits from darkening, and is commonly used as a substitute for lemon juice. It is also called for used in some recipes (often called sour salt).

COARSE SALT or GROS SEL or SALE GROSSO

Coarse salt is a larger-grained sea salt crystal. Most recipes calling for salt imply finely ground salt; however, many professional chefs prefer cooking with coarse salt because they can easily measure it with their fingers. It is less moisture sensitive so it resists caking and is easily stored. Coarse salt is useful for making beds for oysters and salt crusts on meat or fish, for lining baking dishes and the rims of margarita glasses. Kosher salt and sea salt come coarsely ground. Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

CURING SALT

Salt used in curing and preserving food, a mixture of approximately 94% salt and approximately 6% sodium nitrite. It is generally dyed a pink color so that it can be easily recognized from regular salts.

DANISH SMOKED SALT

A Viking salt, it is produced by evaporating seawater in a big vessel over an open, smoky fire containing juniper, cherry, elm beech and oak. Rub a small amount into salmon or other fish prior to grilling or roasting.

EARTH SALT

A salt that is mined, as opposed to evaporated from sea water. Table salt and black salt are examples.

FINISHING SALTS

Top-quality salts that are known for their unique textures, which allow them to quickly dissolve when applied to finished dishes. These include flake salt, fleur de sel, and French sea salt.

FIOR DI SALE or FIOR DI SALE DI SICILIA

Like fleur de sel, this “flower of salt” is so-named because the delicate salt “flowers,” or crystals, comprise the top layer of the salt pans that rest on the surface of the sea. Fior di sale comes from the Trapani area of Sicily, and is harvested by master salt makers. Fior di Sale can only be harvested on windless mornings, when the surface waters of the Mediterranean are unruffled. Fior di sale is a very white crystal with a much lower percentage of sodium chloride than regular table salt and rich in fluorine, magnesium, potassium and all the trace elements contained in sea water. It has a delicate, sweet flavor with good taste, not too strong or salty. A finishing salt, it should be sprinkled on salads, tomatoes, fish, to finish roasts and sauces, on buttered bread and bruschetta. It is extremely soluble and will dissolve even on cool foods. Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

FLAKE SALT

A light crystal salt reminiscent of snowflakes. Seawaters are evaporated by the sun and wind producing salt brine that is slowly heated to the point where delicate pyramids shaped crystals of salt appear. The finished product is light, flaky sea salt. Flake salts are harvested all over the world: the Maldon River in England, Anglesey off the island of Wales, New Zealand, and Australia. The pink flake salt shown here comes from Australia’s Murray-Darling River Basin, where a red pigment, carotene, is secreted by algae. Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

FLAVORED SEA SALTS or ARTISAN SALTS

Salts can be smoked or otherwise flavored by mixing them with spices (saffron), herbs (bay leaf, fennel, thyme), berries or other seasonings like truffles. Complex blends can be found, including those that mix sea salts with regionally-themed spices and herbs to create “Mediterranean” or “Southwestern” blends. The salts usually have a lot of visual appeal on top of foods and as plate garnishes, and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts—i.e., because they are crafted for beauty, they make a better presentation than a home cook would achieve by combining sea salt with the same ingredients from the spice cabinet. Read our review of flavored artisan salts and what you can do with them.

FLEUR DE SEL

French for “flower of the salt.” Like sel gris, it is also raked by hand from the salt ponds (“fields”) of the village of Guèrande, Brittany, on the coast of France. It is harvested from May to September; artisan paludiers patiently wait as the shallow pools of water evaporate, creating the precious salt crystals. The slightest movement will cause the “flower” to sink to the bottom, so salt can only be collected when the weather is warm and the sea is calm. For every 80 pounds of sel gris produced, only three pounds of fleur de sel is harvested. The salt rises to the top of the water, forming delicate flakes that, upon drying, are white and can acquire a pinkish hue. Long prized by chefs and gourmets for its high quality, fleur de sel provides a very delicate and somewhat earthy flavor. Like sel gris, it is an excellent cooking and finishing salt, smooth with a light crunch. Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

FRENCH GREY SEA SALT

See Celtic salt.

FRENCH SEA SALTS

Sea salts harvested from pristine Atlantic seawater. Unlike most American sea salts, they are usually unrefined, so they retain more of the trace minerals that naturally occur in seawater, including natural iodine. They are ideal for salads, cooked fresh vegetables and grilled meat. Fleur del sel and sel gris are just two examples of French sea salts. Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

FUMEE DE SEL

Smoked sea salt. Different producers make smoked sea salt. The smoky flavor will pick up hints of the wood or other material over which the salt was smoked. The salt below is Fleur de Sel smoked over chardonnay oak wine barrels, achieving a gentle smoke flavor with a savory hint of wine. See also smoked salt. Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

GARLIC SALT

A seasoned salt that is one part garlic powder and three parts regular salt, commonly used as a flavoring to make garlic butter, to season garlic toast and to flavor other foods.

GREY SALT

Also called sel gris and Celtic salt, a “moist” unrefined sea salt found along the coastal areas of France. Its light grey color with purple tinge comes from the clay found in the salt flats. The salt is collected by hand using traditional Celtic methods. Grey salt is considered by many to be the best quality salt available.

GRINDER SALT

Large dry salt crystals suitable for a salt mill or grinder. Their lower moisture content allows the salt to flow through. Used for flavoring foods at the table when a finer, higher grade finishing salt is not required. Note: Unlike pepper mills, salt mills should have a ceramic or plastic grinding mechanism. Metal, including stainless steel, will be corroded by, and adversely flavor, the salt.

HAND-HARVESTED SALT

Artisan salt is hand-harvested in small batches all over the world. It can be evaporated in ponds or salt pans from any body of water. Areas that do not have coastal land available can evaporate the salt in tanks, as shown in the photo at the left. Based on the body of water, the salt will vary in texture and moisture content. The popularity of artisan salt has created cottage industries in artisan salt. Cayman Sea Salt is an example, located in the popular Cayman Islands tourist destination, between Cuba and Mexico. Photo of salt concentration pans courtesy of CaymanSeaSalt.com

HAWAIIAN BLACK LAVA SALT

This salt is created with purified sea water that is evaporated in pools with purified black lava rock to add minerals. It is then dried in a greenhouse.

HAWAIIAN SEA SALT

See alaea. This is a coarse bland of the salt shown at the top. Photo of alaea courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

HIMALAYAN SALT

See Pink Himalayan Salt.

IODINE

A chemical element found in the body’s thyroid hormones. A small amount of iodine is important for proper nutrition in helping to prevent thyroid disease and mental retardation. Salt fortified with iodine has been used to prevent deficiencies. See also iodized.

IODIZED

Table salt that has been fortified with a small amount of iodine during processing. The Michigan State Medical Society launched a goiter prevention program using iodized salt in 1924. The project was the result of research on endemic goiter and iodine deficiency by Marine, the “father” of iodized salt, and his co-workers. The program was successful, and people were urged to use iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiencies. Ultimately, the product’s use eliminated iodine deficiency in North America. Today, 70 percent of the table salt sold in the United States in iodized. However, today’s diets are generally well-balanced with enough iodine coming from natural sources like seafood and the iron-rich vegetables: seaweed (including nori wrappers on sushi) and the cruciferous group—arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, horse radish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, rutabaga, turnips, wasabi and watercress. Since an adult only requires around one teaspoonful of iodine over a lifetime, eating fish once a week is enough to fulfill the average iodine requirement.

ITALIAN SEA SALT

See Fior di Sale.

KALA NAMAK

Also known as black salt or sanchal, an unrefined volcanic table salt with a strong sulfuric flavor. Despite its name, kala namak, which is mined in Central India, is actually light pink in color. It is mineral-rich and most often used to flavor Indian dishes like chaats, vegetable and fruit salads. See also Black Salt.Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

KOREAN BAMBOO SALT

Sea salt that has been roasted in bamboo cylinders plugged with yellow clay. The The salt absorbs minerals from the bamboo and clay, which in turn leach the salt of impurities: the result is an intensely salty flavor. It is used in dishes such as kimchi and grilled fish and for preserving abilities. Many Koreans use bamboo salt for its nutritional value and as an aid for indigestion.

KOSHER SALT

A coarse grained salt where the grains have been compressed, creating a flatter, flake rather than granule shape which has a lighter weight that sticks better to food. It is not kosher in the sense of conforming to Jewish dietary laws (all salts are considered pareve, neither animal nor dairy), but got its name due to its long history of koshering meat. The coarse and rough surface adheres to the meat easily, enabling the blood within to be drawn out, and thus become koshered. Kosher salt is saltier and less pungent than ordinary table salt, and dissolves more easily; thus many chefs prefer using it. Its larger, visible flakes also make good toppers for food like pretzels; and its adhering qualities make it good for salt crusts on fish and glass rims. Kosher salt has no iodine. Most kosher salt sold is not sea salt.Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

LOW SALT

A product with 140 mg of salt or less per serving. See also very low salt and salt-free.

MALDON

A sea salt with unique pyramid-shaped, flaky crystals that comes from the Atlantic waters near the Maldon region of Essex, England, a salt-producing center since the Middle Ages. The salt is made when the waves from the sea wash up over the rocks and leave pools of water, which are evaporated by the sun, leaving the salt on the rocks. The salt crystals are used whole or ground for cooking seasoning and preserving foods. Maldon is considered to be a good finishing salt that provides a light, delicate flavor. Photo courtesy of SavorySpiceShop.com.

MARGARITA SALT

A general term for a coarse ground salt, often kosher salt, used to coat the rim of a margarita glass. It should provide crunch but also dissolve quickly on the tongue. A piece of lime is rubbed around the glass rim to moisten the surface of the rim to enabling the salt to adhere. Margarita salts are available flavored with lime or other fruits such as mango; some creative mixes include chipotle. If you are not using a flavored salt, you can save on buying a special “margarita salt” and simply use kosher salt.

MOIST

A salt that is slightly damp to the touch, like sel gris (grey salt).

NATURAL SALT

A product made from salt water that has been evaporated in pans by sun and wind winds. Harvesting takes place once the water has evaporated, and it is crushed and ground as needed without further refining (i.e., an unrefined salt).

NAZUNA SEA SALT

A salt naturally crystallized in cypress dishes, then set in pyramid-shaped solar houses located on Kyushu Island in Japan. Used as an accompaniment to sweet soy and scallions.

NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Per the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1984, the FDA established certain regulations regarding salt content labeling. Based on these regulations:

For a “Low Salt” claim, a product must have 140 mg or less per serving. For a “Very Low Salt” claim, a product must have 35 mg or less per serving. For a “Salt Free” claim, a product must have less than 5 mg sodium per serving.

For a normal diet based on 2000 calories per day, the recommended salt intake is 2500 mg per day. Salt-restricted diets include substantially less, based on individual needs and medical prescription. Directly-applied salt represents just a portion of dietary sodium: there is salt in prepared foods and salt occurs naturally in some foods.

ONION SALT

A salt made form a combination of finely ground dehydrated onions (onion powder) and salt. It is used to add onion flavor to foods, but provides a much more subtle flavor than fresh onions.

ORGANIC SALT

While salt is not certified organic by the same standards as botanicals, agriculture or livestock, various organizations are setting up rigorous guidelines for the production of organic salt. They ensure the purity of the water, cleanliness of the salt beds and strict procedures on how the salt is harvested and packaged. Certifying organizations include Bio-Gro in New Zealand, Nature & Progres in France and Soil Association Certified in Wales.

OVERSALTED

If you have over-salted a dish, adding substances like potatoes to absorb excess salt generally doesn’t work. Better fixes are the addition of sugar, lemon juice or vinegar to mask the salty taste. The best bet is to dilute the salted medium by adding more of, e.g., an unsalted stock or puree.

PALUDIER

Grey salt and Fleur de Sel are collected by hand with wooden rakes by artisan paludiers (salt harvesters, salt rakers or salt farmers ) who sweep the top of the evaporating sea water. This is the same 1500-year-old method developed by their Celtic ancestors which earns the grey salt its alternate name of Celtic sea salt. New paludiers study for one year to learn the slow and precise movements and patient methods of the ancient craft. Most are drawn to the profession by a love of nature, working outdoors, and the romance of tradition. The average age of a paludier is now under 40, thanks both to a renewed interest in the craft and the explosion in popularity of sea salt. There are around 200 traditional paludiers in France today, working a total of 2,000 hectares of salt-marshes and producing an annual harvest of 10,000 tons of quality sea salt.

PERUVIAN PINK SEA SALT

This salt is harvested from an ancient ocean now underground, which feeds a spring located 10,000 feet high in the Andes. The salt has a mineral quality. Sprinkle a few grains on sliced ripe tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and potatoes. Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

PICKLING SALT

A fine-grained salt used for pickled meat dishes and for canning. Pickling salt is similar to table salt but lacks the iodine and additives that turn pickles dark and the pickling liquid cloudy. Since it is a very fine and concentrated salt, it can be added lightly to foods to nicely enhance the flavor. It is also referred to as canning salt, and is available in all supermarkets. Also called canning salt.

PINK HIMALAYAN SALT

Pink Himalayan salt is mined from deep inside the Himalayan Mountains in Tibet, where the was deposited when the sea covered the area more than 250 million years ago. Often the salt is brought down from the mountains on the backs of yaks. It is available in a variety of grinds (e.g., coarse at left and fine at right, in the photo at the left), as well as in small rocks with a grater (which makes a very dramatic presentation). The unrefined and unpolluted pink transluscent crystals have a subtle, crunchy texture.Photo courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

POLDER

Polders are shallow clay pools that are created to harvest fine quality Atlantic sea salt. Paludiers, sea salt farmers, are still today hand harvesting the mineral rich salt that collects in the shallow clay pools. Currently, only 3,000 polders on Isle de Noirmoutier are maintained, e.g. but new paludiers are training and restoring more as time goes by.

POPCORN SALT

A very fine-grained salt that sticks better to popcorn and other foods such as French fries. Popcorn salt is available as a white salt or in a variety of flavors, some with butter flavoring included. If you are using unflavored popcorn salt, you can grind regular table salt in your spice grinder rather than pay a premium for “popcorn salt.”

ROCK SALT or ICE CREAM SALT or HALITE

The crudest and least refined salt, non-food-grade, containing mud and debris. It is used for melting snow or lowering the freezing point of ice for ice cream makers. It is

SALT

A chemical compound, sodium chloride, that can be mined from the ground or harvested from the sea. Today most salt is mined from large deposits that have remained from dried salt lakes. It is a commonly used flavoring used to enhance and add a distinctive seasoning to a variety of foods. Salt is also used as a preservative to enable foods to be stored for longer periods of time without spoiling. Salt is available in several forms, such as table salt, citric salt, fleur de sel, kosher salt, iodized salt, pickling salt, sea salt, seasoned salt, sel gris, and rock salt. The different types vary in composition, texture or grain (granular, fine grain, crystalline, flaked), and usage.

SALT-FREE

Having less than 5 mg of sodium per serving. See also low salt and very low salt.

SEA SALT or SEL DE MER or SALE MARINO or BAY SALT

A broad term that generally refers to unrefined or minimally refined salt, containing trace minerals and naturally evaporated from a living ocean, sea or bay. It is harvested by channeling ocean water into large clay trays and allowing the sun and wind to evaporate it naturally. Some of the most common sources for sea salt are the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean, particularly in France on the coast of Brittany. Manufacturers of sea salt typically do not refine sea salt as much as other kinds of salt, so it still contains traces of other minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iodine. Proponents of sea salt favor about its bright, pure, clean flavor, and the subtleties provided by the trace minerals. The salt is generally available in a variety of grain sizes. Examples include fleur de sel and sel gris. Sea salt is not recommended for canning or pickling. Photo of Bali smoked sea salt courtesy of SaltWorks.us.

SEASONED SALT

A salt that has a base of regular salt along flavored with other seasonings such as dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. The term also refers to a salt that is combined with only one other seasoning, such as onion salt or garlic salt.

SEL DE MER

Evaporated Mediterranean Sea water (photo at left). It contains trace minerals and nutrients that are not found in refined salt. It is generally available in fine and coarse grinds. Photo of coarse-ground Sel de Mer courtesy of Saltworks.us.

SEL GRIS or CELTIC SALT or GREY SALT or SEL MARIN

A type of natural sea salt, in English translation grey salt, that is harvested from the Atlantic waters from the coastal area of the Guèrande, Brittany region of France, off the west-central coast of France. It is hand-harvested by paludiers who continually rake the salt beds. They use the Celtic method of wooden rakes, allowing no metal to touch the salt; thus these also are called Celtic salts. Colored light grey by the chemical deposits of the minerals in the salt beds, this salt is harvested as the water evaporates from moist basins, leaving the crusty saline as residue. Naturally moist grey salt is an unrefined form of salt sought for it purity and flavor which comes from its rich mineral content. It has a sharper, bolder flavor than Fleur de Sel and is an excellent cooking salt. Use it to bake bread or on roasted cuts of meat. The town of Guérande and the nearby islands of Noirmoutier and Re’ have the only remaining, traditionally-harvested salt marshes in France. Salt sold in the three locations are labeled with the name of origin, so salt from Noirmoutier is called Sel Marin de Noirmoutier and salt from Guérande is called Sel Marin de Guérande. The salt is otherwise the same. See also paludier and polder.Photo of coarse Sel Gris courtesy of Saltworks.us.

SMOKED SALT

A relatively new category of gourmet salts, which can be naturally smoked over wood fires to infuse the salt crystals with natural smoke flavor, or be artificially infused. Smoked salts add a smoke house flavor to a wide range of dishes including roasts, chicken and grilled meats, salmon, soups, salads and sandwiches, steamed vegetables, on corn, egg dishes, on baked potatoes, as a dry rub. Interesting in color, sprinkle as a decorating garnish—or use as a glass rimmer on a Bloody . Examples include alder smoked salt (below, right) and tropical sea salts that have been smoked over coconut shells and kaffir lime leaves. Photo of courtesy of Saltworks.us.

SODIUM

Along with chloride, one of the two elements of which salt is composed. Sodium is an essential nutrient, easily absorbed and active in the absorption of other nutrients in the small intestine. Sodium is necessary for regulating water balance, pH, and osmotic pressure. See also chloride and sodium chloride.

SODIUM CHLORIDE

The chemical compound for salt, composed of the elements sodium and chloride. The compound is sold in different sizes and forms, depending on intended use (e.g. table salt, food manufacturing).

SOUR SALT

See citric salt.

TABLE SALT or COOKING SALT or GRANULAR SALT

A refined, fine-grained salt containing additives which make it flow freely. It does not stick to food very well and when added to solutions it is slow at dissolving. Table salt is basically used for cooking and as a condiment to season foods. It is usually refined from salt found in mines. Once it is mined, it is refined and most minerals are removed from it until it is pure sodium chloride. Table salt is available in both plain and iodized forms. American salt manufacturers began iodizing salt in the 1920s, in cooperation with the government, after people in some parts of the country were found to be suffering from goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland caused by an easily-preventable iodine deficiency. People require less than 225 micrograms of iodine a day. Seafood, cruciferous vegetables, and sea salt contain iodine naturally and iodized salt is unnecessary if there are sufficient quantities of these items in one’s diet.

TRAPANI

On the west coast of Sicily, the 13.7-mile stretch of coast between Trapani and Marsala is a “saltworks” that produces Fior di Sale. Historical references that date to 1154 describe the operation. The area has the perfect conditions for harvesting salt: the constant presence of winds from North Africa, which help evaporate the seawater into salt, the extremely pure seawater with a high concentration of salt and a warm, dry climate.

VERY LOW SALT

A product with 35 mg or less sodium per serving. See also low salt and salt-free.

Information courtesy of SaltWorks.us., SaltInstitute.org and other sources.

© Copyright 2005-2008 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.

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