End of the World Cuisine
A cultural and gastronomic journey through the corners of the Earth
Good night people!!
How about we talk now about the types of salt? We have an infinite amount of salt, some very common, some not so much, some beneficial and others, I don't even need to mention. We know how much has been said about it, the important thing is to know and be aware of how to use it so that we are always in good health, right? We have very curious and interesting things about salt, come on?
salt
Beliefs and customs about salt:
Since the beginning of civilization, salt has been seen as a
mysterious and supernatural importance. Over time,
fi ed is that salt was beneficial for skin conditions. At
I ity Average for example, was used to treat queima-
stinging, stinging, various other injuries and also to do
poultices.
In ancient times when someone welcomed a traveler, they were offered a piece of bread and a pinch of salt as a sign of welcome. Sharing salt and bread with people was a sign of friendship and trust. It is also said that in the fields that, when the rooster crowed, it was a sign of the devil's passing through the land and to make them leave it was necessary to throw a handful of salt into the chimneys. It was still customary to throw salt to ward off diseases, storms and bless the herds.
Salt also has properties that preserve food, which is one of the main reasons it is extremely useful in Nordic countries: for the conservation of fish. In Egypt he was attributed with evil properties. In the time of the pharaohs, the assailants spread salt around the besieged places to attract luck, in the defeated cities, salt was thrown to signal their disappearance.
These legends and stories that go back to antiquity are very curious, but our focus is: types of salts, so, after this little preamble, let's start?
Good night people,
Continuing with the information about the types of salts, we will know something about black salt, or KALA NAMAK, believe me, it is the same PINK SALT FROM HIMALAYA. For this we will know why the color pink to violet black.
Nowadays, the need to know the origin of what we are consuming, of how beneficial to our organism are the products that we find in increasing quantity, diversity and brands, has become a priority need, as we consume more every day and more adulterated items, with countless chemicals, which do nothing but deteriorate our health more and more.
That is why it is of utmost importance that we keep informed about each and every item we consume and that we do not let ourselves be carried away by the fads that put us in a cog in the great consumer industry that only enrich unscrupulous people and that invariably almost never bring us to the best path. Our health appreciates every information we add in our day to day. Enough !!! Let's go to that peculliar salt !!!!
KALA NAMAK
Black salt, also known as Kala Namak and still Sanchal, comes from volcanic mines in northern India, Pakistan and also from the salt lakes of Sambhar or Didwana in Rajasthan (India).
Black salt or Kala Namak (Kala = black and Namak = salt) is a variation of the pink salt of the Himalaya. In order to get to the black salt, it is heated to a temperature of 900 ° centigrade and cooked for approximately 36 to 48 hours, stirring constantly. When it reaches its melting point of more than 803 ° centigrade, it starts to boil and at that moment less than 1% of salsola stockisii (type of shrub that contains calcium carbonate) is added. With this addition, the carbon contained produces sodium carbonate, which slightly increases the PH value of Kala Namak. During the cooking process samples are taken of the salt, which has become liquid, to be cooled and then seasoned by specialists until a
a satisfactory result. In parallel, a laboratory analysis is carried out to confirm the desired purity. If the taste and analysis are satisfactory, Kala Namak is melted and cooled for 24 hours until the salt returns to solid form. The salt blocks are black and become pink and violet when reduced to powder.
heals the skin (in particular acne), relieves mucosal irritations, and relaxes the joint muscles. Like its cousin, the Pink Salt of the Himalaya, it is not iodized and therefore is less rich in sodium than sea salt.
In the kitchen it is used in chutneys, fruit salads, raitas and in any type of fruit, and it also goes wonderfully well in fruit juices and appetizers. As a digestive it can be chewable or even diluted with water. In the bath it helps the body to eliminate toxins, also helping to relax and calm the muscles.
It can be kept for approximately 5 years after being opened in a closed container and protected from light.
Kala Namak is widely used in Asian cuisines (Bangladesh, India and Pakistan) as a condiment. The sodium chloride contained in it gives it a salty taste, iron sulphate gives it a grayish pink color and hydrogen sulphate gives it a very particular odor of boiled egg yolks, an attribute, moreover, that recently attracted the Vegan community in the elaboration of dishes without eggs.
In Ayurvedic medicine it is digestive and extremely effective. It has laxative properties and also has the power to improve eyesight,
TRAVEL PROSES
I am going to tell you about an experience we had on one of our first trips to India, that should be about 20 years ago. We were in Jodhpur and already at that time we liked to mix with the local people to learn a little more about the habits and culture of the people. Attentive to everything around us, feeling the aromas, seeing the colors that popped into our eyes in a mixture that looked more like a kaleidoscope, such a variation in the tones of the same color. Colors that we could never imagine mixed with other colors in an enviable harmony. Each sari, with its intricate embroidery dragging in the dust of the city ... Sorry ... rambling. Back at the market ..... we started down the slope, when the three of us (our group comes down to three) came across some very big rocks on both sides of the fair. They were really big, in shades of black, gray and violet.
- What rocks were those? I asked myself. They looked like rutilated quartz, but what a quartz would be doing in a local market where fruits, vegetables, spices, legumes were sold, etc .....
So I asked my brother and he said: salt, black salt.
- Like this? I asked.
- It can not be. I insisted.
He said: - Then go there and try it. And went down the slope with Roberto.
Of course I did, right? I approached, went to check and asked, but of course, the English in that end of the world and that small local market, it was almost as if I were an alien. However, the Indians, even if they don't understand what we say, they know exactly what we want, so he took a splinter from one of the rocks and gave it to me, and gestured for me to put it in my mouth. And that's what I did!!!
My goodness, I almost had a fit, I turned on my back and sped down the slope, spitting and almost "pulling out my tongue" with that cuttlefish taste that wouldn't come out at all. In this, of course, the boys were already seeing my predicament and laughing to death.
My brother said: you see, is it salt or not?
Of course, after falling and killing them, I agreed that it really was salt, and that salt. My God!!! I thought: who uses this smelly thing ????
Moral of the story, after that day, I tried black salt in an extremely refreshing drink that they take to hydrate themselves and withstand the heat of almost 50º, and believe me, today I love black salt, I have it at home, I make this drink, I put it in snacks, roasted almonds, and it’s delicious. So here's an example that there are things that we should try more than once. Try it, try it, I guarantee it is sensational.
HIMALAYA PINK SALT
The pink salt of the Himalaya dates back 200 million years ago. The Himalaya was born from a collision of Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates that made the ocean that separated them disappear. The slow evaporation of the ocean waters left behind these pink salt crystals rich in minerals and trace elements (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, etc ... The Himalaya salt is extracted from mines whose depths vary from 100 to 800 meters. It is a fossil of rare purity. For a long time
he was brought in from the Himalaya foothills by the local tribes with the help of the yacks. You can see this story in the movie "Himalaya: L´enfance d´un chef".
Ayurvedic texts already reported its properties, recognizing it as "the best of salts". Its excellent quality is due to the fact that it remains preserved in the heart of the earth, free from all pollutants. Its pink color comes from oxidation, turning it from pink to red through orange. We find Himalaya salt in different forms of use: bath salts, lamp, food, etc ...
The salt lamps, in addition to creating a relaxing and beneficial atmosphere, contribute to the quality of the inhaled air, since the salt crystals naturally emit negative ions, which ions are more accentuated due to the heating in the luminaire.
In the kitchen, Sal do Himalaya is considered the best in the world. This salt is completely free of iodine, unrefined, without additives, as it is in its original purity. It conserves all its minerals from the original sea.
In cooking, its delicate flavor will enhance the taste of both raw and cooked foods. Can be used pure or together with herbs and can accompany
perfectly good meat, fish and vegetables.
I will give you a preparation of pink salt, which according to my research will benefit you, but remember, I simply research, I do not test, so I always ask you to consult your doctor before following any of these "suggestions" OK?
Salt water with crystalline salt from the Himalaya
Fill a bottle with 1/4 of Himalaya crystalline salt. Complete the rest of the bottle with filtered or mineral water. Shake and let stand for one night.
The next morning take a glass of water with a coffee spoon of this mixture together with the juice of a squeezed lemon (room temperature).
Every day you should have undissolved salt in the bottle, if it is dissolved add more salt.
This mixture will last indefinitely since the salt is anti-bacterial. You can add more water and more salt as it is being consumed.
The vibrating energy of the crystalline salt of the Himalaya will remain inside the organism for 24 hours.
Do the treatment for 21 days, followed by a 7-day break.
Note: Do not use a container or a metal spoon. During treatment it is advisable to drink at least 2 liters of water per day.
BLUE PEER SALT
Blue salt from Persia also known as Salt from Iran or Blue Salt from Pakistan is a rock salt just like KALA NAMAK (Post 18/10/2015). It is extracted from the oldest salt mines in the world, and one of them is located in the rocky mountains of Semman province in Iran, former Persian Empire and to this day it is collected by hand following the same methods for centuries.
It has this name because it is studded with deep blue crystals that resemble small sapphires. Its color comes from Sylvinite, a mineral found in potassium, inside the mine. This mineral is fixed in the salt crystals by the pressure of the mountain rock, which results in a change in its structure. Normally the salt turns pink or yellow, but in rare cases, it becomes blue which makes it one of the rarest, purest and most precious salts in the world.
History: Salt crystals formed more than 240 million years ago when plate tectonics began their work, and vast stretches of salt water were trapped on the new continents. With the heat of the sun these waters dried up, thus forming immense underground deposits of salt. For this reason, Sal Azul falls into the category of fossil and prehistoric product.
Cooking: can be used in steamed vegetables and in finishing dishes.
such as birds, fish and crustaceans.
Medicine: it is rich in Potassium and iron helping in the treatment of asthma
and other lung problems. Because of these properties,
built a luxury sanatorium in the Duzdagi mine (Vale de Araxes or Arax
Azerbaijan), officially the oldest known mine of mankind.
Flavor: this extremely pure salt has a slightly effervescent appearance in the mouth, apparently quite salty at first, then becoming spicy, but with an extremely pleasant flavor.
Conservation: in a cool place, protected from light.
