The History of Salt

The history of salt dates back to 4,000 years ago. Because the salt of the earth and the ocean was essential for survival, it was deemed necessary that people must have a safe and easy way to store salt for later use. It must have been extremely profitable, since there are several ancient civilizations that have salt mines and saltworks in their ruins. Indeed, this salt, after being dried, was used to preserve food by thawing it out at low temperatures.

As time went on, salt continued to be refined and science developed, until a new set of scientific principles was created to better understand salt. This new knowledge then became essential for mankind to survive. Understanding the difference between the common salt, which is rock salt and sea salt was critical. The Difference Between Sea Salt and Other Types of Salt is the reason why the term "sea salt" is used today.

There are four basic types of sea salt: regular, kosher, sea salt granules. One other factor that has to be kept in mind is that if you buy Kosher or Sea salt, you should look for it to be certified by the Kosher Federation of America, which means that the salt is made with potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate, which are no longer found in many stores.

If you choose to buy Kosher or Sea salt, then make sure to look for sea salt granules that are produced by adding pectin to the sea salt, which has another chemical that helps neutralize the other ingredients. What makes Kosher salt is that it is not made with pectin and so will taste more like regular salt, although it may be more expensive. Some individuals prefer to buy sea salt that is produced through steam distillation and then it is marketed as sea salt and is used in just about any recipe that requires sea salt.

Kosher sea salt is not just used in recipes; it can also be a great substitute for table salt. Use it to season meats and poultry or any type of fish, or use it in your favorite salad dressings. Just be sure to read labels carefully to avoid the sodium content being much higher than table salt.

Because salt making process has changed, so has the product. In fact, the salt makers have come up with a new process of producing sea salt with potassium nitrate.

Many different kinds of salts can be found at your local grocery store, but you should know that sea salt has not been a popular product in recent years, mainly because it is more expensive. You should find stores that sell both sea salt and kosher salt to see what they are selling. Some are even getting a lot better at producing sea salt and Kosher salt.