Ask a Selmelier

     Do you know a selmelier?  If you don't, you should.  It is a person who literally knows their salt, an expert who deals with one of the most common, yet most valuable commodities in the world.

     Salt, sodium chloride, wakes up the taste buds, making them more receptive to the true flavor of food.  It is 1 of the 5 taste sensations (sour, salty, bitter, sweet, savory).  Salt is an essential component to life: in humans, animals and plants.  In addition to flavoring our food, salt has numerous and diverse applications, playing an important role in industry, winter road safety and softening hard water.  It is mentioned no less than 30 times in the Bible, always with a reference to purity, most notably the words of Jesus "Ye are the salt of the earth."

     Salt has been around longer than recorded history.  In fact, the history of salt is a study of human civilization itself.  The two have been inextricably intertwined for millenia.  It has been used as a method of trade and currency and even our word salary is derived from the word salt.  Likewise, we use the word salad because the early Romans would salt their leafy greens and vegetables to improve their taste.

     Throughout history salt has been such a precious commodity that it was taxed by authorities and was a contributing factor in the French Revolution.  The Tuscans refused to pay the tax on salt and to this day their bread is baked salt free.  Salt mines became a tourist attraction and gave Salzburg, Germany its name.  There is even a hotel in Bolivia that is constructed completely out of salt.  Hutchinson, Kansas has an entire museum devoted to salt.  The livelihood of many communities is dependent to salt in one way or another.



     In it's most common form salt appears on our table to season our food.  The small crystalline structure is mined from underground deposits that produce small, even sized cubes.  Too much or too little, however can be harmful and can affect the body's delicate electrolyte balance that plays a vital role in neural transmissions.  Table salt is dense and the most intense of all the salt forms available.

     Sea salt, on the other hand, is evaporated from sea water and is a bit milder.  It is a favorite in the preservation of food while Kosher salt is more flaky with a larger surface area and is effective in drawing liquids out of things such as meat.  Artisan salt is popular as a finishing touch on foods and adds both taste and color to meals.  There are a wide variety of these salts on the market, with names like Alacea Red Hawaiian, Himalayan Pink and Cyprus Black Lava.

 

     While salt is essential to our being, a little goes a long way.  It is recommended that we consume no more than a single teaspoon daily.  And most of that is already provided in the processed food that we eat before we shake a single grain onto our plate.

     Extra Credit:  Who was recorded in the Bible as being turned into a pillar of salt for turning to look back?