On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1217

aspecialproductofthesea-saltbedsofwestcentral France. It consists of the crystals that
formandaccumulateatthesurfaceofthesalt
panswhenthehumidityandbreezesareright;
they’re gently raked off the surface before
they have a chance to fall below the surface,
wheretheordinarygrayseasaltaccumulates.
Fleur de sel forms delicate flakes, doesn’t
carrytheparticlesofsedimentthatdarkenand
dullthegraysalt,butissaidtocarrytracesof
algae and other materials that contribute a
characteristic aroma. This is possible, since
the interface between water and air is where
aroma molecules and other fatty materials
would concentrate; but to date the aroma of
seasaltshasnotbeenmuchstudied.Thanksto
the labor required to make it, fleur de sel is
expensive, and is used as a last-minute
condimentratherthanasacookingsalt.
Flavored and Colored Salts In addition to
providingitsownsaltiness,saltissometimes


turned into a carrier for other flavors and for
decorative colors. Examples of flavored salts
include celery salt with ground celery seeds,
garlic salt with dehydrated garlic granules,
and the smoked and roasted salts found in
Wales,Denmark,andKorea.The“blacksalt”
ofIndia,moreofagray-pinkwhenground,is
an unrefined mixture of minerals with a
sulfuroussmell.BlackandredHawaiiansalts

are made by mixing ordinary sea salt with
finelygroundlava,clay,orcoral.
SaltandtheBody

SaltandBloodPressureSodiumand
chlorideionsareessentialcomponentsofthe
systemthatkeepsourgeneralbodychemistry
inworkingbalance.Theymostlyremainin
thefluidthatsurroundsallourcells,the
plasma,thefluidportionoftheblood,where
theybalancethepotassiumandotherions
insidethecells.It’sestimatedthatweneed