Salts - an overview

Have you ever thought about which salt you use and where it's already contained? There are so many different types of salt that it's easy to lose track. With countless names, with and without additives, from simple to gourmet salt, you can find absolutely everything.

We present the salts here and give you an overview:

First of all, every salt variant contains sodium chloride (NaCl), which we need every day for various processes in our body.

Several million years ago, there was a primeval ocean, and its evaporation originally created all the world's salt deposits. Salt is extracted from nature in various ways—concentrated from seawater, mined from underground tunnels, or boiled from subterranean salt lakes. The difference lies in how it is extracted today and what (natural) additives it contains.

Sea salt

As the name suggests, this salt is obtained from the evaporation of seawater. This usually occurs in shallow coastal basins, known as salt marshes, with the help of sun, wind, and heat. In Europe, for example, sea salt is found in almost all southern countries and islands along the Mediterranean or Atlantic.

Nowadays, however, other contaminants from the sea or from drying outdoors in the air, including microplastics, can also be contaminated, although most salt gardens are located in more protected areas.

Salt flower – Fleur de Sel

This is a special feature of sea salt, a thin, mild salt crust that forms on the surface of the water and is then skimmed off by hand.

Sea salt and flower salt are subject to little to no purification, so they may still contain traces of other minerals (e.g., potassium, calcium, magnesium) from the sea. Flower salts are typically added to food at the table before serving.

It has a special taste, usually larger crystals than usual salts and a higher residual moisture content with a "crunchy" consistency.

Here, too, contamination from the sea or from drying, such as microplastics, can no longer be ruled out.

rock salt

Rock salt has existed underground for millions of years, where, when dried, it essentially becomes fossilized sea salt from the ancient ocean. In salt mines, it is brought to the surface through dry mining and requires no further purification. Depending on its origin, it may also contain additional minerals, which can also vary in color. Large deposits of rock salt are found in Germany and large parts of Europe.

Due to its isolated location underground, it is free from environmental pollution and pollutants.

Crystal salt

It is also a variant of rock salt; the different pressure conditions in the subsoil caused this salt to form its typical crystal shape.

Conventional sodium chloride is usually made from rock salt. However, the latter is also offered unprocessed and natural. In this case, it has a grayish color. This is due to the lack of bleaching and purification processes and is an indication of its naturalness.

table salt

Also known as cooking salt, table salt, or evaporated salt, this is also rock salt. However, a different extraction method is used here: Water is introduced through holes drilled into the underground salt deposits. The salt dissolves in the water, is pumped to the surface as brine, and is then industrially processed in various steps, including bleaching, purification, and sieving. Minerals and trace elements are washed out during further processing.

This industrially produced salt has a wide range of uses, from food to special applications in the chemical industry where high purity is required.

Additives in table salt

To prevent the salt crystals from clumping in the package or shaker, so-called flow aids are sometimes used – but you can easily do without them, especially since these substances are not entirely harmless.

Tip: This is indicated on the label. To prevent clumping, you can add rice or other pulses to the shaker.

Fortified table salts

In Germany there are salts with various enrichments: iodine, fluoride and/or folic acid.

Iodine is a trace element that naturally occurs in table salt only in insignificant quantities

Fluoride may be required in areas where fluoride levels in drinking water are low

Folic acid, essential for certain processes, is also rather undersupplied in Germany 

Tip: Before taking these, you should clarify whether there is a deficiency.

 

Salt & climate balance

Sea salt takes the lead here due to the natural drying with wind and sun, followed by
Rock salt from dry mining to table salt. Additional aspects such as origin and transport may also need to be considered.

However, this is put into perspective when compared to the amount consumed daily.

1) Sea salt: 1 g CO2 equivalents/kg
2) Rock salt: 10 – 15 g CO2 equivalents/kg
3) Evaporated salt: 300 g CO2 equivalents/kg

Tips

Salt is found in many products, from bread to ready meals and sweets. We tend to consume too much salt rather than too little, which can lead to health problems. What can we do about it?

Flavor doesn't just come from salt, so use more herbs, spices, high-quality vegetable oils with their own flavor profile, and even garlic and onions.

Gentle cooking also helps preserve the flavor. Cooking yourself gives you more control over how much you use.

If you bake bread yourself, use spices such as fennel or caraway and not so much salt

	Origin	Extraction	Advantage	Disadvantage	Climate balance	Our favorites
Sea salt	Evaporation of seawater	↑ Drying	natural	Contaminants such as  Microplastics  possible	↑ good
Salt flower	Evaporation of seawater	↑ Drying	natural	Contaminants such as  Microplastics  possible	↑ good
rock salt	Underground Salt Mountain	↑Dry mining	natural no contamination	no	↑ good	√
Crystal salt	Underground Salt Mountain	↑Dry mining	natural no contamination	no	↑ good	√
table salt	Underground Salt Mountain	↓ Borehole solution		Bleach (white) if necessary additives (flow agent)	↓ More industrial processes
Enriched salts	Underground Salt Mountain	↓ Borehole solution	Enrichment (if necessary) makes sense	Bleach (white) if necessary additives (flow agent)	↓ More industrial processes