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Pink Himalayan salt

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Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Binky » Fri May 12, 2017 8:33 pm

What makes it pink? My husband is worrying about carcinogens as he sprinkles it on his potatoes this evening.

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Sakkarin » Fri May 12, 2017 11:32 pm

What does it taste like? The black salt in this thread has pinky tinges, which is odd as it smells sulphurous, which I would expect to give it a yellow tinge. I wonder if it's a variant of the same stuff? As we've found in the "Food Scare" thread, it seems absolutely everything is accused of being carcinogenic at some stage or other :-(

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1380&p=13927&hilit=himalayan#p13853

EDIT: Incidentally I still have some of that black salt from the picture, but it has gone much pinker than it was in the picture, where it looks quite black.

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Renée » Fri May 12, 2017 11:58 pm

I've just looked it up and found this:

"The translucent pink hues of Himalayan Pink Salt come from the presence of a reported 84 trace minerals including potassium, magnesium and calcium. Iron oxide is the main element that gives the salt its signature colour".

I used to have a pink Himalayan salt lamp but threw it out before I moved. I rather wish that I hadn't done that now.

I do have some Himalayan pink salt and a large bag of it for using in the bath, which I haven't used because I always have a shower. I had planned to soak my feet in it, but haven't got around to it yet.

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Renée » Sat May 13, 2017 12:06 am

I've just tried it and it tastes quite different to ordinary sea salt and I think that it would make a good addition to food. TKMaxx or Home Sense usually have a good selection of different salts.

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat May 13, 2017 1:06 am

Himalayan pink salt as far as I can make out is similar in composition to sea salt, but contains a tiny trace of iron and calcium salts, which gives it the pink colour. Harmless

Black salt ( kala memak) is again mainly common salt ( sodium chloride) but contains various sulphur compounds (sulphates and sulphites, especially the sulphites) that give the colour and flavour. Although pure sulphur is yellow, these sulphur compounds aren't, just as pure iron is silvery, but rust ( iron oxide) is red brown.
Wiki seems about right

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kala_namak

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Sakkarin » Sat May 13, 2017 12:35 pm

The reason I still have most of that black salt is that although I regularly use it when making a salad to accompany Indian style food, I usually add in the form of Chaat Masala, as it makes it really easy to add all those flavours in one go. Hence the raw black salt has not really been used much.

EDIT: From the Wiki page, this is just plain weird:

"Kala namak is ..... used in Jammu to cure goitres. This salt is also used to treat hysteria."

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Renée » Sat May 13, 2017 12:44 pm

Yes, I understand the goitre part, but hysteria??? :lol:

Thanks for the link, Sue, which I found very interesting and also found a mention of the Himalayan salt lamps, which have no beneficial effect, apparently.

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat May 13, 2017 1:15 pm

Sakkarin wrote:
EDIT: From the Wiki page, this is just plain weird:

"Kala namak is ..... used in Jammu to cure goitres. This salt is also used to treat hysteria."

The natural version does contain a significant trace of iodine as iodides, so might well be a good prevention or even cure for goitre, common in locations where there is neither sea salt nor sea food to provide iodine
Hence iodised salt in many countries

The hysteria seems unlikely to me, unless secondary to hypothyroidism, which is possible depending on your working definitions, but who knows?

I have never seen how the lamps could be beneficial, common salt is very stable and won't do anything interesting when gently warmed, whatever the trace components.

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Joanbunting » Sat May 13, 2017 3:12 pm

I first used Himalayan salt a few years ago when I got some from Lidl and I like it very much. I understand that it is rock salt as opposed to sea salt which I also use especially the local Camargue stuff.

I assumed the pink colour was a trace of iron. I also use smoked salt from a company in North Shields which I absolutely adore in the right place:

http://www.boulevardcuisine.co.uk/north ... oked-salts

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Renée » Sat May 13, 2017 4:29 pm

Thanks for the very interesting website, Joan. I buy Halen Mon smoked sea salt and sent some to Elisa. It has a very rich smoky flavour.

https://www.halenmon.com/

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Gillthepainter » Mon May 15, 2017 9:14 am

I bought the big crystals, which were incredibly hard.
I had to double bag them and smash with a hammer outside.

Nice salt though. The nicest I've tried.

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Re: Pink Himalayan salt

Postby Badger's Mate » Mon May 15, 2017 9:30 am

I buy Halen Mon smoked sea salt and sent some to Elisa. It has a very rich smoky flavour.


I had some butter made with smoked salt at a restaurant last year. It definitely conferred a smokiness to the butter.

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