Saturday, March 14, 2009

Christian Salt

Examiner.com reports a new arrival to the seasonings market: Christian salt (to counteract the market share of Kosher salt, natch). A double whammy: idiotic AND offensive.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow. And here I am, a Messianic Jew. Does that mean I should be doubly offended?

Unknown said...

Kosher salt is different from 'normal' table salt. Although all true salts are simply sodium chloride, unlike 'normal' salt, which takes the natural cubic form of sodium, Kosher salt instead forms flakes. Because of its broad surface area in comparison to cubic salt, Kosher salt is more effective in salting and brining applications.

In addition, most table salts have an anticlumping agent (sodium ferrocyanate), and many also have the necessary additive iodine, a holdover from a period in history (the 1920s-1930s) when iodine deficiency was a serious problem in the US. While the flavour of sodium ferrocyanate is negligible, iodine imparts salt with a slightly bitter aftertaste, not dissimilar to (though far less potent than) the common salt substitute potassium chloride.

In the event that sea salt is unavailable, Kosher salt (named for its use in 'koshering' meats, not for any inherent adherence to Rabbinical food guidlines) is often used as a second choice by many chefs.