UPPU (SALT) PART IV Dear friends,
I amthankful for the responses from many members after reading my postings on salt.This is PART 4 AND FINAL PART of theposting about salt. Sincerely, GopalaKrishnan 3-11-2010. Reposted on 22-12-2020 after editing and updating.R. Gopala krishnan (Continued from Part 2) 31. Kala Namak KalaNamak also known as black salt or black Indian salt is a salty and pungentsmelling condiment used in India. The condiment is composedlargely of sodiumchloridewith several impurities lending the salt its colour and smell. The smell ismainly due to sulfur content. Dependingon the source of information kala namak is either a type of natural volcanic halite or man-made product. KalaNamak is used extensively in Indiancuisine asa condiment or added to chaats, chutneys, all kinds of fruits, raitas and many other savory Indiansnacks. Chaatmasala, an Indian spice blend, isdependent upon black salt for its characteristic sulfurous hard-boiled eggaroma. Non-Indians who are notaccustomed to black salt often describe the smell as similar to rotten eggs. Due to impurities in themineral, it is brownish pink to dark violet translucent stone when whole andwhen ground into a powder, it is light purple to pink in color. Kalanamak consists primarily of sodiumchlorideand trace impurities of sodiumsulphate, ironsulphide,and hydrogensulphide. Sodiumchloride provides kala namak with its salty taste, iron sulphide provides itsdark violet hue, and all the sulphur compounds give kala namak its slightbitter taste as well as a highly distinctive smell, with hydrogen sulphidebeing the most prominent contributor to the smell. Althoughhydrogen sulphide is toxic in high concentrations, the amount present in kalanamak used in food is small and thus its effects on health are negligible. Certainsources report that kala namak are created by evaporation of brine which hasbeen boiled with harad seeds, others indicate that it is a natural halitemined from the ground. The salt crystals appear black in colour, and areusually ground to a fine powder which is pink in colour. KALANAMAK IS CONSIDERED A COOLING SPICE IN AYURVEDIC MEDICINE AND IS USED AS A LAXATIVE AND DIGESTIVE AID. It is alsobelieved to relieve intestinalgas and heartburn. It is used in Jammu to cure goiters. I found Induppu is the Malayalam word for Kala Namak. 32 Himalayan salt Himalayansalt is a marketing term for rock salt from Pakistan, which began being sold by various companies in Europe, NorthAmerica,and Australia in the early 21st century. Itis mined in the KhewraSalt Mines,the second largest salt mine in the world, located in Khewra, JhelumDistrict, Punjab, Pakistan, about 300 km from the Himalayas, about 160 kilometres from Islamabad, and 260 kilometres from Lahore, and in the foothills of the SaltRange. Thesalt sometimes comes out in a reddish or pink color, with some crystals havingan off-white to transparent color. It is commonly used for cooking similar toregular table salt, brine, and bath products. Generally,Himalayan salt is used for culinary purposes in the same way as ordinary table salt. It is also used as a bath-salt. Rock salts mined in several parts of theworld, including Hawaii, Utah, Bolivia, the Murray-Darling basin of Australia, Peru, and Poland are marketed as Himalayan salt or pink salt.The color results from ironoxide. 33 Black lava salt Black lavasalt is a marketing term for sea salt harvested from various places around theworld that has been blendedand coloured with activated charcoal. The salt is used as a decorativecondiment to be shown at the table. Due to its charcoal content the salt isstated by marketers to be detoxifying. 34 Bath salts Unrefinedsea salts are also commonly used as ingredients in bathing additives andcosmetic products. One example is bath salts, which uses sea salt as its mainingredient and combined with other ingredients used for its healing andtherapeutic effects. 35 The Alberger process TheAlberger process is a method of producing salt. It involves mechanicalevaporation, and uses an open evaporating pan and steam energy. It results in a unique,three-dimensional flake salt of extremely light bulk density. It is highly prized in the fast food industry,due to its low sodium and high flavor content for a given volume. This isBECAUSE THE SALT IS 'CUP-SHAPED', INSTEAD OF IN THE FORM OF NORMAL SALTCRYSTALS 36. Availability of salt Aslong as our seas are there brine salt will have no scarcity. Where salt ismined, these mines are so big that, there will be no scarcity for thousands of years. 37 Salt in Religion Salt has long held an important place in religionand culture. Greek worshippers consecrated salt in their rituals. Jewish Templeofferings included salt; on the Sabbath, Jews still dip their bread in salt asa remembrance of those sacrifices. In the Old Testament, Lot's wife was turnedinto a pillar of salt Covenants in both the Old and New Testaments wereoften sealed with salt: the origin of the word "salvation." In theCatholic Church, salt is or has been used in a variety of purifying rituals. Infact, until Vatican II, a small taste of salt was placed on a baby's lip at hisor her baptism. Jesus called his disciples "the Salt of theEarth." In Leonardo DaVinci's famous painting, "TheLast Supper," Judas Escariot has just spilled a bowl of salt - a portentof evil and bad luck. To this day,the tradition endures thatsomeone who spills salt should throw a pinch over his left shoulder to ward offany devils that may be lurking behind. In Buddhisttradition, salt repels evil spirits. That's why it's customary to throw saltover your shoulder before entering your house after a funeral: it scares offany evil spirits that may be clinging to your back. Shintoreligion also uses salt to purify an area. Before sumo wrestlers enter the ringfor a match - which is actually an elaborate Shinto rite - a handful of salt isthrown into the centre to drive off malevolent spirits. In 1933, theDalai Lama was buried sitting up in a bed of salt. Today, a gift of salt endures in India as a potentsymbol of good luck. 38. Hindu religion There are afew beliefs in Hindu religion. First is salt should be purchased well inadvance to keep reserve- Anything can be taken on loan fromneighbour- but not salt.Another belief is salt should not be given in Hand, invessels. Salt is usedspecially by Brahmins in Danams. Preparations are made without salt and offeredto pretha in death related functions on the 10th day.Salt offeringare made to Naga temples to ward of sarpa dosha. Update- It should not be put onErumpu/Pampu puttu 39. Did at any time salt deficiency was felt? Yes is theanswer. The effects of salt deficiency are highlighted in times of war, whenhuman bodies and national economies are strained to their limits. Thousands ofNapoleon's troops died during the French retreat from Moscow due to inadequatewound healing and lowered resistance to disease - the results of saltdeficiency. 40 History of salt Evidenceindicates that Neolithic people of the Precucuteni Culturewere boiling the salt-laden spring water through the process of briquetage toextract the salt as far back as 6050 BC. The salt extracted from this operationmay have had a direct correlation to the rapid growth of this society'spopulation soon after its initial production began. The harvestof salt from the surface of Xiechi Lake near Yuncheng in Shanxi, China datesback to at least 6000 BC, Salt was included among funereal offerings found inancient Egyptian tombs from the third millennium BC, as were salted birds andsalt fish .While people have used canning and artificial refrigeration topreserve food for the last hundred years or so, salt has been the best-knownfood preservative, especially for meat, for many thousands of years. 41 salad The wordsalad literally means "salted," and comes from the ancient Romanpractice of salting leaf vegetables. 42 Different flavours of salt Differentnatural salts have different mineralities, giving each one a unique flavour. Naturalsea salt harvested by hand, has a unique flavour varying from region to region. In traditional Korean cuisine, so-called"bamboo salt" is prepared by roasting salt in a bamboo container plugged with mud at both ends. This product absorbs mineralsfrom the bamboo and the mud, and has been shown to increase the anti clasto genicand anti muta genic properties of doenjang. Salt has great commercial value because it is anecessary ingredient in the manufacturing of manythings. In addition to dietary salt, the Confederacy needed the preciousmineral to tan leather, dye cloth for uniforms and preserve meat. Salt has tobe restricted in diet as far as possible by all diabetics and those with heartproblems. Salt is an enemy to ourKidney. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/986814709.2489795.1608593936220%40mail.yahoo.com.
