As ingredients from around the world become more widely available, home chefs might be tempted to experiment with the flavors and seasonings they always took for granted. Salt, the most basic seasoning, is no exception. Two types of salt -- grey sea salt and Himalayan pink salt -- can add an exotic touch to any dish. Deciding between these salts depends on your intended purpose and how much you are willing to pay.
Grey Sea Salt
According to the online salt vendor SaltWorks, most grey sea salt comes from the Brittany region on the Atlantic coast of France. It is gray because it absorbs minerals from clay that lines the salt ponds. The local salt industry still uses traditional Celtic methods and wooden tools to collect the salt. Grey sea salt is available in different textures. Coarse grey salt is optimal when cooking, stone ground grey salt can be used at the table and extra fine grain salt can be added to nuts or popcorn.
Himalayan Pink Salt
Salt has been an important commodity in the Himalayan foothills for centuries, according to the website Mountain Rose Herbs. Traders used to make the long journey through the Himalayas by yak in order to sell this salt in the markets of Nepal. The pink salt, harvested in the salt mines of what is now Pakistan, is rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium and iron. The high iron content is what gives this salt its pink color.
Similarities
Neither grey sea salt nor Himalayan pink salt goes through the extensive refining process that ordinary table salt does before being sold in U.S. markets. As a result, both types of salt are coarser, more natural and more flavorful than traditional U.S. table salt. Both salts are harvested by hand using traditional methods, rather than by industrial machinery. Both command premium prices among U.S. consumers when compared to refined table salt.
Differences
While grey sea salt is obtained from the evaporation of seawater, Himalayan pink salt is mined from the earth. The salts are strikingly different in color, reflecting their separate origins. Grey sea salt is only used for culinary purposes whereas Himalayan pink salt can be used as a salt bath to treat a variety of ailments. According to Mountain Rose Herbs, bathing in Himalayan salt for 20 to 30 minutes can help treat rheumatism, skin diseases and the immune system. At the time of publication, grey sea salt cost $8.98 for a 1-pound pouch on SaltWorks. This made it less expensive than Himalayan pink salt, which cost $19 for a 5-pound bag from the same vendor.
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