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Article: Salts of the earth: chefs weigh in on this ancient seasoning.(Eating Right)
- Article from:
- E Magazine
- Article date:
- November 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Earth Action Network, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea."--Pythagoras (580 BC-500 BC)
We're all familiar with the tiny, white crystals in the saltshaker. But while salt has been used to season and preserve food since prehistory, refined salt was unknown until Morton's addition of anti-caking agents to sodium chloride in 1910. Modern processing methods have made what was once a scarce, expensive commodity into the world's main food seasoning. Using very high temperatures to dry seawater, processing removes impurities and natural companion minerals found in sea salt, creating 99.7% pure sodium chloride. It also adds iodine; the sugar dextrose to stabilize the ...