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different types of salt

Ishigaki salt > column >different types of salt

Knowing the difference in salt will change the salt you choose

There are various types of salt that are indispensable for everyday cooking, such as natural salt, salt that retains natural minerals, and refined salt that has almost no ingredients other than sodium chloride. We will introduce each manufacturing method and characteristics, so please refer to it when purchasing at the store or ordering it by mail order.

Main types of commercially available salt

◆sea salt

The most popular salt in Japan, an island country surrounded by the sea, is “sea salt”.

 

Many products are made using traditional methods, including sun-dried salt that is made by drying seawater that has been pumped up in the sun, and salt that is cooked in a pot. Seawater contains various minerals that make up the bittern, so you can enjoy the benefits of sea salt.

 

In addition, sea salt is manufactured all over the country, including Okinawa, but the concentration and taste of salt varies depending on the production area and manufacturing method.

市販されている塩の主な種類

◆rock salt

Rock salt, a type of natural salt, cannot be mined in Japan. Therefore, all rock salt on the market is made overseas. Rock salt is created by trapping seawater in places that used to be the sea in the past.

 

There are various colors because minerals and organic matter from the ground enter.

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◆lake salt

"Lake salt" is made from the water of the lake where the water used to be the sea evaporates and has a high salt concentration. The Dead Sea in Israel and Lake Uyuni in Bolivia are famous. Lake Uyuni, which has pure white natural salt on the surface of the lake, is also popular as a tourist destination where you can see a superb view.

 

Lake salt is characterized by its soft bitterness and sweet taste, and adds depth to dishes.

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◆Reclaimed processed salt

Salt imported from overseas is dissolved to remove impurities, and then mixed with seawater and bittern to recrystallize. Also called recrystallized salt. Due to its low cost, a lot of recycled salt is sold in Japan as well.

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◆refined salt

It is a salt that has been electrolyzed to remove bittern and impurities from the raw material salt. Nutrients such as calcium and magnesium are also mostly removed, so more than 99% of the refined salt is made of sodium chloride. Due to the high sodium chloride content, it has a stronger salty taste than natural salt.

The charm of sea salt

海塩の魅力

We have introduced various types of salt, but all of them are made from natural sources such as rock salt and seawater.

 

However, there are many salts from which nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium have been mostly removed during the manufacturing process.

 

Also, since rock salt does not originally contain bittern, there are few minerals other than sodium chloride. On a percentage basis, sea salt is 80-85% sodium chloride, while other salts are over 90% sodium chloride.

Rock salt is the mainstream overseas, but many foreign tourists know that rock salt and Japanese sea salt have different concentrations of sodium chloride, so many people buy sea salt as souvenirs. In addition, there are many fermented foods such as miso and soy sauce in Japan, and this is also related to the low concentration of sodium chloride contained in salt.

 

If the concentration of sodium chloride is too high, the fermentation will not proceed very well. Therefore, it can be said that Japanese fermented foods developed thanks to sea salt, which contains various nutrients.

If you are looking to purchase sea salt online that provides natural nutrition, please order salt from Ishigaki, which uses the beautiful seawater of Okinawa.

 

Ishigaki salt is made from 100% seawater and is friendly to people and nature. We offer salt with a smooth texture and salt with a coarse texture so that you can use it for various dishes. Please enjoy the mellow taste containing mineral ingredients such as magnesium and potassium.

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