Many are the recipe books which describe at length the various exotic ingredients that go into the making of a cuisine. But, sometimes, it is the ordinary which is extraordinary, and so it is with this common flavour enhancer.
The humble pinch of salt, which makes our food tasty, travels a long distance to reach our plate. Harvesting salt is a laborious process which is directly related to the ecology of a place, and sometimes, its geology, too.
Elaborating on such interesting facts about the history and types of salt, its uses, and an array of recipes is a cookbook, titled The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food, by celebrated food writer, Naomi Duguid.
This book was recently released at the Goa Arts and Literature Festival (GALF) 2024, held at ICG, Dona Paula.
While talking about salt, she stated, “Salt is a very costly thing for which we pay little.”
She was commenting on the traditional salt-harvesting techniques. She added that, in Goa, salt is made through calories from the sun. But, in places with little sunlight, firewood is used for burning, which in turn, creates air pollution and also deforestation.
ANCIENT PARADISE
Speaking about Goa, she said that it is a rich place where salt is available, along with fresh water, sea, food and fertile land to grow produce. “It was a paradise in pre-industrial times, which is why it prospered for millennia.”
Elaborating on the importance of salt, she said that it is the only food we need to have. However, unlike air, it is not available everywhere as in places like Nepal.
She said due to its importance, many rulers like the British used it, and wars have even been fought over it.
Naomi spoke about the communities associated with salt harvesting, and said that people profiteering from salt are never from the salt harvesting communities.
Naomi then spoke about the various techniques of using salt as a preservative. She mentioned the salted cod which came to Goa through Portuguese.
Naomi, who hails from Canada, said that the history of salt is also the history of fermentation. She gave example of sauerkraut, which is made by fermenting cabbage in salt brine.
Her book also mentions salt-cured meats, miso and kimchi, to name a few.
TRAVELS OF A FOOD WRITER
Naomi, who is a well-known travel writer, has travelled to every nook and corner of the world, to write about food.
Some of her published works are Burma: Rivers of Flavor and Taste of Persia: Culinary Travels in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan. She maintains that, as an outsider, she tries to blend in as much as possible.
She doesn’t take notes in public as most of the time, locals get suspicious about an outsider.
She said that it is important to be quiet and appreciate a place, especially in a politically fraught context.
Speaking further about the history, she also briefed the audience about the Great Hedge of India or the Inland Customs Line.
It was a customs barrier, built by the British in the 19th century, from Punjab to Orissa to prevent the smuggling of salt from coastal regions in order to avoid the substantial salt tax. This hedge consisted of thorny shrubs.
Naomi spoke about the communities associated with salt harvesting. She mentioned that people profiteering from salt are never from the salt harvesting communities.
She gave the example of people working in the salt pans of Rann of Kutch, in extreme heat, while in South Korea, mentally challenged adults are exploited to harvest salt.
During the interaction, when asked about iodised salts, she said it is a necessity where people do not get iodine from their diets.
She added that people in coastal areas get iodine from their diets, and went on to explain that iodine was necessary for mental development and also to protect people from diseases like goitre.
And, on the subject of exotic salts such as Himalayan pink salt, which is mined from salt mines in Pakistan, she said that this does not have a measurable difference.
If you eat well, and in places like Goa, where people have access to fresh fish and vegetables, it doesn’t matter what kind of salt you use. She concluded that one should eat salt that one is comfortable with.