Himalayan Salt: Why is it called the Purest and the Most Expensive

Himalayan Salt: Why is it called the Purest and the Most Expensive

Salt is an absolute necessity that we look for in our daily meals.  However, if the correct amount of salt is drizzled on to that creamy chicken casserole, we would be experiencing an immediate euphoric feeling.  The necessities of salt do not just end at the home kitchen; it extends to a well renowned chef’s kitchen as well, because, salt is known to be a chef’s best friend. 

With all that being said, the Pink Himalayan rock salt is known for being an astonishing societal phenomenon. A few years ago, you would possibly discover a bag of it in a specialty store, but it was difficult enough to discover that it bestowed an air of eminent sophistication to any dinner party. Now you can shop for products named ‘pink Himalayan salt’ in almost every grocery shop for only four or five times the price of common table salt (Floyd & Shardlow, 2019).

Why has this Himalayan pink salt been seated on a throne of fame? Well, partially, it gets its popularity because it is pleasing to the eye. After all, it would be quite a disappointment to not look at a pink-speckled substance. There is nothing like a platter full of faintly sparkling crystals to glam up an otherwise tedious spread. But even more than that, it is because Himalayan salt is, as stated by health experts from across the world, a marvelous antidote with a number of healing properties. It can improve respiratory diseases, regulate blood sugar levels, and generally prevent poor health like a shield created from wickedness itself.

Why pink Himalayan salt is so lavishly priced?

In order to find out why this salt is so expensive, we need to take a deeper look at how it is made. Himalayan salt is drawn out from the Khewra Salt Quarry located in Pakistan, close to the Himalayas. It is one of the enormous and oldest salt quarries across the entire world. The salt that can be collected from this quarry has supposedly been created from the evaporation of massive water bodies during the old days. It is considered to be true that Himalayan salt is made up of remains of the earliest, original sea, as it comes from salt quarries situated more than 5000 feet deep beneath the Himalayan Mountain range. For that reason, it has encountered enormous pressure over many years and is said to be tremendously pure (Pearson, 2013). 

One of the reasons as to why this product is so highly priced is due to its abundant mineral content. It is roughly calculated that it consists up to 84 distinct trace elements and minerals, including zinc, phosphorous, bromine and boron that are not found in table salt. It is these very minerals and mostly iron, which provides the salt its pretty, pink color. Therefore, for the wellness promoters, a prevalent understanding of the salt is that it contains less sodium and more minerals, which makes it a rewarding quality in healthy cooking (Pearson, 2013). 

Another declaration that seems to have merit is the fact that Himalayan pink salt is a lot more natural than common salt, as it has been slightly processed and hand-extracted, which allows it to be free of preservatives. 

In addition to all these, the makers of costly salt lamps profess that Himalayan salt helps to purify the air, by drawing out allergens.  And salt therapies at health clubs assure detoxification.

By Nathasha Hindurangala

Bibliography 

    Floyd, C., & Shardlow, J. (2019). Why pink Himalayan salt is so expensive. Retrieved 4 June 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/pink-himalayan-salt-expensive-health-benefits-minerals-2019-6

Pearson, K. (2013). Is Pink Himalayan Salt Better Than Regular Salt?. Retrieved 4 June 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pink-himalayan-salt

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