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By Kelli Bergthold
Food photos by Wes Naman
 Recipes in this article:
Mayan Citrus Salad
Mayan Ceviche
Bean Soup with Pork
Vegetarian Raise-the-Dead Chili
Recently, I have acquired a new addiction. It’s a fine white powder that human beings have been fighting over for thousands of years. The Mayans called it White Gold, but today, we call it salt.
Salt has long been one of the basic commodities of the world. Before modern technology allowed us to refrigerate food, salt was the main means of preserving meat and vegetables. Civilizations ranging from ancient China, Rome, pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the Gauls, the Celts, and the Vikings all relied on the production of salt to preserve food, as did Medieval Europe and Colonial America. Archeologists have found salt works that date back as far as 4,500 years. Wars were waged over salt, fortunes made and lost, and cities built around coastal and inland salt works.
The Invisible Spice
Today, many people hardly give salt a second thought—its role in cooking is so ubiquitous, we almost forget about the importance salt plays in our culinary delights. Take salt off the table, and suddenly there is a glaring absence.
I’m not the only one with a salty habit. Today’s processed food is full of sodium chloride—too much to be healthy. According to the USDA, the average American consumes 1.6 pounds of salt a year (based on 2000 mg per day). In reality, it’s probably more.
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You’ve probably heard reports that high salt intake is bad for you, and it’s true. An excess of salt can cause high blood pressure, heart problems, among other things, but salt is also necessary for delivering nutrients to various parts of your body and keeps your nerves firing and your muscles working, including your heart. In fact, most nutritionists recommend 500 mg of sodium a day to replace the salt we use through normal bodily functions.
An Ocean’s Bounty
Sea salt is produced both naturally and artificially. In sunny regions, such as the
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Harvesting salt from evaporation ponds in Guatemala.
Photo courtesy Maya Natural Sea Salt.
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Mediterranean, China, and South America, humans produce sea salt through a process of repeat evaporation, drawing sea brine into shallow pools along the coast and allowing the brine to evaporate. Larger salt crystals form on the bottoms of the evaporation ponds, while finer sea salt crystals, known as fleur de sel, form on the surface and are scraped off quickly to preserve their fine texture.
In cooler regions, sea salt was—and still is—produced artificially by boiling sea brine in earthenware pots over large fires. As the brine evaporates, salt crystals form on the bottoms of the pots. The vessels are then cooled and broken apart, leaving large cones or slabs of salt.
Table salt is a form of refined salt—sodium chloride that has been enhanced with additives such as iodine to counter iodine deficiency in our diets, and anti-caking agents to prevent clumping. Kosher salt is also widely used and has a larger grain than table salt, and it often lacks the chemical additives found in table salt. For many, table salt and kosher salt are enough to add some extra boost to cooking and baking, but I’ve found that when used properly, sea salt can make salting your food less of a routine and more of an experience.
Salt Tasting
Sea salt is like wine; it picks up the flavors of the region it comes from. French grey salt, produced in Brittany, is believed by many in the culinary industry to be the best of sea salts; it has a subtle flavor that is not as “salty” as table or kosher salt. Hawaiian black salt, on the other hand, is said to have an earthy flavor attributed to the amount of charcoal it contains, which gives the salt a distinctive grey-pink color. Kala Namak is a sea salt used in tra di tional Indian dishes and lends an egg-like flavor to food because
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Native Guatemalan weavers produce
the textiles adorning packages
of Maya Natural Sea Salt. |
of its sulfuric aroma. Coarse sea salt is a common ingredient in dry rubs for barbecuing and smoking meat and seafood; you can even use smoked sea salt to give your rub extra flavor. Many companies are combining sea salt with other spices—such as spicy red pepper, basil and oregano, and yellow curry—to make salting as flavorful as possible.
But my new favorite sea salt doesn’t hail from the Old World, or come in a pre-mixed spice pack. After much taste testing (with margaritas and a few willing taste-testers), I settled on the delicate Maya Natural Sea SaltTM produced in Guatemala, which relies on the ancient salt harvesting traditions first established by the Mayans 3,000 years ago. The Mayan sea salt gave a wonderful flavor to a bowl of spicy guacamole and a plate of chicken fajitas; best of all, it didn’t overpower our tangy margaritas. I confess I haven’t been able to get enough, turning to my jar of sea salt every time a recipe calls for salt and leaving the regular table salt to gather dust in the spice rack!
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Salty Potential
It’s not just the food-enhancing flavor of sea salt that I’ve rediscovered. Just as it did in the distant past, sea salt production makes important economic and cultural contributions to the regions in which it is produced. In Brittany, French sea salt producers rely on centuries-old Celtic traditions to produce their Sel Gris, and in Guatemala, Maya Natural Salt operates only a few miles away from salt works dating back thousands of years.
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Local workers weave cloth bags for packing salt.
Photo courtesy Maya Natural Sea Salt.
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Rick Grice, CEO of Maya Natural Imports—the parent company of Maya Natural Sea SaltTM—said it was important to keep the salt works producing because of their historical context and because of the positive impact the salt works has on the local community. His company only employs residents from local communities to harvest and package the salt, believing the salt works can provide stable employment for the people in the region. And when a recent hurricane flooded the region earlier this year, Grice’s company used jeeps to deliver food and other resources to waterlogged villages.
It may be too much to hope that switching from common table salt to the exciting possibilities of sea salt will save the world. But if I can help support a sustainable product built upon local customs and ancient traditions, while also giving my cooking an extra infusion of flavor, then please pass the salt.
Learn more about salt, and discover where your salty preference lies:
Take a look at this comprehensive list of salts from SaltWorks.
Check out Mark Kurlansky’s wonderful profile of salt through the ages, Salt: A World History.
Learn more at the Salt Institute.
Salt like the Mayans at Maya Natural Sea SaltTM
BBQ'n Fools makes a great Montreal BBQ Rub containing sea salt
Maya Citrus Salad
Summer can be year round with this fresh salad. Using Maya Natural Sea SaltTM will boost the sweetness of the fruit and jicama. Serve this salad along side a spicy entree.
2 large red grapefruit
3 ripe oranges
1 peeled raw jicama, cut into cubes
Juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon Maya Natural Sea SaltTM
Pinch of red chile powder
2 tablespoons of cilantro or mint leaves
Peel and wedge grapefruit and oranges into a chilled glass or clay bowl. Add the jicama to bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over the fruit and jicama. Add the salt, chile powder, cilantro or mint. Mix carefully, to be sure not to break up the citrus wedges. Cover and place in refrigerator for an hour or more to let flavors blend. Add more Maya Natural Sea SaltTM to taste, if needed.
Serves: 4
Heat Scale: Mild
Mayan Shrimp Ceviche
The use of the Maya Natural Sea SaltTM will enhance the natural saltiness of the shrimp and bring out the sweetness of the vegetables used in this recipe. Serve this recipe with water crackers or plain in a margarita glass.
1 1/2 pounds shrimp
6 cups water
2 tablespoons of Maya Natural Sea SaltTM
3 limes
4 tomatoes
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 celery stalks
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced small
1/2 teaspoon Maya Natural Sea SaltTM
Slices of lime
In a medium saucepan bring 6 cups of water to a rapid boil, add 2 tablespoons of Sea Salt and the shrimp. Boil for 2-5 minutes or until the shells turn light pink. Remove shrimp from water and allow them to cool then peel. In a glass or plastic bowl combine all the ingredients and gently toss to coat each ingredient. Cover and refrigerate the ceviche for at an hour before serving. Garnish with a slice of lime.
Serves: 4
Heat Scale: Mild
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Bean Soup with Pork
Sopa de Frijoles Puerco
This hearty soup could also be served as a stew. Just add hot tortillas and you have a whole meal.
Soup
2 cups black beans
1 pound boneless pork, cut into 1 ½ -inch cubes
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 fresh habanero chile, stem and seeds removed, chopped or substitute
2 fresh jalapeños or 2 serrano chiles
1 teaspoon dried epazote
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Maya Natural Sea SaltTM to taste
Garnish
1 large onion, chopped
12 radishes, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 fresh habanero chile, stem and seeds removed, chopped or substitute 2 fresh jalapeños or 2 serrano chiles
Juice of 2 limes
Maya Natural Sea SaltTM to taste
Cover the beans with water and soak overnight. Remove the beans, measure the water, and add enough water to make 6 cups. Sauté the pork along with the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are soft. Add the pork to the beans along with the remaining soup ingredients and simmer until the meant and beans are both tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Combine the garnish ingredients.
Remove the pork and beans with a slotted spoon and place them in the center of a warmed platter and arrange the garnish on the plate. Serve the bean liquid in soup bowls and let the people add the meat, beans, and garnish to their bowls.
Yield: 6 servings
Heat Scale: Medium
Raise the Dead Chili
Levante a los Muertos Chili
Roasted tomatoes, onions, and Poblano chilies provides such a rich base to this vegetarian chili that a meat lover won’t even miss the traditional beef found in chili. Serve with a hearty, crusty, whole grain artisan type bread!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes to roast the veggies and 30 minutes simmering the final dish
Ingredients:
1 3/4 pounds Roma tomatoes (or any variety of garden fresh)
3 poblano chiles
1 large sweet yellow onion, peeled and cut into four slices
1 bulb garlic; peel the cloves (8-10 cloves)
1 teaspoon cumin
2-3 tablespoons chili powder, depending on desired heat level
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
24 ounces vegetable stock
1 15-ounce can of black eyed peas (drained)
3 ounces medium sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Olive oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Maya Natural Sea SaltTM
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.; line two baking pans with foil and lightly coat with olive oil. Core the tomatoes and slice in half; cut the onion into four equal round slices. Place the tomatoes on one baking pan and “stud” each tomato half with a garlic clove; place the onion slices on second baking pan. Dust all the veggies with some of the chili powder, salt, and 10 twists of fresh black pepper. Pour olive oil over all veggies (note: don’t be stingy).
Place the baking pans in a 450 degree F. oven and roast for 30-35 minutes until the onions just start to brown. Note: rotate pans after 15 minutes. Let cool. I like to let the tomatoes roast a little longer than the onions. Check the onions after 25 minutes.
While the tomatoes and onions are roasting (or earlier will peeling easier), roast each poblano over a gas grill, gas range or under a broiler. Turn often! Using tongs, turn until well blackened and blistering appears, about 5-8 minutes. Place in a paper bag, close, and let steam for at least 20 minutes or more. If you have time, put them in the freezer for 45-60 minutes; this makes peeling even easier. Note: this step can be done the day before.
After the poblanos have steamed, peel them (under some running water helps). Stem and remove all seeds and dice the peppers. (cooking tip: cut the peppers into strips, stack, and cut the strips to make the diced peppers.)
Place all the tomatoes and TWO of the onion slices and veggie stock into a 3-quart saucepan; using a hand blender, puree. (Or use a blender, but puree in four batches).
Dice the remaining two onion slices and add to pot along with the chiles, all spices, and peas. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes or until the peppers just lose their crunch. Stir in cheese adjust seasoning, and serve.
Serves: 6-8
Heat Scale: Medium
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