INFORMATION SHEET 1.

2-1
Raw materials needed in salting, curing and smoking
Learning Objectives:
At the end of 3 hours, the students must be able to:
1. Identify the different types of Salt.
2. Identify the different types of meat.
3. Identify the different types of marine products.

In LO 1 of the module on processing food by salting, curing,

andsmoking you learned how to prepare the tools, equipment and materials
to be used. In this module you will learn how to prepare the raw materials
needed in salting, curing and smoking.

Salt
In the Kitchen, there’s no ingredient more important than salt. Aside
from being one of the five basic tastes (salty, bitter, sour, and umami), salt
has properties that release food molecules into the air, giving the food an
aroma- an integral part of taste. If you’ve ever eaten your favourite food
while suffering a cold, you’ll know just how important smell is. That’s why
the different types of salt are important to distinguish between.
Salt also highlights and suppresses the different flavors we perceive
in our food. In small amounts, salt curbs bitterness, but enhances sweet,
sour and umami, giving sweet and sour dishes a more two- dimensional
taste. At higher concentrations, it reduces sweeteness and enhances umami,
making it perfect for savory and meat dishes.
1. Table salt 7. Kala Namak

2. Kosher salt 8. Flake salt

3. Sea salt 9. Black Hawaiian salt

4. Himalayan Pink salt 10. Red Hawaiian salt

5. Celtic Sea salt 11. Smoked Salt

6. Fleur de Sel 12. Pickling salt

Types of Salt

1. Table Salt

The most common type and is harvested from salt deposits found
underground. It’s highly refined and finely ground, with impurities and trace
minerals removed in the process. It’s also treated with an anti caking agent
to keep from clumping.
2. Kosher salt

Koshering salt- or kosher salt , in the U.S.- is flakier and coarser

grained than regular table salt. Its large grain size makes it perfect for
sprinkling on top of meat, where it releases a surprising blast of flavor.
Kosher salt also dissolves quickly, making it a perfect all- pupose cooking
salt.

Date Developed: Document No.

Food Processing NC August 1, 2019 Issued by:
II
Developed by: Page 2 of 7
Process Foods by Sawiya A. Bellen
Salting, Curing, and
Revision # 00
Smoking
3. Sea salt

Harvested from evaporated sea water, sea salt is usually unrefined

and coarser-grained than table salt. It also contains some of the minerals
from where it was harvested- zinc, potassium and iron among them- which
give sea salt a more complex flavorprofile .
“Sea salt” is a pretty broad term, as it includes some of the specialty
salts described below. Sprinkle it on top of foods for a different mouth feel
and bigger burst of flavour than table salt

4. Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan salt is the purest form of salt in the world and is harvested
by hand from Khewra Salt Minein the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan. Its
color ranges from off- white to deep pink. Rich in minerals- it contains the
84 natural minerals and elements found in the human body- Himalayan salt
is used in spa treatments, as well as the kitchen.

Date Developed: Document No.

Food Processing NC August 1, 2019 Issued by:
II
Developed by: Page 3 of 7
Process Foods by Sawiya A. Bellen
Salting, Curing, and
Revision # 00
Smoking
 Its mineral content gives it a bolder flavour than many other salts, so
use it as a cooking and finishing salt- or to add a bit of flair to a salt rimmed
margarita! Slabs of the stuff are used for cooking and serving (Himalayan
salt retains temperature for hours), and unfinished pieces often appear in
shops as lamps.

5. Celtic Sea Salt

Also kinown as selgris(French for “grey salt”), Celtic sea salt is

harvested from the bottom of tidal ponds off the coast of France. The salt
crystals are raked out after sinking; this, plus the mineral- rich seawater its
extracted from, gives Celtic salt its moist, chunky grains, grey hue and briny
taste.
It’s great on fish and meat as both a cooking and finishing salt, as well
as for baking.

6. Fleur de Sel

Literally “flower of salt,” Fluer de sel is a sea salt hand- harvested

from tidal pools off the coast of Brittany, France. Paper-thin salt crystals are

Date Developed: Document No.

Food Processing NC August 1, 2019 Issued by:
II
Developed by: Page 4 of 7
Process Foods by Sawiya A. Bellen
Salting, Curing, and
Revision # 00
Smoking
delicately drawn from the water’s surface, much like cream is taken from
milk. This can only be done on sunny, dry days with a slight breeze, and
only with traditional wooden rakes. Because of its scarcity and labor-
intensive harvesting, fleur de sel is the most expensive salt (five pounds will
run you a cool $80), earning is the nickname “the caviar of salts.”

7. Kala namak

Kala namak (“black salt” in Nepalese) is Himalayan salt that’s been

packed in a jar with a charcoal, herbs, seeds and bark, then fired in a
furnace for a full 24 hours before it’s cooled, stored and aged.
This process gives kalanamak its reddish- black color, its pungent,
salty taste and a faint, sulphurous aroma of eggs. It’s often used in vegan
ang vegetarian dishes to give egg-free dishes the taste of egg, as well as in
Ayurvedic practice.

8. Flake Salt

Harvested from salt water through evaporation, boiling or other

means, flake salt is thin and irregularly shaped with a bright, salty taste
and very low mineral content.

Date Developed: Document No.

Food Processing NC August 1, 2019 Issued by:
II
Developed by: Page 5 of 7
Process Foods by Sawiya A. Bellen
Salting, Curing, and
Revision # 00
Smoking
 This shapes means the crunchy flakes salt dissolves quickly,
resulting in a “pop” of flavour. Among the different types of salt, use it as a
finishing salt, especially on meats.

9. Black Hawaiian salt

Also known as black lava salt, black Hawaiian salt is a sea salt
harvested from the volcanic islands of Hawaii. It gets its deep, black color
from the addition of activated charcoal.
Coarse- grained and crunchy, black Hawaiian salt is great for
finishing pork and seafood.

10. Red Hawaiian Salt

Also called alaea salt, this unrefined, red Hawaiian salt gets its
name and color from the reddish, iron-rich volcanic clay alaea.
Used for centuries in ceremonial ways for cleaning, purification and
the blessing of tools, red Hawaiian salt is also great in the kitchen, adding
an attractive finish and robust flavour to seafood and meat, as well as
traditional island dishes like poke and pipikaula, a Hawaiian jerky.

Date Developed: Document No.

Food Processing NC August 1, 2019 Issued by:
II
Developed by: Page 6 of 7
Process Foods by Sawiya A. Bellen
Salting, Curing, and
Revision # 00
Smoking
11. Smoked Salt

Slow-smoked up to two weeks over a wood fire (usually

hickory, mesquite, apple, oak or alder wood), smoked salt adds
an intense and, yes, smoky flavour to dishes.
The tastes will vary from brand to brand depending on the
time smoked and the wood used. Smoked salt is the best of
the different types of salt to use for flavouring meats and
heartier vegetables, like potatoes.

12. Pickling salt

Used for pickling and brining, pickling salt does not

contain any added iodine or anti- caking agents, nor many of
the trace minerals of sea salt, which can cause ugly
discoloration of the preserved food.

Date Developed: Document No.

Food Processing NC August 1, 2019 Issued by:
II
Developed by: Page 7 of 7
Process Foods by Sawiya A. Bellen
Salting, Curing, and
Revision # 00
Smoking