salt: flavor dynamics and culinary application

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Salt Flavor Dynamics And Culinary Application

Nutrient Essentials Conference National Restaurant Association

Chef Almir Da FonsecaChef Instructor The Culinary Institute of America

Greystone, Saint Helena CA.

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Types Of Salt

• Kosher salt – pure refined rock salt, also known as coarse salt • Pickling or canning salt – fine-grained additive-free salt• Rock salt or halite – mined from natural deposits, varies in color • Sea salt – generally comes from coastal marshes, basins, and areas where

seawater has been trapped and evaporate naturally• Table salt – has additives added that prevent caking

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A Note About Salt

• It is an essential element in the diet of not only humans but of animals, even many plants

• Is one of the most effective and widely used food preservatives (even used to preserved Egyptian mummies)

• It has been the cause of bitter warfare

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A Brief History

• Roman soldiers were known as “salarium argentum” the forerunner of the English word “salary”

• Ancient Greece involving exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, “not worth his salt.”

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A Brief History

• The desire to obtain salt politically or militarily has influenced the histories of countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Middle East

• It has been the reason behind commercial and political strategy

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A Brief History

• Salt was used as a form of currency and had greater value than gold in some ancient societies.

• Religious and magical significance has also been attributed to this mineral

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Salt And Food Preservation

• Salt is indispensable to life• One of the oldest form of food

preservation• Salt dried meats and fish• Canning foods, pickling and

brining• Flavoring

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Salt And It’s Place In Food Manufacture

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Brining, Smoking And Evaporating (salt dried)

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Culinary Applications

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Harvesting Salt In The Philippines

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Harvesting Salt In Italy

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Harvesting Salt In France

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Harvesting Salt In The U.S.A.

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U.S.A. The Worlds Largest Salt Producer

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Jurassic Salt From Pakistan

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France’s Finest Salt Le Tresor Salt Collection

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Salts From Vietnam & Pakistan

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A Diverse Collection Of Salts From Around The World & A Bamboo- Dried Salt

From Japan

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Salt Tasting Sets From France & South America

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What Chefs Look For In High Quality Salts: Taste, Texture, Complexity, And Depth

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Commonly Used Salts

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Salt Analysis

• Sodium• Magnesium• Calcium• Potassium• Strontium• Manganese• Aluminum• Phosphorus• Selenium• Zinc• Gallium• Germanium• Gold

• Antimony• Arsenic• Barium• Beryllium• Bismuth• Boron• Cadmium• Cerium• Cesium• Chromium• Cobalt• Copper

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Flavor Dynamics: Philippine

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Flavor Dynamics: France

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Flavor Dynamics: Italy

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Flavor Dynamics: Kosher and Iodized

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Sources

• Adshead, Samuel A.M. Salt and Civilization. MacMillan, 1992.• Multhauf, Robert P. • Neptune's Gift. Johns Hopkins, 1978.• Opie and Tatem, 1989: 338-44• Radford; Radford, and Hole, 1961: 297-9• Roud, 2003: 387-93• Salt a world history by Mark Kurlansky• The history of taste by Paul Freedman• The taste of conquest by Michael Krondl• The spice routes by Chris & Carolyn Caldicott• Xroads Philippine sea salts• The Meadow• Avanti Savoia Imports• Morton salt co.• The Culinary Institute of America, Educational Materials• The Internet