Himalayan salt

Himalayan Salt (white colored)

Red rock salt from Pakistan

Himalayan salt is rock salt or halite from a mine in the Punjab region of Pakistan, which rises from the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is mined in the Khewra Salt Mine, located in Khewra, Jhelum District, Punjab region, Pakistan. The foothills of the Salt Range are located 300 km from the Himalayas, 298 km from Amritsar, India and 260 km from Lahore. The salt sometimes occurs in a reddish or pink color, with some crystals having an off-white to transparent color.

Mineral composition

Himalayan salt crystals

Himalayan salt is predominantly sodium chloride (95-98%), contaminated with 2–3% polyhalite and small amounts of ten other minerals. The pink color is due to the presence of iron oxide.

Uses

It is commonly used in cooking, in place of other table salt, in brine, and for bath products such as bath salts. Blocks of salt are also used as serving dishes and in the preparation of food. Fish and some meats can be preserved for use in certain dishes, and blocks of salt can be slowly heated to a temperature of around 200 °C (400 °F) and used as a cooking surface thereafter.

Salt lamps

Himalayan salt lamp

Large crystal rocks, mined in Europe and Asia, are also used as salt lamps. A salt lamp is a lamp carved from a larger salt crystal, often colored, with an incandescent light bulb or a candle inside. The lamps give an attractive glow and are suitable for use as nightlights or for ambient mood lighting. When illuminated, salt crystals emit a soft glowing light. There is a belief that heated salt crystals emit negative ions or positive energy waves into the air, however there is no scientific evidence that salt lamps actually give out a measurable amount of anions, nor is there any evidence of any health benefits from the lamps.

See also

• List of edible salts