Christian Salter

What is the deal with Christian Salt? - Unrepentant

Fortunately, I don’t have to make fun of this because The Onion has already done so.

This makes me more than a little sad - Eating is nourishment but is also a way to understand the world – growing a tomato helps one fathom the work it takes to get food to the table. Ordering Pad Thai, at the very least, forces you to realize there
is a Thailand. Making borscht helps you think about why the generations of cabbage eaters that came before. All of these experiences can inspire someone to learn about the world they live in. Rather than find out why there is a Kosher Salt and what it is all about, this gentleman took offense and decided to help keep his world small by creating something familiar and comfortable.

Kosher Salt is not preferred in the kitchen because of its innate Jewishness (Historically, not a winning marketing strategy) nor its religious rigor - almost all salt is parve/pareve – that is, it can be used with meat or dairy without violating dietary laws. Kosher Salt is produced by flaking salt into large flat pieces – these flakes dissolve uniformly and because they are bigger than grains of table salt & Kosher Salt helps draw moisture out of food slowly, making it ideal for roasting. That and Kosher Salt is pure; table salt can contain up to 2% of silicone and aluminum, anticaking agents, which means your salt will always pour but also means your pickle brine and pasta water will cloud.

The new Christian Salt doesn’t have specific culinary benefits and ecclesiastically, it is only a salt that has been only blessed by an Episcopalian, on a spiritual level that is pretty underwhelming somewhere between Unitarian low sodium flavoring and a Baptist BBQ Sauce. For really good secular salt, visit The Meadow here.

A good meal, the conviviality that comes with sharing food are forces that can bring people together, seasoning that food should be available for everyone, not just the anointed few.