Kosher Salt - A Term That Misleads
The phrase "kosher salt" is no more useful
than "animal leather" or "dairy milk" or
(forgive me) "dead cadaver". In other words
all salt is kosher, unless it has been adulterated
in some way. Salt, like any vegetable or mineral
is kosher by definition.
The only way that salt can ever be "not kosher"
is if something was added to it through extraction
or processing. Note that this can actually happen, especially
with salt used for Passover. For details please see
this instructive article about
kosher salt and pepper.
However the fact remains that salt is kosher, period.
So why did the phrase ever develop?
(By the way, the sheer number of questions that
this innocuous little term generates is staggering!)
How Salt is Used
Salt has a major use other than in cooking.
It is used to kasher meat - that is,
salt helps to make meat kosher.How? It extracts blood.
All blood is prohibited. Blood is never kosher
in any quantity. After birds and animals are slaughtered
the usable cuts are kashered. One aspect of
kashering is the extraction of all blood. Salt
is sprinkled on each piece and left there for
an hour. The salt draws the blood to the surface
of the meat so that both the salt and the blood
can be rinsed away.
Types of Salt
Here is the key as to why the term kosher salt arose. Salt, you are aware, is available in different textures.
Table salt used in your home is made of fine granules.
De-icing salt for your driveway is composed of pellets.
Somewhere within the range is a salt called
"coarse salt" or "crystal salt". It is that type of salt that is used to kasher meat.
The coarse granules extract the blood effectively.
Other types of salt do not. Therefore when a Jewish homemaker or butcher
wants salt for kashering meat - or in other words
"kosher-ing salt" she or he looks for coarse salt.
You Heard It Here First!
I can tell you that I was in the kosher retail
business when the labels on the boxes changed from
"coarse salt" to "kosher salt". I cannot tell you
why this happened, but only that it did. The term
also spread to recipes and cookbooks. It would be more sensible and accurate to call
it koshering salt to highlight its special use.
That would help avoid misleading everyone
especially those new to keeping kosher.
The Last Word
1) Salt, including sea salt, is kosher.
2) When your recipe calls for kosher salt,
it probably means coarse salt.
3)Look for a kosher symbol when buying salt
or any other packaged goods.
[By the way, I expect official government recognition
for clearing up the confusion and helping everyone
move on. Please lobby your elected official!]
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