Salt has played an integral role in human history, and is a key ingredient in the contemporary human diet. The most commonly-used salt is white table salt, which is refined, bleached and produced from evaporated seawater.
Pink Himalayan salt, which is increasing in popularity, is believed to be the very purest form of salt. It has been preserved on volcanic lava and ice for millennia and does not need to undergo refinement – it is also free from pollutants.
Salty Sistas is a retail outlet which manufactures, imports and distributes unique pink Himalayan salt products, and believes that there are many benefits to using this special salt.
“It contains the same 84 trace minerals and elements that are found in the human body and because it is less refined, and fragments are larger, you’re consuming less sodium per serving than regular table salt,” said Lizel Marie, author of Salty Sistas Himalayan Salt Cooking. “It also supports heart health, promotes a stable body pH balance, strengthens bones, improves circulation, lowers blood pressure and helps the body absorb nutrients. Himalayan crystal salt is also a natural disinfectant.”
Salty Sistas also promotes cooking salt slabs and blocks, as it improves the flavour of food and adds more mineral content. “Whether the salt block is a new addition to your kitchen or you’ve had one for years but you’ve been too afraid to use it, this cookbook is for you. It contains around fifty easy to follow recipes, as well as tips on curing and cleaning your salt block, serving on salt blocks and in salt bowls, and simple tricks for cooking with salt slabs.”
From humble beginnings at the Fourways Farmers Market in 2016, the Salty Sistas range of salt products are now available at SaltPur branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as at select markets in the Western Cape and online.
Their range of Himalayan crystal salt products includes a variety of different size salt slabs, bricks, chopping boards, bowls, tot glasses, lamps, candle holders, massage stones, bath chunks, deodorant stones and mud masks.
The Himalayan Salt Cooking book can be found at select Western Cape markets, in branch at select Exclusive Books and Bargain Books stores, online at Loot.co.za or via the websites www.saltysistas.co.za and www.saltpur.co.za
Picture: Salty Sistas