When it comes to fasting meals, people mostly prefer rock salt. This Himalayan pink salt is considered the purest, but no one knows its usage and importance in Ayurveda. The rock salt is somewhat different from the regular table salt and is deemed unique. Today, we will talk about rock salt, how it is made, and how it reaches our plates through the grocery store.
How is rock salt made?
Rock salt, considered the purest salt, is neither made by any machine nor extracted from the water like sea salt. Instead, it forms part of a mountain and is extracted like other minerals and metals through the mining process. However, you'll be surprised to know that rock salt is not extracted from the Himalayan mountains but procured from the Jhelum province of Pakistan. The mining process of rock salt, which had started in Himachal Pradesh, is yet to yield results. The dispute over salt in Pakistan in 2019 was based on the fact that rock salt is mainly exported to India. More than 800 million tonnes of rock salt is extracted annually from the Khewra Mines of Pakistan and is shipped for food and commercial use.
How does rock salt get its colour?
It gets its pink colour from minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium found in that province. Rock salt stones are broken in different ways. A worker has to stay inside the mine for about 8 hours for this work. After this, it is divided based on colour. It usually has three colours - white, red and pink. White means more sodium chloride, pink means magnesium and red mean more iron. Then, these large salt stones are taken to refineries and mills. These stones are ground and given the shape of small particles and salt. Following this, this salt is sealed in packets and exported worldwide.
Why is rock salt preferred during fasting?
‘Sendha namak’ is eaten during fasting because it is considered the purest in Ayurveda, and it is natural and unprocessed. It is one of the five salts in Ayurveda that should be regularly included in our diet.
According to Ayurveda, what five salts should be consumed?
- Romka or sambhara - the salt obtained from the pond of Gujarat and Sambhar lake of Rajasthan
- Sauvarchal salt or vida - ammonium salt
- Black salt - fluoride salt
- Sendhwa - rock salt
- Sea salt
What are the benefits of eating sendha namak?
Many benefits of pure rock salt have been reported, and it is believed that this salt not only helps in indigestion but can remove many deficiencies in the body. In addition, it is rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium compared to table salt. Hence, eating it during fasting is reasonable due to its purifying and health properties. Do you know it’s also used in lamps, spas, Ayurvedic medicines etc.?
Now that you know about the benefits of rock salt let us know on Slurrp’s Facebook page if you have any suggestions.