Salt
In chemistry, a salt is an ionic compound between a non-metal and a metal, formed when an acid reacts with a base. Salts are divided by acid residue into chlorides, iodides, acetates, nitrates, sulphates, etc. Cooking salt, or just salt, is a mixture of salts with the highest content of sodium chloride (NaCl), while the content of other minerals is related to the method of production. It is white, pale pink to light grey in colour.During the evaporation of seawater in salt marshes, iron oxide is the first to come out of the brine, followed by calcium carbonate (CaCO3), followed by gypsum or calcium sulphate (CaSO4) up to a salinity of 16° Bé. Salt (NaCl) begins to crystallise at a concentration of about 25,5° Bé. Salt (NaCl) has a concentration of about 25,5° Bé, which is the same as that of salt (NaCl).
Regardless of the source of the brine from which the salts are formed during evaporation, uncontrolled evaporation (natural evaporation in rocky and other riparian basins) produces salt containing 77, 8 % sodium chloride, 10,9 % magnesium chloride, 4,7 % magnesium sulphate, 3,6 % calcium sulphate, 2,5 % potassium chloride, 0,2 % magnesium bromide and 0,3 % calcium carbonate. This salt has a bitter taste.
Salt is abundant in nature; it is more accessible than it used to be and therefore cheaper. But it should not be forgotten that it was once rare and valuable.
All great empires were built on salt. Salt was used to arm armies. It was the salt that made wars and opened up new trade routes. Salt is considered to be the first traded commodity and the first taxed commodity. It has shaped our civilisation: from China, Egypt and Rome to Venice and medieval Europe, the French Revolution, the Confederate South and Victorian England.
Salt is a human biological necessity and a necessary ingredient in the vast majority of dishes, often sweet. Experts and culinarians disagree on whether salt is a condiment or a basic food ingredient such as fat, flour, etc.
Notwithstanding the above, salt belongs in practically every dish. It has a specific physiological role in our organism that we are virtually unaware of in our daily lives. We often overdo the salt intake, forgetting that most of the food we eat already contains salt added at the time of preparation.
Salts from the Sečovlje Salt Pans
The first salt
is produced at the beginning of the season, when the season is often interrupted by rain. The concentration of brine in the crystallisation beds varies, with replenishment, approximately between 25 and 27° B. The minimum content of the raw material is 97 % NaCl on a dry basis, and the sum of calcium and magnesium in it is up to a maximum of 0,4 %.
Traditional salt
The production of this salt takes place at a time when salt production has stabilised. The weather conditions are stable, which allows a steady flow of concentrated brine to the service stations. The concentration of brine in the crystallisation beds varies with replenishment to approximately 29° B. The minimum content of the raw material is 95 % NaCl on a dry basis and the sum of calcium and magnesium in the raw material is at least 0,4 %.
Piran Salt
The production of this salt is facilitated by prolonged stable weather. Salt harvesting is already underway in 2 thirds of the crystallisation field. The brine concentration varies between 28 and 31° B. Such high brine concentrations allow the extraction of large quantities of various minerals. The salt crystals are finer. The denser brine makes it more difficult to collect this salt from the crystallisation beds (it is difficult to form a salt pile). The minimum content of the raw material is 95 % NaCl on a dry basis and the sum of calcium and magnesium in it is at least 0,55 %. The calcium and magnesium content decreases with longer draining, as the magnesium salts bind water and gradually dissolve the surface of the crystals richest in these minerals, but the calcium content is never less than 0,1 % and the magnesium content less than 0,2 %. The higher content of calcium and magnesium ions in the salt is an indirect indication of the higher content of the other minerals. The quality and mineral composition of salt can vary widely. The latter depends on the salter himself and on the concentration of brine in the crystallisation beds at the time of salt crystallisation, which in turn depends on the seasonal weather and the performance of the salters in preparing the brines for crystallisation.
Salt flower
The salt flower forms on the surface of the brine from salt crystals, which form a distinctive downward-pointing pyramidal structure in the shape of a thin, fragile crust. The salt bloom can crystallise throughout the salt crystallisation zone, but grows best at higher brine concentrations. It is white to slightly pinkish in colour. The minimum content in the raw material is 96 % NaCl on dry matter and the sum of calcium and magnesium in it is at least 0,22 %.
A characteristic feature of the salt flower is that its bulk density is very low, so that, compared with evaporated salt, a container twice as large is needed for the same weight. The finer the crystals of the salt flower, the better the quality. If it sits for a long time, it starts to clump. It is distinguished from other salts by its fluffiness, its lightness. It can be crushed between the fingers.