Is Real Salt Himalayan Pink Salt?

If you were a fly on the wall of Google for the day, you’d discover that one of the most-searched questions about Real Salt is whether or not it’s Himalayan Pink Salt. It’s pink. It’s ancient sea salt. It has similar properties. So, it’s the same thing…? Or, wait, it’s not?

You can see why people are confused—and so can we. Hopefully we can shed some light on this. 

Real Salt is not Himalayan Pink Salt, but if you’re familiar with the latter, you’ll recognize some of the great things that make Real Salt a standout. They have a lot in common, but they have some key differences that may tip your favor in one direction or another.

Like Himalayan, Real Salt is an unrefined, natural pink crystal salt from an ancient sea bed. Both contain trace minerals that are processed out of conventional table salt. Both have no additives. Both are low in moisture. That’s a lot of shared checkmarks in some pretty important categories. But where do they differ?

Himalayan Pink Salt is mined in and around Khewra, Pakistan from an area known as The Salt Range. This range extends about 186 miles across the northeastern portion of the country, dotted with several mines of along the way. Not only do the characteristics of the salt vary from mine to mine, but the mining methods do, too. Some use recent technology and others equip their laborers with hand-crank drills and gunpowder as they have for generations. Once Himalayan salt is ready, it’s shipped to the United States. That makes for exotic salt, but depending on where you live, a potentially sizeable environmental impact.

Real Salt is mined in the United States, near Redmond, Utah, from a single mine. Because our salt comes from a single source it doesn’t vary as much in its makeup, and because we own the mine, we are able to control the extraction methods. You can learn more about this here, but in short, Real Salt is harvested using modern technology, no explosives, and the best practices for labor and safety—in an operation powered by solar fields. Our miners are paid a living wage, too, so you don’t have to worry about your salt coming to you at half the price of the other guys’, but at an unconscionable cost to someone else. (It’s still half the price of the other guys’, though.) We crush and screen Real Salt on site, then send it to a local facility to be packaged and shipped, keeping the food miles to a minimum.

The final difference is something you may have already noticed on your own if you have a well-developed palette. When tasted side by side, Himalayan Pink Salt has an earthy flavor, whereas Real Salt is slightly sweet (but still salty). Some people prefer the earthiness for certain dishes, while others opt for the sweet saltiness. We’re biased toward Real Salt, but we think both Real Salt and Himalayan Pink Salt are superior to the sharper, bitter flavor of stripped-down conventional salt. Do the taste test. We bet you’ll agree.

By Redmond Life August 28, 2017