View source for Kala namak

{{short description|Kiln-fired rock salt from South Asia}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Black salt
| alternate_name   = Kala namak
| image            = Black Salt (crystals).jpg
| caption          = Large pieces of Kala Namak
| region           = South Asia, Himalayan regions
}}

'''''Kala namak''''' ("black salt" in  [[Urdu]], Urdu: کالا نمک, [[Hindi]], Hindi: काला नमक) is a kiln-fired [[Halite|rock salt]] with a sulphurous, pungent smell used mainly in the countries of [[South Asia]]. It is also known as "Himalayan black salt",  ''bit noon'', ''bire noon'', ''bit loona'', ''bit lobon'', ''kala loon'', ''sanchal'', ''kala meeth'', ''guma loon'', or ''pada loon'', and is manufactured from the salts mined in the regions surrounding the Himalayas.

The condiment is composed largely of crystalline [[sodium chloride]] heated with charcoal and several other herbal components lending the salt its color and smell. The smell is mainly due to its sulphur content; the salt is heated in presence of many herbal components and also contains [[greigite]] {{chem2|(Fe3S4}}, [[Iron(II,III) sulfide|Iron(II,III) sulphide]]). When whole, the salt is brown and black. When ground into a powder, its color may range from pink to black-brown to dark black.

Kala namak has been praised in herbal science and used for its perceived medical qualities.<ref name=MLachu/><ref name=foods>{{citation|title=1001 Foods You Must Eat Before You Die|last=Case|first=Frances|publisher=Cassell Illustrated|isbn=978-1-84403-612-7|date=6 June 2008|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/1001foodsyoumust0000sutc}}</ref>

==Production==
The raw material for producing kala namak was originally manufactured from natural [[halite]] from mines in Northern [[India]] in certain locations of the [[Himalayas]],<ref name=mb>{{citation |title=Salted:A Manifesto on the World's Most Essential Mineral, with Recipes |first=Mark |last=Bitterman |publisher=Random House of Canada |year=2010 |pages=166–167}}</ref><ref name=birb>{{citation |publisher=Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) |date=2003-08-25 |title=Vorkommen von Schwefelwasserstoff in "Schwarzsalz"|url=http://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/208/vorkommen_von_schwefelwasserstoff_in_schwarzsalz.pdf}}</ref>  salt manufactured from the North Indian salt lakes of [[Sambhar Salt Lake|Sambhar]] or [[Didwana]].<ref name=DC>{{citation |first=D |last=Chandrashekhar |title=Maqsood Mohammad vs The State Of Uttar Pradesh And Anr. on 22 February 1977 |publisher=Allahabad High Court |date=1977-02-22 |url=http://indiankanoon.org/doc/41243/}}</ref>

Traditionally, the salt was transformed from its relatively colorless raw natural forms into the dark-colored commercially sold kala namak through a [[Redox|reductive]] chemical process that transforms some of the naturally occurring [[sodium sulphate]] of the raw salt into pungent [[hydrogen sulphide]] and [[sodium sulphide]].<ref name=SC>{{citation |first=S |last=Chandra |title=Commissioner, Sales Tax vs Balwant Singh Jag Roshan Lal on 18 February 1970 |publisher=Allahabad High Court |date=1970-02-18 |url=http://indiankanoon.org/doc/1542863/}}</ref> This involves firing the raw salts in a kiln or furnace for 24 hours while sealed in a ceramic jar with [[charcoal]] along with small quantities of [[Terminalia chebula|harad seeds]], [[Phyllanthus emblica|amla]], [[Terminalia bellirica|bahera]], [[Vachellia nilotica|babul bark]], or [[natron]].<ref name=DC/><ref name=SC/> The fired salt melts, the chemical reaction occurs, and the salt is then cooled, stored, and aged prior to sale.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/SXD8j30MG08 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200519145913/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXD8j30MG08&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|last=Sher Ali Tiwana|title=How black salt is made on big scale|date=2016-12-05|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXD8j30MG08|access-date=2019-02-12}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=mb /> Kala namak is prepared in this manner in northern India with production concentrated in [[Hisar (district)|Hisar district]], [[Haryana]].<ref name=SC/> The salt-crystals appear black and are usually ground to a fine powder that is purple.

Although kala namak may have traditionally been chemically produced from impure deposits of salt (sodium chloride) with the required chemicals (small quantities of [[sodium sulphate]], [[sodium bisulphate]], and [[ferric sulphate]]) and charcoal in a furnace it is now common to simply add the required chemicals to pure salt before firing. Reportedly, it is also possible to create similar products through reductive heat treatment of salt, 5-10% of [[sodium carbonate]], sodium sulphate, and some [[sugar]].<ref name=SC/>

==Composition==
Kala namak consists primarily of [[sodium chloride]] and trace impurities of [[sodium sulphate]],<ref name=folk>{{citation|doi=10.1016/S0367-326X(99)00039-8|first=ZA |last=Ali |title=Folk veterinary medicine in Moradabad District (Uttar Pradesh), India |journal=Fitoterapia |volume=70 |issue=4 |date=August 1999 |pages=340–347}}</ref><ref name=elephants>{{citation |first1=Nalini |last1=Sadhale |first2=YL |last2=Nene |title=On Elephants in Manasollasa – 2. Diseases and Treatment |journal=Asian Agri-History |volume=8 |issue=2 |year=2004 |pages=115–127}}</ref> [[sodium bisulphate]], [[sodium bisulphite]], [[sodium sulphide]], [[iron sulphide]], and [[hydrogen sulphide]].

Sodium chloride provides kala namak with its salty taste, iron sulphide provides its dark violet hue, and all the sulphur compounds give kala namak its slight savory taste as well as a highly-distinctive smell, with hydrogen sulphide being the most prominent contributor to the smell. The acidic bisulphates/bisulphites contribute a mildly sour taste.<ref name="birb"/> Although hydrogen sulphide is toxic in high concentrations, the amount present in kala namak used in food is small and thus its effects on health are negligible.<ref name=birb/>

==Uses==
[[Image:Black salt.jpg|thumb|Powdered kala namak]]
Kala namak is used extensively in [[South Asian cuisine]]s of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal as a condiment or added to [[chaat]]s, [[chutney]]s, salads, fruit, [[raita]]s, and many other savory snacks. [[Chaat masala]], a South Asian spice blend, is dependent upon black salt for its characteristic sulphurous egg-like aroma. Those who are not accustomed to black salt may describe the smell as resembling [[flatulence]].<ref name=MLachu>{{citation |title=Ajanta: Regional feast of India| last= Moorjani |first=Lachu |publisher=Gibbs Smith |isbn=978-1-58685-777-6|year=2005 |page=22}}</ref> Black salt is sometimes used sparingly as a topping for fruits or snacks in North India and Pakistan. 

Kala namak is sometimes applied to tofu in vegan egg recipes.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aujla|first=Rupy|title=Tofu scramble recipe|url=https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/kala-namak/}}</ref>  

Kala namak is considered a cooling spice in [[Ayurveda]] and is used as a [[laxative]] and digestive aid.<ref name=mb/><ref name=folk/><ref name=elephants/><ref name=jamma/> It is also been noted to relieve [[flatulence]] and [[heartburn]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 29, 2022 |title=Health Benefits of Black Salt |url=https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-black-salt#:~:text=Black%20salt%20stimulates%20bile%20production,and%20limit%20bloating%20and%20flatulence. |access-date=March 24, 2022 |website=WebMD}}</ref> It is used in [[Jammu]] to cure [[goitre|goiter]]s.<ref name=jamma>{{citation |first1=Hemla |last1=Aggarwal |first2=Nidhi |last2=Kotwal |title=Foods Used as Ethno-medicine in Jammu |journal=Studies on Ethno-Medicine |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=65–68 |year=2009|doi=10.1080/09735070.2009.11886340 |s2cid=56232276 }}</ref> This salt is also used to treat [[hysteria]] and for making toothpastes by combining it with other mineral and plant ingredients.<ref name=mb/> The uses for goiter and hysteria are dubious. Goiter, due to dietary iodine deficiency, would not be remedied unless iodide was present in the natural salt. In the United States, the [[Food and Drug Administration]] [[FDA warning letter|warned]] a manufacturer of [[dietary supplement]]s, including one consisting of Himalayan salt, to discontinue marketing the products using unproven [[health claim|claims]] of health benefits.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations Herbs of Light, Inc.|date= June 18, 2013 |url=https://www.fda.gov/iceci/enforcementactions/warningletters/2013/ucm359315.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714081712/http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2013/ucm359315.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2013 |publisher=[[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Black lava salt]]
*[[Himalayan salt]]
*[[Jugyeom]]
*[[Thursday salt]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Condiments}}
{{Salt topics}}

{{portal bar|Food}}

[[Category:Edible salt]]
[[Category:Ayurvedic medicaments]]
[[Category:Indian spices]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Salt industry in India]]
[[Category:Pakistani spices]]
[[Category:Salt industry in Pakistan]]