Salt

mineral · food · seasoning · preservation

Life needs salt. Every living thing requires salt to survive. Your body uses it to keep your nerves firing, your muscles moving, and your blood pressure balanced.

Salt comes from rocks. Table salt is mined from underground deposits of rock salt, also called halite, which formed from ancient seas that dried up millions of years ago.

One of five tastes. Saltiness is one of the five basic tastes your tongue can detect, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and umami.

Preserves food naturally. For thousands of years, people have used salt to cure meat, pickle vegetables, and preserve fish because salt draws out water that bacteria need to grow.

Makes food taste better. A tiny pinch of salt actually makes food taste more flavorful and delicious, which is why chefs use it in almost every savory dish.