When we think of luxury in the culinary world, our minds usually go to saffron threads, white truffles, or tins of caviar. Salt, that humble kitchen essential sitting by every stove, hardly makes the list. But in Korea, there’s a salt so rare, so laboriously crafted, and so steeped in tradition that it commands a price tag higher than some precious spices. This is Korean bamboo salt — or Jukyeom — often called the world’s most expensive salt.
A Tradition Forged in Fire
Bamboo salt isn’t harvested like Himalayan pink salt or extracted from sea beds like fleur de sel. Instead, it is made through a painstaking process that dates back to the 10th century.
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Thick bamboo stalks are filled with natural sea salt, sealed with clay that is rich in minerals, and then roasted over pinewood fires. This procedure continues, with an encore of the roasting process, in some cases, up to their ninth round. With each cycle, the salt gains a new smoky hue, at times even a light foggy purple. As with every cycle, grey impurities are shed, minerals are added, and the colour shifts.
Why is It So Expensive?
Why are the prices double, and in some cases, triple, the amount of salt sold in the market? It is the time needed for the salt to be prepared, and the artistry that is involved. The nine-time roasted version, considered the purest and most medicinal, can cost hundreds of dollars per kilo. According to a Times of India report, he price in India is approximately Rs 30,000 per kilogram, whereas it is priced at around $347.37 per kilogram internationally. It is said to contain the most healing properties, due to the extensive roasting, artisan skill, and time needed, pouring in much more than even the basic table salt, or the Himalayan kind.
The Alleged Health Benefits
Traditional Korean medicine has long incorporated bamboo salt, despite little scientific evidence to support its use. It is said that bamboo salt is more than just a seasoning—it is a form of wellness tool.
Some of the claimed benefits are as follows:
Detoxifying: The salt is believed to help remove waste from the body, and is said to benefit the liver follicles functioning.
Mineral Boost: The salt is a source of clay and bamboo, which are especially rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Digestion: The salt has been said to ease and relieve inflammation.
Dental care: It is commonly used in brushing, with efficacy in strengthening the gums and used in gargling.
How to Use It
Bamboo salt is not used for cooking in bulk every day, as is the case with more common salts. Instead, it is used in smaller, concentrated doses, as in the case of cloves in teas, a dash to finish a meal, or in some holistic treatments.
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