Japanese Salt

Buy Japanese Salt From Japan

When we talk about umami, the fifth taste whose name literally translates as "the essence of deliciousness", we usually think about meat, mushrooms, or soy sauce. Not everybody knows that shio, Japanese salt, is also a rich source of umami. Typically, salt is manufactured from either salt mines or seawater, but Japanese sea salt is often extracted from seaweed. This is the reason why Japanese salt offers a complexity of taste that goes beyond saltiness and results in that special umami element we all recognize in Japanese cuisine.

Japan produces many different types of salt, around 4000 different kinds, that are labeled based on the place they come from and the size of their crystals. One of the most ancient Japanese sea salt is moshio, a special type of salt that is extracted from hondawara, brown algae rich in minerals that grows close to the Japanese coastline. In order to extract the salt, the seaweed is harvested and left to dry for a day, then soaked in pots filled with seawater. After that, the water is boiled in order to obtain a concentrate that eventually turns into salt crystals. The crystals are later dried and packed based on their size. The very big salt crystals are called "shio no hana", salt flowers, and are considered very rare and exquisite. Moshio salt is famous for its rich, mineral taste that is perfect when used on simple food or sprinkled on sashimi, Japanese raw fish.

Salt is an essential element in Japanese cooking and moshio salt is a pantry must-have for anyone who wants to cook Japanese food and enjoy the unmistakable taste of traditional Japanese home cooking. For example, you can use moshio salt to make tsukemono, or Japanese pickled vegetables. All you need to replicate this healthy component of almost any Japanese meal are fresh seasonal vegetables, water, and premium quality salt. You can also use moshio salt for cooking soups and stews, or you can sprinkle some salt crystals on meat, fish and vegetables just before serving them.

If you want to enhance your cooking with this precious ingredient but don't know where to buy Japanese sea salt, we have some good news: on byFood's market you can buy Japanese sea salt online and have it delivered to your door, so you will be able to enjoy the authentic taste and healthy properties of moshio salt at home. Check out our selection of Japanese sea salt online and get inspired for your next amazing Japanese home-cooked meal.