table talk / By Joseph Byrd

Salt

Over 5,000 years, we have become accustomed to 10 to 20 times the amount of salt found in a “natural” diet (the latter figure, it must be said, is found chiefly in processed and fast-foods), and concomitantly we have developed higher blood pressure, which damages arteries and is the major cause of stroke and heart attack. In fact, these are the most common cause of death in the world.

A great many middle and low-income families rely heavily on prepared foods as labor-saving alternatives to cooking supper from scratch. A harried spouse, picking up a pizza for the family, is in no position to police the salt in their meal. Since the statistics on salt consumption and vascular disease are clear, it makes sense that it should be considered a matter of public health.

Which brings us to the crux of this column. Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City — one of the handful of “clean” politicians to achieve such high office — has decreed a Crusade Against Salt, following successful campaigns against smoking, trans fats and soft drinks. San Francisco is seriously considering the same kind of policy.

Bloomberg has, according to the New York Times, “become New York City’s nutritional nag.” And they accuse him of hypocrisy: “He devours burnt bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. He has a weakness for hot dogs, cheeseburgers and fried chicken, washing them down with a glass of Merlot. And his snack of choice? Cheez-Its.”

I claim no exemption from salt addiction myself. As a cook, I must constantly adjust my recipes to reduce the amount of salt I personally think is salutary. This is true of many excellent chefs. Why? They want their creations to be universally accepted, and withholding salt can mean fewer happy customers.

Our task, then, would seem to be to reduce our unconscious consumption, in favor of becoming aware: salting judiciously rather than indiscriminately. And if that means laws that limit the salt in commercial foods, that may be a good thing.

Is there a middle ground? I think there is. First, let us appreciate the pure visceral delight salt can bring. Julia Child used to warn about over-salting food, but she was also one of the early advocates of sea salt, which delivers more taste, and she loved to dip a moistened finger into a particularly good salt, saying, “Isn’t that simply lovely?”

My friend Haute Susanna observes, “I have in the past pooh-poohed the notion of different flavored salts as a yuppie-ish thing. I rarely use salt in cooking, preferring garlic or, depending on what I’m making, vanilla, to enhance the flavors of stews, meats and other dishes. But a friend bought a selection of three salts at Costco last month, sel gris (interesting), pink Himalayan (allegedly, but not much going on there), and cypress flake - wow, that one is amazing on focaccia, eggs — it’s really tasty!!”

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