Rock Salt vs Table Salt: What You Really Need to Know

When it comes to salt, most Indian households have two choices: the ubiquitous white refined table salt, or the pink-tinged rock salt (sendha namak) associated with fasting days. But the differences between them are more than ceremonial.

Table salt undergoes extensive processing — mining, crushing, washing, bleaching, drying, and then re-fortification with iodine. The processing removes most of the naturally occurring trace minerals. Anti-caking agents are added to prevent clumping. What you're left with is essentially pure sodium chloride (99.9%) with a few additives.

Rock salt, in contrast, is minimally processed. It contains naturally occurring trace minerals — calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and iron among others — that are removed from table salt during processing. It also typically contains about 98% sodium chloride with the remainder being these beneficial trace minerals.

The iodine question is the most common objection raised against switching to rock salt: table salt is fortified with iodine, and iodine deficiency is a real public health concern in India. If your diet is rich in seafood, dairy, and eggs, supplemental iodine from salt may not be necessary. For those in iodine-deficient areas or with limited dietary iodine sources, this is worth discussing with a healthcare provider.

DVISSA's rock salt is sourced from pristine underground deposits in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, hand-mined without the use of explosives or heavy machinery. The result is a mineral-rich, naturally flavourful salt that enhances cooking in a way that processed table salt simply cannot.