Kala namak

Black salt
Large pieces of Kala Namak
Alternative namesKala namak
Region or stateSouth Asia, Himalayan regions
  •   Media: Black salt

Kala namak ("black salt" in Hindi, Hindi: काला नमक, Urdu: کالا نمک) is a kiln-fired rock salt with a sulphurous, pungent smell used mainly in the countries of South Asia. It is also known as "Himalayan black salt", bit noon, bire noon, bit loona, bit lobon, kala loon, sanchal, kala meeth, guma loon, or pada loon, and is manufactured from the salts mined in the regions surrounding the Himalayas.

The condiment is composed largely of crystalline sodium chloride heated with charcoal and several other herbal components lending the salt its color and smell. The smell is mainly due to its sulphur content; the salt is heated in presence of many herbal components and also contains greigite (Fe3S4, Iron(II,III) sulphide). When whole, the salt is brown and black. When ground into a powder, its color may range from pink to black-brown to dark black.

Kala namak has been praised in herbal science and used for its perceived medical qualities.

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