Salt is one of the most common ingredients in our kitchen and is essential for most of the dishes. Interestingly, salts come in different varieties and prices. But, we will tell you about the world’s most expensive salt.
Korean bamboo salt, also called Jugyeom or purple bamboo salt, is one of the most expensive types in the world. Only 250 grams of this condiment are sold for nearly $100 (over Rs 8,000), or about $400 (over Rs 35,000) per kilogram.
Unlike regular table salt, Korean bamboo salt is made through a labor-intensive process that takes almost two months. The process requires skilled artisans, special ovens, and repeated baking.
Korea’s west coast is used to collect coarse sea salt for the process. The salt is packed inside thick bamboo stems and sealed with red or yellow clay. After that, the bamboo is baked in kilns powered by pine firewood at high temperatures. After baking, the hardened salt is removed, crushed, and packed into another bamboo stem. This cycle is repeated nine times, with the final round reaching temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius.
The repeated baking not only removes impurities but also infuses the salt with minerals from the bamboo and clay. After the ninth baking, the salt takes on different colours such as blue, yellow, red, black, and even purple. The well-baked variety, known as purple bamboo salt, is produced at extreme temperatures above 1,500 degrees Celsius. It has a distinctive sweet and savory taste called Gamrojung, which comes from the bamboo’s natural flavour.
Because of this complex process, the entire production can take more than 50 days. In addition to being used in Korean cooking, bamboo salt is also valued in traditional Korean medicine for its healing properties.
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
