Take It With a Pinch of Salt

For generations, the Indian kitchen has known plain white salt, rock salt (khade meeth) and black salt (kala namak). But in 2025, salt has suddenly become stylish. From Himalayan pink sprinkles dusting avocado toast in wellness cafés, to seaweed salt being sold in tiny glass jars with gourmet labels, to small-town supermarkets stocking celery and black salt under the “low-sodium, mineral-rich” banner — salt has officially left its bland, boring corner and walked onto the centre stage of India’s food story. Nutritionists may raise eyebrows at the exaggerated health claims, pointing out that the benefits are modest at best, but consumers aren’t exactly scooping salt for science. They’re buying for colour, for flavour, and for that intangible “wellness halo” that comes with pulling out some fancy salt.

Pretty Pink

If Instagram had to pick a favourite salt, Himalayan pink would win hands down. With its rosy glow and “pure from the mountains” branding, this salt has transformed itself from a regional staple in Pakistan to a global wellness icon. In Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai’s café culture, pink salt is sprinkled on salads, rimming mocktails, and even making appearances in brownies.

“People love visual drama,” laughs chef Neha Bhatia. “The colour makes even a simple dish look like it belongs on Pinterest. Honestly, it tastes almost the same as regular salt, but diners feel it’s healthier, so they’ll pay triple the price without a fuss.”

Marketers have cleverly sold the mineral-rich story: pink salt contains traces of magnesium, potassium, and calcium, which sounds impressive until you realise the amounts are so small you’d need to eat a mountain of it to see any effect. Still, the perception of purity is enough to keep shelves stocked and hashtags buzzing.

Seaweed Sprinkle

If pink salt is Instagram’s darling, seaweed salt is the quiet disruptor. Rich in iodine and marketed as an “ocean-born superfood,” seaweed salt is catching on with experimental cooks and health-conscious families. Once a Japanese pantry staple, it’s now turning up in Indian soups, salads, and even sabzis. Its appeal lies in lower sodium, though doctors warn it’s no cure for hypertension. For urban consumers, sprinkling it into dal chawal feels adventurous.

Celery Shaker

Once a Western staple and Bloody Mary secret, celery salt is now hitting India’s wellness shelves. Homemakers use it in pakoras, bhajiyas, and parathas for its earthy tang, while fitness enthusiasts tout it as a “cleaner” salt. But despite the hype, it’s still salt — the benefit is in flavour, not health.

Bold Black

Long before Himalayan pink dazzled the Instagram generation, black salt was already a star in Indian kitchens. The sulphur-rich crystals gave chaats their tang, raitas their punch, and digestive tablets their zing. Today, what was once considered “desi and medicinal” has been rebranded as “gourmet and exotic,” its smoky bite now celebrated on global shelves.

For many Indians, black salt never left the table. It was the flavour of childhood pani puri, of grandmothers’ remedies for stomach aches, of long train journeys where fruit sprinkled with kala namak tasted like magic. But with the wellness rebrand, it’s now being bottled in fancy glass jars and exported worldwide as “Himalayan Black Salt.” “It’s funny to see something we grew up with being sold abroad at five times the price,” chuckles food enthusiast Ritu Sharma. “But it also shows how global food trends often begin at home.”

Stylish Salt

At the heart of this salt swap is a cultural shift. Food is no longer just about sustenance; it’s about style, identity, and storytelling. Even in middle-class kitchens, homemakers pull out pink or black salt with pride when guests arrive.

Of course, the health angle is what allows the trend to stick. Low-sodium promises and mineral claims make it easier to justify the higher price tags. Nutritionists insist the real solution is balance.

Salt, once invisible, is now aspirational. From chai-pe-charcha conversations to café menus, it has become a talking point, a prop for Instagram photos, and even a marker of lifestyle.

In other words, whether you’re shaking pink, sprinkling seaweed, or dusting black, one thing is certain — salt is no longer just salt, it’s a style statement.