Timru Seed Slat-An ancient tradition, are finding takers in cities

There are quite a few different coloured salts that can be found in nature. Of course, there is timru seed salt from the Himalayas, as well as a pink salt that is unique to the Camargue marshes in France and bears that name, a blue salt from Iran, a black lava salt, and a grey salt from Brittany.

There are countless colours and flavours available when it comes to man-made variants. Garlic, bacon, and ginger-lemon are a few varieties that have long been a favourite in the West. You don’t have to choose at random in India. We actually have a long history of using flavoured salts.

Timru seed salt (ground salt in Garhwali and Kumaoni) is what they are known as, and they are often created with flavours like mint, mustard, ginger, coriander, garlic, cumin, and three different varieties of chillies (yellow, red and green). Making these salts is a key skill in Uttarakhand’s Pahadi cuisine. Because it’s occasionally the only item left to be eaten with roti or paratha throughout the winter when the mountain communities become snowbound.

TRY IT AT HOME

Ingredients: 7 to 8 cloves garlic; 2 to 3 red chillies; 2 tsp of rock salt or sea salt; 3 tsp asafoetida (hing); 3 to 4 tsp cumin seeds; 10 whole peppercorns; half a nub of ginger.

Method: Spices are roasted. Blend all the ingredients (except salt) in a blender. Mix in the rock salt. (If required, season with additional salt.) Use this coarse salt to season meat, dal, and starchy vegetables like potatoes.

This flavoured salt is now becoming popular in urban areas as well. Women from Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, Nainital, Haldwani, and Khakhrighat have started selling the salts online over the past two years through websites like Instagram and e-stores like EjaaFoods and Pahari Virasat.

The women typically work for NGOs or self-help organisations. To keep prices low, some people use direct routes. For instance, Rekha Kothari and the NGO Mahila Navjagran Samiti offer flavoured salts for sale through Instagram direct messages.

On salads, fruits, or foods like dal and aloo sabzi, it is used as an unusual seasoning. According to Birendra Matiyali, the owner of Ejaa Foods, certain salts are also added to raita, chutney, and lassi, as well as in meat marinades. Our top sellers include yellow pepper, pepper, and garlic salt. Uttarakhand is the origin of the yellow chilli, which has a very strong flavour.

Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Pune, Chandigarh, and Jammu have the highest demand.