What it is, what it does
Salt is a mineral rather than a plant and a vital part of the human body, however it is important not to consume too much as an excess is associated with increased risk or stroke and hypertension. The best way to cut back is to avoid processed foods.

In the kitchen
Salting is a traditional means of food preservation but fun to do at home even today: use salt to cure your own cod (Mediterranean), gravadlax (Swedish), or lemons (Moroccan). Add spices to sea salt to make tasty dry dips of quail eggs and crudités. Rub salt over chicken skin and pork rind before roasting to make them deliciously crispy. A light coating of salt and olive oil produces the best jacket potatoes and don't forget salt as the final flourish for chips and other deep-fried foods such as tempura.

Varieties
Sea salt is harvested from sea water by a process of evaporation. It is often sold as large crystals whose crumbliness will vary from source to source, however free-flowing fine-milled sea salt is also available. Rock salt is extracted from underground caves by flooding, then evaporation. Table salt is granular rock salt made free-running by the addition of magnesium carbonate.