kala namak

English

Etymology

From Hindi काला नमक (kālā namak, literally “black salt”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːlə nʌmək/, /ˈkælə næmək/

Noun

kala namak (uncountable)

1. A kind of rock salt with a pungent flavour used in Indian cuisine.
   • 1971 July, D T Plansip, Heat Stress and Culture in North India‎^[1], US Army Medical Research and Development Command, page 156:

     At any rate, kālā namak has the major virtue for Hindus of being permitted during fasts and on ritual occasions in which ordinary or sea salt is forbidden. According to Behura, rock salt is much less used in India since 1947, because the Salt Range is in Pakistan (Behura 1962, p. 133)

   • 2010 October 19, Mark Bitterman, Salted: A Manifesto on the World's Most Essential Mineral, with Recipes‎^[2], Ten Speed Press, →ISBN, page 308:

     In rock form, kala namak is dark purple bordering on black. Ground up fine and seen up close, it is pink bordering on white. But it is pink leaning toward red when sprinkled on food. Kala namak is ancient, sung of in ancient Vedic hymns, and identified by Maharishi Charak, the 300 BCE father of Ayurvedic medicine.

   • 2019 January 7, Sasha Gill, Jackfruit and Blue Ginger: Asian favourites, made vegan‎^[3], Allen & Unwin, →ISBN, page 18:

     So, perhaps unsurprisingly, black salt is often used in vegan cooking to impart an egg-like flavour and aroma to your dishes. I love cooking with kala namak, and sometimes use it instead of regular salt, just to add a little more complexity

Translations

variety of salt

• Arabic: ملح أسود
• Bengali: বিট লবণ (biṭ lobon)
• French: sel noir (fr)
• Gujarati: સંચળ (sañcaḷ)
• Hindi: काला नमक (kālā namak), सैंधव (hi) m (saindhav), संचल (hi) m (sañcal), सौवर्चल (hi) m (sauvarcal), विट (hi) m (viṭ), साँवर (hi) m (sā̃var)
• Kannada: ಸೈಂಧವ ಲವಣ (kn) (saindhava lavaṇa)
• Nepali: बिरेनुन (birenuna)
• Punjabi: ਕਾਲ਼ਾ ਨਮਕ (kāḷā namak)
• Spanish: sal negra