Svan salt: composition, useful properties and uses

Simple salt is used in cooking so that the dish was not boring, and the food gave all its flavor. In Georgia, more often add svan spice, which allows you to reveal the flavor and improve the taste of the cooked dish.

Svan salt: what is it, what it consists of and what it tastes like

This is the name of the mixture, which, in addition to ordinary salt, includes various spices and seasonings. This allows you to make a dish more tasty, spicy, flavorful.

It is used for cooking soups and main courses, salads. In Georgia, it is often made on its own at home. Each hostess has her own unique recipe for the seasoning.

History of Appearance

Salt got its name thanks to the place of its origin - Svaneti. This is an area of Georgia, which is located in the northwest of the country. It was there that the spice was invented, which is still used today. Historians attribute its appearance to the difficulty of bringing food, including salt, to those places. Housewives had to stock up on spices and spices for many months. It is believed that exactly in this way appeared svan salt.

What is it made of?

There are many recipes of svan salt. It includes not only the usual table salt, but also the following additives:

• gitsruli or cumin;
• saffron (which tastes slightly sweet);
• ground red pepper;
• garlic fresh or dried;
• utscho suneli (blue fenugreek);
• ground dill seeds;
• coriander.

Many housewives also add parsley, chaber, marjoram, fennel, and black pepper to the seasoning.

What does it smell and taste like?

The appearance of the seasoning is similar to a ground mixture of spices. It has a yellow or beige color. The consistency does not differ from ordinary salt.

Smells like garlic and other ingredients, depending on their quantity. It tastes salty, with notes of bitterness and spice. Its taste and smell largely depends on what and in what quantities is included.

The difference from ordinary salt

Both seasonings differ from each other in composition, color, odor, and taste. Normal table salt is sodium chloride with potassium, iron and magnesium in small amounts. Svan is a combination of not only the usual salt, but also a bouquet of herbs, spices, each with its own unique flavor and aroma.

Thus it is a completely different product.

Chemical composition and nutritional value

In 100 g of the product contains 21.6 g of carbohydrates, 3.4 g of fat and 7.6 g of protein. The caloric value is 146 kcal per 100 g.

The mixture contains B vitamins, vitamins PP, C, E, K, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron. Also present are selenium, zinc, chlorine, copper and various acids. All this allows not only to make the dish tastier and more flavorful, but also to replenish the reserves of trace elements and vitamins.

What is the usefulness of svan salt?

Due to the fact that the composition contains many useful components, this spice is beneficial for the body. Regular use has the following effects:

1. Strengthens bones, hair and nail plates.
2. Improves the condition of the skin, gives it a healthy look.
3. Supports eyesight.
4. Restores the balance of hormones, which is very important for iodine deficiency.
5. Normalizes the process of excretion of urine.
6. Improves blood circulation.

In addition, svan salt helps to normalize blood pressure. The spice, when used correctly, is very beneficial.

Harm and contraindications

Despite the fact that svan salt has beneficial effects on the body, its use in some cases can be dangerous to health. It should be used with caution for cooking in the presence of:

• ulcers;
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• Kidney and urogenital system diseases;
• Allergies to the components.

The use of svan salt in the presence of these diseases may cause their exacerbation as a result of increased outflow of urine and blood. During pregnancy, the excessive use of spice can provoke premature delivery and placenta detachment.

How to choose and store

It is not always possible to prepare on your own svan salt. The thing is that some components are difficult to buy in the store. They can only be ordered on specialized sites that sell products from Georgia. Therefore, it is best to buy a ready-made mixture.

It is better to choose salt, which has a crumbly consistency, not sticky. It is not recommended to buy spices that are lumpy in the package. Most likely, it has already gone bad.

A quality mixture has a pleasant aroma of spices without a pronounced odor of a particular component. The color should be light yellow or creamy with a yellow hue.

Svan salt that has an unpleasant smell of damp or moldy should not be used for cooking. Such a product can cause serious poisoning, which is expressed in nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain.

Where to buy and how much does it cost?

You can buy the real Svan salt in Georgia at the local market. Also the spice is sold on specialized sites. But most often there they sell a different mixture than what can be called svan salt. It is similar, but its composition is quite different.

The cost of one pack in Georgia is about 12 lari. Translated into the Russian ruble, this is approximately 300 rubles. In online stores, similar to the mixture of svan is much more expensive.

How to make svan salt at home

Preparation of svan salt is not difficult. It is important to choose all the ingredients correctly. You can buy them at markets where they sell condiments. To prepare the mixture, you will need:

• 500 grams of ordinary salt;
• Half a cup of uchzo suneli, which can be replaced by shamballa if you do not have it;
• A quarter of a cup of corinator;
• 20 grams of cumin;
• One-fourth cup each of saffron and red hot pepper;
• 125 g garlic;
• one-quarter cup dill seeds;
• One-quarter cup corinator.

All the components of the mixture should be poured into a blender and thoroughly mixed until the seasoning is slightly moist. At the same time, it should not be wet.

Culinary Uses

Svan salt is widely used in cooking. It is added to various dishes to give it aroma and flavor.

Where to add

The mixture is used in Georgia in quite different dishes. It perfectly complements meat and fish, revealing their flavor. Suitable for first courses, appetizers, side dishes. It can be used for potatoes, pasta, rice.

Svanese salt is suitable for sauces, it makes them richer and tastier. It combines perfectly with vegetable salads and is added to marinades.

Thanks to the mixture, any dish will be delicious, rich and flavorful.

What should not be combined with

Svan salt is not added to milk soups, cocktails, porridges, puddings, sweet drinks. Spice is inappropriate when cooking desserts, cakes, fruit salads. It is not used for baking.

Interesting facts

Svan salt is a product that has been used for many centuries in Georgia. Its recipe has been carefully guarded from outsiders and passed down from generation to generation. Today it is widely used in cooking and is used around the world.

The unique mixture appeared several centuries ago, when in the region of Georgia - Svaneti it was difficult to deliver any product because of the mountainous terrain. Salt and spices were delivered once every few months. To make life easier not only for traders but also for housewives, the Svan salt was invented. Ordinary table salt was mixed with various spices. Also, the composition included the herbs that grow exclusively in Svaneti. So, Svanetian salt is a unique and unique seasoning. You can buy it only in Georgia.

A few centuries ago in the mixture began to add hemp. It is known to culinary experts for its properties to open the taste and aroma of the dish. Today, for obvious reasons, it is not added to the salt. Instead, they often use black pepper, saffron, dill, and other spices. But to achieve the same unique flavor is not possible.

According to the ancient recipe, all the ingredients were ground in a special mortar made of stone or wood. It was believed that in this way each spice fully revealed its flavor and aroma, which made the mixture more vivid.

Svanese salt is a unique spice, which includes not only the usual cooking salt, but also various spices. Due to its composition, it has a unique taste and helps to fully disclose the flavor of the dish. In addition, the spice is good for health. But you should add it with caution, since there are some contraindications.

Photo of Svan salt