Pink, Maldon, iodized: what separates common salt from gourmet salts?

Insights

• Salt was once scarce and used as a form of payment, which contributed to the word salary.
• Most table salt is refined sodium chloride, finely ground and usually iodized to prevent iodine deficiency.
• Gourmet salts vary in mineral content, grain size, moisture and harvesting method, which affects flavor, texture and price.
• Trace minerals create colors and slight taste differences, but they make up a small fraction of total sodium.
• Spain's Organization of Consumers and Users notes uses include seasoning, preservation, chemical production and road deicing.