Fruit Salt

Fruit salt, better known as kala namak or sanchal (black salt), is a mineral rock salt with an unmistakable savory, sulfurous character. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with fruit — the "fruit" bit comes from its old use as a digestive tonic. In the jar it looks pinkish-grey to deep purple, but crush it and it turns a pale mauve-pink. That funky, eggy aroma comes from its natural sulfur compounds, and it's exactly what makes the salt so useful: a small pinch adds an umami-rich, tangy, almost smoky depth that ordinary table salt just can't touch.

The flavor is stronger and more complex than regular salt, so you use it with a lighter hand. It reads as salty first, then mineral and slightly sour, with that hard-boiled-egg note lingering underneath. That combination is why it's so beloved across Indian kitchens and, more recently, in plant-based cooking where cooks want an egg-like savoriness without any eggs.

A quick word on names, because it causes confusion at the store: this culinary kala namak is not the same as the effervescent antacid powders sometimes sold under the brand name "fruit salt." If a recipe calls for black salt to season food, you want the mineral rock salt described here — the pinkish crystals or fine powder, not a fizzy sachet.