Bamboo salt, known as jugyeom in Korean and often called purple bamboo salt or 9x roasted bamboo salt is a rare and potent salt. Most retailers sell it for almost $100 for an 8.5-ounce jar, which makes it the most expensive salt in the world. That’s because it takes a month to prepare just one batch, and the process is entirely manual. If you're looking to buy bamboo salt, make sure it's authentically made and a good value. Here's what to know and where to buy it.
Buying Authentic Bamboo Salt
Bamboo salt was developed in Korea by Buddhist monks over 1,000 years ago as a folk medicinal remedy. Authentic bamboo salt is handcrafted and made by:- Filling 3-year-old bamboo stalks with sea salt from the west coast of Korea and sealing the ends with red clay collected from the mountains
- Roasting the bamboo stalks over a pinewood fire in an iron kiln at 1472°F for 8-15 hours until the bamboo is incinerated and a white salt pillar remains
- Grinding the salt pillars and re-sealing the salt into new bamboo stalks.
- Repeating the process 2 more times for 3x roasted gray bamboo salt and repeating the process 8 more times for 9x roasted purple bamboo salt, which includes a high heat resin fire at (above) 2732°F for the ninth roast
This multi-step baking process infuses the salt with 70+ trace minerals and micronutrients that are extremely vital to human health. It also alters the salt’s chemical structure from acidic to highly alkaline, which helps to balance the body’s pH level and eliminate toxins. The high heat roasting also transforms the salt's color from white to grey and purple. Each step is carefully controlled and labor-intensive. It’s a slow process that requires years of experience.