Salt Notes : Salt and the Happy Hour
Why coat the rim of a margarita glass with salt ? There are several
aspects to this. Salt kills germs. Even if the glass has come into contact with
polluted water, it protects the drinker. At another, more symbolic level, salt
is an instrument of moral cleansing in many cultures and religions.
But salt, and here we enter a third level, also signifies hospitality. It is
traditional to share bread and salt with a guest—or salty appetizers, nuts,
chips, pretzels. Salt on the rim of the glass reminds us that one of the
pleasures of life is to share food and drink with friends.
At a fourth level, and we’ll stop here, salt stimulates our taste
receptors, making the palate more discriminating, more appreciative of
contrasted flavors, the sweet, the salty and tangy, with the attendant
fragrances of the lime and tequila.