The Birth of Bamboo Salt
Since ancient times, our ancestors roasted salt to use it as a digestive aid and more. This roasted salt was a traditional remedy, but until recently, its benefits and value were not widely recognized. Due to a lack of knowledge about the roasting process and limited applications, only a few people used it primarily as a digestive aid.
However, this changed with the innovative and systematic roasting method formulated by Master Kim Il-hoon of Insan. His unique approach to making bamboo salt, meticulously documented in his work 'Shinyak,' began to gain global recognition.
Insan Bamboo Salt is produced by synthesizing the premium sea salt from the West Sea, bamboo, and yellow clay in high-temperature kilns. This harmonious fusion encapsulates the essence of our tradition and innovation.
The Process of Making Bamboo Salt
01
West Sea Salt Fields
The West Sea solar salt is stored in pottery containers along the warehouse for three years. During this period, impurities, including heavy metals, gradually sink to the bottom, leaving the solar salt purified.
02
The extracted impurities from solar salt undergo a specific procedure for proper disposal. Within the solar salt, there are residual impurities and heavy metals that have not yet been removed, so it is essential to roast the salt at high temperatures to ensure complete purification.
03
Jirisan Royal Bamboo
Thick sections of bamboo from Jirisan are prepared. The nodes of the bamboo are cut to create hollow chambers, and within these bamboo sections, sulfur compounds are naturally present.
04
Filling the Bamboo Chambers with Salt
The solar salt from which impurities have been extracted is placed into the bamboo chambers. The salt within the chambers needs to be tightly packed. This task is quite challenging to perform using machinery, so it requires the manual effort of individuals to carefully place and compress the salt.
Removing Impurities
05
Sealing the Bamboo Chambers with Yellow Clay
After placing the salt into the bamboo chambers, a mixture of yellow clay, sourced from unpolluted mountainous areas, is prepared and kneaded. This mixture is then used to tightly seal the entrance of the bamboo chambers. Following this, the bamboo-sealed chambers are stacked within the iron kiln used for bamboo salt production.
06
The first roasting is conducted using pine firewood.
Roasting bamboo salt is a process that specifically utilizes pine firewood. The reason behind this lies in the fact that a specially designed furnace requires pine firewood to achieve intense heat. This enables the beneficial components of the pine wood and the iron energy of the iron kiln to infuse into the bamboo chambers.
07
Salt Pillar
Through this process, the bamboo chambers burn away, turning into ash. During this transformation, the beneficial compounds and energy from the bamboo, including its essence, permeate into the salt. The yellow clay solidifies, and the salt transforms into a dense pillar-like form.
08
Removing Impurities Using a Grinder
Once this process is complete, after the initial roasting, the 'salt pillar' is placed into a grinder to be turned into a powder. This step prepares it for the subsequent 2nd to 8th rounds of roasting.
09
High-Temperature Treatment
After the first roasting and grinding, the bamboo salt is once again placed into the bamboo chambers, the entrance sealed with yellow clay, and then stacked into the iron kiln. It is roasted once more using pine firewood, followed by another round of grinding.
This entire process is meticulously repeated for a total of 8 cycles. Only after these steps does it proceed to the final, ninth high-temperature treatment stage.
10
Bubbling Bamboo Salt Like Lava
For the final ninth roasting, a specially designed high-temperature furnace capable of withstanding temperatures akin to those of lava is utilized. These dedicated furnaces, costing around 200 million KRW each, typically last for about 2-3 years before requiring replacement.
Regular replacement is necessary, reflecting the substantial investment involved in bamboo salt production.