Salting Preservation

Salting food is a common technique throughout Dutan and Kealriv for preserving food. While it didn't originate in the northern countries, Kealriv is the most well known for its curing salts and production of salted fish. This is different from the non-salted drying methods used further north. Typical salting involves rubbing salt onto the meat or fish. Often times, this looks like laying the meat onto trays and setting them in a cool and dry cellar. Another method to create dehydrated food involves filling a barrel with slices of fresh meat and then filling it with fine salt. The sea salt produced in Kealriv is particularly known for being able to hold shape. Spiced salt is also popular to give unique flavors to the meat while it cures. In southern Kealriv, truffle salt curing mixes salt with truffle powder giving the meat a unique earthy flavor.
Curing food has been around since the first people arrived in Kos. Salt was an important commodity in Evirs, and the practice continued to be important as humans spread across the continent. Different kinds of salt are used depending on geographic location. The salt produced near Polta Island is known for its thick flakes whereas the salt produced in the salt mines of the Qunid Desert come in chunks or blocks. Magical creatures pose a particular challenge because their meat loses a lot of its flavor when cured, and even magical fish species tend to taste stringy and unappetizing. To counter this, some elemental mages infuse the salt water farms with magic to create special magic salt that is able to cure magical animals. However, only a few mages know the technique, and the salt is extremely expensive.
The eastern part of Kos is known for producing a very special kind of salt which is mostly used to dry cure vegetables. Cured squash are a local delicacy. The salt is produced by shaving sea salt and then heating it in clay jars. When broken up into chunks, it produces salt that's almost buttery smooth and doesn't damage the structure of the vegetable. Cured vegetables can last for months, and the brine that's produced adds flavor to other dishes.