Masu
Salt is called "Masu," with a long 'a.' The salt used in Okinawa in particular is "Shima Masu" (island salt). Its particles are coarser than the table salt marketed throughout Japan and it has a slightly moist flavor. This more concentrated salt is an established favorite among Okinawans.
Especially as of late, natural salt is made in many original ways - causing crystallization in flat pans, boiling out the salt over a wood fire, even letting the sun's rays dry the salt without fire.
Rich in the minerals of sea water, natural salt contains many nutrients essential to good health - calcium, which stimulates hormone secretion, vitamin E, which works against wrinkles and darkening of the skin and is indispensable in slowing the aging process, vitamin C, an antioxidant and effective germ-killer, and sodium, which combats dropsy.
A dash or two of this island salt enlivens Chanpuru and other household dishes. Cooking a fish with a little salt makes a simple fish dish; with its slightly puckery taste, this is a popular dish. Just a bit of this salt brings out the hidden flavor.
Masu is also a favorite for protection and to ward off evil. Returning home after a funeral or other Buddhist ceremony, people will lick a little salt and sprinkle salt on their head and shoulders before entering the house. When buying a new car, the owner will sprinkle a little Awamori and salt on the vehicle to assure safe driving. When moving house, carry Masu and Miso into the house before anything else, at high tide. It is common for people to carry salt with them in a small bag as they go about, and an Okinawan will certainly have some salt in his or her car.
In the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks, the American military bases instituted heightened security procedures and subjected Okinawan workers entering and leaving the bases to stricter checks. In this atmosphere, some gate guards entertained the suspicion that the tiny bags of salt carried in vehicles for protection might contain a dangerous substance and gave some workers a hard time. This produced bad feelings among many Okinawans who retorted, "but this is an Okinawan custom!"
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