This 250-million-year-old salt reached its “expiration date” in 2019… Himalayan pink salt is mined from the Khewra Salt Mine in the Punjab region of modern-day Pakistan, roughly 160 miles south of the Himalayas. Despite its name, it doesn’t come directly from the mountains but from ancient sea salt deposits formed around 250 million years ago, when a prehistoric ocean evaporated and left behind mineral-rich beds. Tectonic activity later pushed these deposits upward, where they remained buried until mining began. Local tradition claims the deposit was first noticed around 326 BCE when Alexander the Great’s army passed through and their horses started licking the rocks. Large-scale mining didn’t start until the Mughal era, and the British further developed the mine in the 19th century, building tunnels, rail tracks, and infrastructure still used today. The salt’s pink hue comes from trace minerals, mainly iron oxide, along with small amounts of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. In recent decades, it has been marketed heavily in the U.S. and Europe as a gourmet and health product, making it one of the priciest salts worldwide. Despite claims of extra minerals, scientific analysis shows they exist only in trace amounts, providing no significant nutritional benefit.(Historic Vids)