Salt

[DR_Hanna]

Diane, we attended a seminar on the Mayans a few years ago where one of the professors was doing archaeological work in the Yucatan on salt works along the Atlantic coasts--where they evaporated or boiled the water for salt. She mentioned at the time how valuable salt had been as part of trade routes all over the world and how it was valued close to gold in the ancient world. It was sometimes called "white gold."

Salt: A World History - Mark Kurlansy

I enjoyed this book, which details the history of salt, and how it parallels the history of the world. It mentions Civil War salt raids. Salt has become such a common commodity that we don't think about how important salt and salt-works were to all civilizations up until the last 100 years.

When the Romans (who often paid their troops with salt) moved against an enemy, the first thing they captured was the local salt works - to both supply themselves and to deprive it to the enemy.

Ghandi's great act of defiance to the British was to walk to the river and make salt. This was against the law, as the British controlled salt production.

It also contains a recipe for fish sauce. Basically you pack a jar full of salt and fish and leave it in the sun. um um good.

 

[donna]

Excellent thread on salt. Reason I bumped is that on Nov. 6th, 1914 Morton Salt Company started their famous phrase "When it rains it pours".