jjares reviewed on 11/28/2020 + 3413 more book reviews

Who would have thought an author could make the story of humble salt, something everyone eats every day, interesting? Well, Mark Kurlansky tells a fascinating story of the most common preservative in the world and how it traveled the world. One thing I learned is that salt was used as a way to preserve bodies in olden times.

The Celts, like the Chinese emperors, based their economies on iron and salt. They traversed by water, to carry the heavy items around to their trading partners.

I thought the part about the Basques and the Vikings to be fascinating reading. I had no idea they even interacted with each other. Another thumbnail sketch I thought fascinating was about anchovies and salt. I doubt I've ever eaten an anchovy but learned they have a long and illustrious history in the Mediterranean.

Another juicy bit is that any British town ending with 'wich' means salt was produced there at one time. Towns were created near where salt could be collected.

During the Revolutionary War, I was amazed to hear that the American colonies released up to 10 men from military service if they were working in a salt production company in their county. That is because there was a shortage of salt; the British tried to keep salt away from the colonists as a method of getting the colonists to capitulate.

This book meanders through the ages and countries of the world with fascinating factoids and thumbnail sketches. A few of my favorites were the changing story of the Dead Sea, Mahatma Gandhi and how he broke the salt law, Birdseye and how he brought frozen foods to consumers. He also talks about how adding iodine to salt has caused problems for poorer countries and less-advanced producers of salt. This book shows how salt has had a profound influence on man and civilizations for eons. Fascinating reading.

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