Salt

Lore & Background

Salt was prized by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Hittites, Egyptians, and Indians. It became an important article of trade, transported by boat across the Mediterranean, along salt roads, and across the Sahara on camel caravans. The scarcity and universal need for salt have led nations to war over it and to use it to raise tax revenues, for instance triggering the El Paso Salt War in the late 1860s.

Reader's Guide

Salt's significance extends from its role as a fundamental food seasoning and preservative to its use as a currency and a cause of conflict. It was essential for agricultural societies that needed to supplement their diet with salt, unlike nomads who obtained it from animal tissues. Salt taxes and monopolies have sparked revolts, including the French Revolution and Gandhi's Salt Satyagraha. Today, the greatest single use for salt is as a feedstock for chemicals, with only a small percentage of global production used for human consumption. Excessive salt intake is linked to cardiovascular diseases, leading health organizations to recommend reduced consumption.

Did You Know?

• The word 'salary' comes from the Latin word for salt, though the claim that Roman legions were paid in salt is baseless.
• Salt was used as currency south of the Sahara, with slabs of rock salt used as coins in Abyssinia.
• The voyages of Christopher Columbus are said to have been financed from salt production in southern Spain.