The History of Salt

There's a new restaurant in Boulder, Colorado called Salt. I was going to review it here, but decided instead to talk a little about the history of salt and review the restaurant at another time.

Salt's ability to preserve food was the foundation of civilization. It eliminated man's dependence on the seasonal availability of food and it allowed man to travel long distances. It also tastes great. It was a highly valued trade item, difficult to obtain and until the 20th century it was one of the prime movers of national economies and wars. Today, salt is universally accessible and relatively cheap.

The main sources of salt are sea water and rock salt. Rock salt occurs in vat beds of sedimentary evaporite minerals that result from the drying up of lakes, playas and seas. In the United States underground beds extend from the Appalachian basin of western New York through parts of Ontario and Michigan. Salzburg, Austria was named "the city of salt" for its mines.

Salt was used by many civilizations in antiquity. It is commonly believed that Roman soldiers were at certain times paid with salt. It was also of high value to the Hebrews, Greeks and Chinese. Salt is referred to in the Old Testament. Mosaic law called for salt to be added to all burnt animal sacrifices. In the New Testament, Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth."

Salt played a prominent role in determining the power and location of the world's great cities. Liverpool rose from just a small English port to become the prime exporting port for the salt dug in the great Cheshire salt mines. The salt mines of Poland led to a vast kingdom in the 1500's, only to be destroyed when Germans brought in sea salt. Venice fought and won a war with Genoa over salt. The gabell-a hated French salt tax- was enacted in 1286 and maintained until 1790. During the many wars in American history, salt has been a major factor in the outcome. In the Revolutionary War, the British used Tories to intercept the rebels' salt supply and destroy their abilty to preserve food.

Today, salt has many uses, including bath salts, salt for icy roads, and of course food salt. One of my favorite web sites for checking out and buying gourmet, exotic salts is www.saltworks.us. You won't believe the dozens of different varieties of salt that are available, including Cyprus flake salt, fleur de sel (my favorite), Himalayan salt, grey sea salt and Cyprus black lava salt. There are many more, and believe it or not, salt is not just salt. They do taste different and some are a wonderful addition to food, especially GOOD salt sprinkled on a fresh tomato.

I know we're all trying to reduce the amount of salt, so when you do use salt, use something good. I gave you a little history of salt today, and shortly I will review a restaurant in Boulder that takes salt to a new level.