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1-Page Summary of Salt

Overview

Salt is a history of the world told from the point of view of the only rock that we eat. It starts at the beginning of recorded world history and ends roughly in present times.

The first several chapters of the book deal with salt. The Chinese were among the earliest societies to use it, and they used it in food as well as mummification. The Egyptians also collected evaporated salt from the sea and Nile River, and they used it for preserving bodies during mummification. It was the Romans who really used a lot of salt in their cuisine because fish was an important part of their diet; one popular Roman sauce called garum was made by fermenting fish in brine, which we still make today using soy sauce. Our words “salary” and “salad” are both derived from Latin words that refer to payment or condiments made with salt respectively.

Salt was important in the middle ages. It had a variety of uses and it was vital to many people in Europe. The church restricted certain foods, such as meat on Fridays and holidays. Fish became more popular because it could be salted for preservation and transportation. Cod became a popular fish during this time period due to its ability to withstand salt water without rotting quickly. This led to an economic boom in England and Northern Europe which fueled exploration into North America

Salt taxes in America led to the American Revolution, and salt shortages threatened the success of that revolution. In France, a hated tax on salt was symbolic of injustice and helped lead to the French Revolution. Salt restrictions also sparked Indian independence movements.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists found ways to produce salt more cheaply. Eventually, Morton Salt became the largest producer of salt in the world by creating a way to mass-produce it. The history of finding salt is no longer about having to travel long distances for it; now we can buy it at any supermarket

Section 1 Summary (Introduction The Rock, Chapter 1 A Mandate of Salt, Chapter 2 Fish, Fowl, and Pharaohs)

The author starts the story of his fascination with salt by describing a large pink trapezoid rock that he found in Cardona, Spain. The rock was very interesting to him because it looked like soap and when he kept it on the window sill, some crystals began to form on its surface. The crystal formation fascinated him and helped spark his interest in salt.

Salt has always been important, but psychologists have recently discovered that it is deeply connected with sex. The connection between salt and sexual desire was first explored by the Greeks and Romans. They believed that salt would excite sexual desire in both gods and people. Salt is also used in religious rituals all over the world because of its importance to those religions. In Christianity, for example, salt represents a covenant between humans and their god; while Judaism sees it as a symbol of God’s power. There are many other religions around the world who use salt for similar purposes: Hinduism uses it as an offering to statues; while Islam uses it during prayer time on Fridays.

Salt is incredibly important in our diet. It’s also important to keep food preserved and safe from bacteria, so we need a lot of it. Salt comes from the combination of two harmful substances, sodium and chlorine. All life on earth needs salt to survive. We use salt every day to preserve food and make sure that it stays fresh for longer periods of time without refrigeration or freezing. Many ancient civilizations used salt as a form of currency because they needed it so much for their survival.