Salt is used for a wide variety of purposes in every society every day. This is common knowledge. However, salt is actually more vital to human history and existence than most people think. Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt: A World History tells the story of human suffering, greed, enterprise and conquest in a surprising way: by telling the story of salt. As Kurlansky says in his introduction, “Salt is so common, so easy to obtain, and so inexpensive that we have forgotten that from the beginning of civilization until about 100 years ago, salt was one of the most sought after commodities in human history” To emphasize salt’s impact on the world, Kurlansky tells stories. History at its core is just storytelling. The book is written chronologically,
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Venice, a city known for its extravagance, was made so wealthy because of the Venetian’s profitable salt trade. Marco Polo was from Venice, and that wealth was what allowed him to travel the Silk Road and bring ideas back to Europe- like pasta, for example. Salt has played a hand in the American, French, and Indian Revolutions, The American Civil War, the discovery of natural gas, the invention of cheese, Tabasco sauce and ketchup; also olives and capers, two foods that would be inedible without being soaked in brine. The famous Phoenician purple dye, an item known for its value and secret ingredients, required salt. , From salt we even get the word “salary”, from when Ancient Romans were paid in salt, and the common saying someone is “worth his salt”. The word “salad”, too, is from the Romans, who regularly salted their greens in an attempt to cut the bitterness. Each of these facts helps Kurlansky to prove his point about the influence of salt. The history of salt is the history of the world. Mark Kurlansky, through his anecdotes about all aspects of human life, tells the story of both. The lust of wealth has led governments to swell and collapse by attempting to control the trade of salt. Ordinary people found extraordinary wealth by looking for ways to produce salt more efficiently than the other guy. Salt is found in every religion, every culture, and, for
Venice, a city known for its extravagance, was made so wealthy because of the Venetian’s profitable salt trade. Marco Polo was from Venice, and that wealth was what allowed him to travel the Silk Road and bring ideas back to Europe- like pasta, for example. Salt has played a hand in the American, French, and Indian Revolutions, The American Civil War, the discovery of natural gas, the invention of cheese, Tabasco sauce and ketchup; also olives and capers, two foods that would be inedible without being soaked in brine. The famous Phoenician purple dye, an item known for its value and secret ingredients, required salt. , From salt we even get the word “salary”, from when Ancient Romans were paid in salt, and the common saying someone is “worth his salt”. The word “salad”, too, is from the Romans, who regularly salted their greens in an attempt to cut the bitterness. Each of these facts helps Kurlansky to prove his point about the influence of salt. The history of salt is the history of the world. Mark Kurlansky, through his anecdotes about all aspects of human life, tells the story of both. The lust of wealth has led governments to swell and collapse by attempting to control the trade of salt. Ordinary people found extraordinary wealth by looking for ways to produce salt more efficiently than the other guy. Salt is found in every religion, every culture, and, for