Salt has made tremendous impacts in human existence from its discovery in many perspectives. I mean, really, who would expect that a critical history of salt, would make for a good read. All through history, availability of salt has been pivotal to civilization. Granted, a truly global history would require a team of researchers, but even with that in mind, this author could have done better on both the research and the writing front. Humans have been harvesting salt there for thousands of years, even before recorded history. Salt pickles cucumbers, helps pack meat, can vegetables, cure leather, make glass, bread, butter, cheese, rubber and wood pulp. But in older times salt was heavily taxed and wars were fought over it. The history of maldon salt, the stuff you already put on. It was the salt tax in india that inspired mohandas k. It can be evaporated from salt pans, boiled down from brine, or mined, as it often is today, from shafts. New york, mark kurlansky shares a detailed history of salt through time and geography. Here the topic is salt, the only rock eaten by human beings, and, as he engrossingly demonstrates, the object of wars and revolutions throughout recorded history and before. In humans, it is a basic component of taste, along with sweet, sour and bitter.
Based on mark kurlanskys critically acclaimed bestseller salt a world history, this handsome picture book explores every aspect of salt the many ways its gathered from the earth and sea. In salt a world history, mark kurlansky takes a substance that shaped the fortunes of cultures from ancient china to britain to the americas and runs with it. Salt is narrated from the dual perspective of central characters barlei and petja, who function as representatives of senaar and als, respectively. As late as the 18th century, the rank of guests at a banquet was. I was determined to read it after i chose it for a challenge i had entered but my goodness was it a struggle. During the middle ages, salt was transported along roads built especially for that purpose. A brief history of sea salt uses through the ages ava. A world history, told npr in 2010 when wendys made a big deal of adding sea salt to its fries. A world history by mark kurlansky, paperback barnes. Salt is a good book to read in bits and pieces the chapters are fairly selfcontained, between other things, or as a leavening of nonfiction when you dont feel like continuing the novel youre working on.
He founded the bells royal works which sold the bells royal flour. The fascinating early history of salt january, 2014 melissa 2 comments there are a lot of different salts like potassium nitrate for gunpowder and sodium bicarbonate for baking but only one that truly meets our dietary needs and satisfies our craving for that salty taste sodium chloride nacl. Salt passage the salt passage describes the quantity of salt, as a percentage, which passes through the reverse osmosis membrane into to the permeate stream. Oct 03, 2014 based on mark kurlanskys critically acclaimed bestseller salt. A world history, told npr in 2010 when wendys made a big deal. Salt enters written history as so many things do with the chinese, who had the first known salt works, imposed the first known salt tax, and fought the first known salt war. The bero cookbook contained recipes to feed hungry families on a very low budget they soon became an essential part of a young womans education in running a home and feeding a family. Mark kurlanskys first global food history since the bestselling cod and salt. Its odd to think that salt has such a rich history, since it so readily sits in a grinder or shaker on our tables.
Rock salt occurs in vast beds of sedimentary evaporite minerals that result from the drying up of enclosed lakes, playas, and seas. Based on mark kurlanskys critically acclaimed bestseller salt. Given the reduction in access to fresh water in recent decades and the uncertainty in availability effected by climate. Barlei is a senior military officialeffectively a dictatorbeholden to the welldefined hierarchy of the colony of senaar. Salt was worth something to many people, and cultures soon started to discover that salt was necessary to keep the body healthy as well. Throughout his engaging, wellresearched history, kurlansky sprinkles witty asides and amusing anecdotes. They also used it to preserve the wondrous 1,000yearold egg, which takes about 100 days to make, and will keep for another 100 daysgive or take, evidently. A world history, but mark kurlanskys 450page global tour has too much salt in it. The book is divided into three parts and begins thousands of years in the past. The fascinating early history of salt today i found out. C solar evaporation of sea water system of ponds and sluices.
Kurlansky traces the history of salts influences from prehistoric china and ancient africa in egypt they made mummies using salt to europe in 12thcentury provence, france, salt merchants. Given the reduction in access to fresh water in recent decades and the. But its really the quirks that seem to interest kurlansky and make. The book is a natural outgrowth of kurlanskys previous exhaustive study of cod, which of course was preserved with salt and also affected world. It involves a broad range of technologies that yield access to marginal sources of water such as seawater, brackish ground and surface water, and wastewater. Salt is the most valuable and controversial mineral in the history of mankind. The history of salt as we know it today dates way back to recorded history, having as much impact then as it does in the modern world.
In the united states and canada extensive underground beds extend. Salt passage is a function of temperature, velocity and concentration gradient i. Thomas had experimented with rising agents on flour in baking and from that produced the worlds first selfraising flour. The bestselling author of cod and the basque history turns his attention to salt, a common household item with a long and intriguing history. As with his prior foodcentered historical exploration, cod. From the team that created the ala notable book the cods tale comes the fascinating history of salt, which has been the object of wars and revolutions and is vital for life. Writing a global history of salt is a great idea, but this book is not it.
A world history begins with a simple introduction, which explains what content will be included in the book. Salt was important in the development of human civilization, and for many years it was considered to be a precious material. Well written book about the history of salt and its contribution to the world. Topics range from salt in the past,greece, rome, egypt, france, germany, poland, and israelto recipes and instructions on making certain foods, and to the etymology of words such as salary and salami. Tonnes of interesting information, snippets from old recipe books and i mean old and a few pictures dotted in. It can bubble to the surface as brine or crop out in the form of salt licks and shallow caverns. As mark kurlansky so brilliantly relates here, salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning, and its story is a.
In this multilayered masterpiece, kurlansky explains how salt provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. History of salt by mark pepper meet your next favorite book. Kurlansky traces the history of salt s influences from prehistoric china and ancient africa in egypt they made mummies using salt to europe in 12thcentury provence, france, salt merchants. Accordingly, ro can be used for seawater and brackish water desalination, to. Just as significantly, salt has shaped the history of. Thousands of napoleons troops died during the french retreat from moscow due to inadequate wound healing and lowered resistance to diseasethe results of salt deficiency.
The natron valley was a key region that supported the egyptian empire to its north, because it supplied it with a kind of salt that came to be called by its. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pressure, a colligative property that is driven by chemical potential differences of the solvent, a thermodynamic parameter. A world history by mark kurlansky 08027734, format. History of salt warfare the effects of salt deficiency are highlighted in times of war, when human bodies and national economies are strained to their limits. A brief history of salt real salt redmond real salt. Ive been a fan of himalayan salt and salt lamps for a long time, and in the past few months ive also come to love cooking with a himalayan salt block or cooking tile heres why its awesome.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Basically, this is all marketing, mark kurlansky, author of the book salt. The social symbolism of salt was painfully evident in the medieval equivalents of the amy vanderbilt complete book of etiquette. Mark kurlansky is the new york times bestselling author of many books. Although not strictly food history, salt is at its most winning in the chapters telling of peoples obsession with it for flavoring and preserving meat and vegetables. A brief history of sea salt uses through the ages ava jane. The company was founded by thomas bell as a grocery and tea company in longhorsley north of newcastle in 1875. Salt was also considered to be pure, making it a great religious asset, and it had many superstitious qualities. The author never treats you like an idiot and the story moves along through to recent times. Having published over 1,000 products, with more in development each day, many readers ask us which writers and books would form a good introduction to the salt list. The author of cods tale 2001 again demonstrates a dab hand at recasting his adult work for a younger audience. Throughout this informational social studies book, we learn everything we need to know about salt, including how its gathered, why it was key to ancient civilizations, what. The water tasted bitter and on evaporation yielded a salt which had a remarkable effect.
An unlikely world history from the bestselling author of cod and the basque history. In the united states and canada extensive underground beds extend from the. Following the death of edward vii, bell decided to merge bell and royal into one word. According to jim hill, the president of the epsom salt council an organization founded in 1993, wicker noticed that the wounds on the animals who waded in the bittertasting or, epsomsalted water also seemed to heal more quickly. In his fifth work of nonfiction, mark kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history.
This may be an odd complaint to level at a book called salt. Roman salt making entailed boiling the seawater in large leadlined pans. Homer called salt a divine substance, while plato described it as especially dear to the gods. Mixing history, economics, anthropology, biology and cooking, its an eye opening view of something that the modern world takes completely for granted. A world history, this handsome picture book explores every aspect of salt. Maybe we need to go down to the river bank and try to listen. Roman saltmaking entailed boiling the seawater in large leadlined pans. In this collection, we have selected ten fantastic reads for you these books tell the story of salt, a story that has been evolving for two decades. During the lifetime of the average american, he or she will use.
Salt cay bermuda human powered wheel that pumped brine salts impact on drilling. From this discovery, hill wrote in an email, many in england began to travel to epsom to experience numerous health benefits. Only mark kurlansky, winner of the james beard award for excellence in food writing for cod a biography of the fish that changed the world, could woo readers toward such an offbeat topic of salt a world history. In some ancient civilizations, salt was in such high demand that it was actually minted into coins to serve as the basic. Jan, 2014 the fascinating early history of salt january, 2014 melissa 2 comments there are a lot of different salts like potassium nitrate for gunpowder and sodium bicarbonate for baking but only one that truly meets our dietary needs and satisfies our craving for that salty taste sodium chloride nacl. The spring tides come in over the seagrass and, when the water retreats, leave salt to crystallize. However, until recently, salt had maintained an extremely high level of value for thousands of years of human history. The historical significance of salt as presented in the book. The nonfiction story of salt is an intricately detailed book where children and adults learn all about the history of salt and how it has shaped the history of civilization. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions.
The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. The story of salt would make a great addition to the nonfiction shelf of any school or classroom library as it touches on science, social studies, geography, and economics. This requires an author to submit any subsequent book proposal to the original publisher before hawking it elsewhere. Tossing salt inside of a coffin was considered to help to keep the devil away because of its purity. Feb 24, 2002 the book is a natural outgrowth of kurlanskys previous exhaustive study of cod, which of course was preserved with salt and also affected world history. When a publishing company agrees to produce an authors first book, it will often try to stake a claim to his or her second. A biography of the fish that changed the world, kurlanskys latest reveals how a single curious commodity played a role in human advancement and destruction. When a publishing company agrees to produce an authors first book, it will often try to stake a.
Salt has become an inexpensive and readily available commodity that most of us take for granted. A world history from the worlds largest community of readers. Salts ability to preserve and to sustain life has made it a metaphorical symbol in all religions. Salt has some 14,000 uses, more than any other mineral.
Salt created, destroyed and preserved civilizations, formed friendships, healed wounds and wove its way into numerous religions. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Apr 09, 2017 the summer of 1618 saw england gripped by drought, but as henry wicker, a local cowherd, walked across epsom common he came across a pool of water from which his thirsty cattle refused to drink. In britain, the suffix wich in a placename means it was once a source of salt, as in sandwich and norwich. Before industrialization, curing meat and preserving it in general was difficult. A world history, author mark kurlansky delves into the history of salt, as well as its impact on empires, wars, and economies, in a text that is lively, comprehensive, and surprising. The scope of this book is epic in that it starts at the beginning of recorded world history and ends at roughly present day times. The historical significance of salt as presented in the. Salt beds may be up to 350 m thick and underlie broad areas. It covers ancient rome, the us, uk and france, plus there is a token chapter on china.
Kurlansky blends political, commercial, scientific, religious and culinary records into this history of the substance which he claims shaped civilization from the beginning. Salt has been used and valued throughout history and was so valuable in the 1800s that it was worth 4 times as much as beef on the frontier. Just be warned the book has little internal flow, and if you want the history and details, youre going to have to research further yourself. Salt is the history of the world told from the point of view of the only rock that we eat, which is salt. Reverse osmosis ro is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to remove ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. Below the skin of the earth it lies in white veins, some of them thousands of feet deep.
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