Salt the Flavor of Life

Salt is one our most basic minerals and most common that is needed for life, without it you will die. It is so important that we evolved with it being one of our 5 major tastes (Bitter, Salt, Sour, Sweet, & Umami). Fortunately our body is very good at extracting it from our common diet so this is rarely a problem today. We use it mainly as a flavoring agent as things just taste better with salt.

In prehistoric times we would extract it from water sources that contained a high concentration of salt mainly from the ocean or from salt springs. In warmer climates they would evaporate the water using the sun or by boiling off the water using fire leaving the salt behind. Modern production is done on and industrial scale through deep shaft mining or through water injection mining. If you ever get a chance to visit a salt mine I highly recommend it. The size and scope is amazing pictures and videos just don't do it justice.

In our ancient times salt and salt production was highly regulated by governments. It was heavily taxed and who could produce it was strictly regulated. In some places it was such a valued commodity it was used as currency. Words like salary and salad are derived from salt use in the Roman era. Salarium Argentum was the salt ration given to Roman solders and considered part of their pay. Sauce and Sausage are both derived from the Latin Sal. The word salvation comes from the use of salt in the sealing of covenants in the Bible.

In religions salt was highly prized seen as a symbol of purity and used in ceremonies across the world. In mythology is was seen as a ward against evil. Common superstitions were that spilling salt was a bad omen it is were the practice of throwing a pinch of salt over your shoulder came from. 

Before refrigeration is was one of the main way of preserving food by either salting it and letting it dry or pickling it in a brine solution.

It is crucial to the tanning process and thousand of other industrial processes.

There is a little history of a small and important chemical sodium chloride.

So in conclusion stay salty my friends and if you must spill the salt remember to throw a pinch over your shoulders.