Salt: A World History

Because our need for salt is so fundamental, its history encompasses that of humanity. Salt was basic to many economies, Kurlansky notes. It's acted as the basis of exchange between traders, was the target of empire builders and even paid out to soldiers as a form of "salary" - hence the term. Venice, a coastal city tucked away from the main tracks of Mediterranean trade, bloomed into prominence when it discovered it could garner more profit by trading in salt than by manufacturing it. The Venetian empire and later renaissance was founded on the salt trade.

Empires may be built on salt, but can be felled by misguided policies on its trade and consumption. One element leading to the downfall of the French monarchy was the hated "gabelle", or salt tax, which imposed a heavier burden on farming peasants than it did on the aristocracy. The reputation of tax evasion borne by the French relates to the resentment expressed over the salt tax. A British regulation on salt resulted in similar reaction leading to the breakup up their own Empire. It was a "march to the sea" led by Mahatma Ghandi to collect salt that galvanised resistance to British rule. Over a century after the French Revolution, the British were displaced from India for similar reasons - greed.

While acknowledging the importance of salt in our lives, Kurlansky notes that determining how much is "too little" or "too much" is elusive. Many people today claim to have "salt-free" diets while remaining ignorant of how much salt is contained in our foods, both naturally and through processing. Yet, as Kurlansky records, salt has appeal beyond just the body's needs. He records numerous commentators from ancient Egypt, China and Rome who express their admiration for salt's flavour-adding qualities. Sauces based on various ingredients mixed with salt permeate the book. He notes that the salt dispenser is a modern innovation, supplementing the use of salt in cooking processes.

Salt's decline in conserving food, which changed the amount of salt we consume directly, came about due to increased world trade, displacement of rural populations into cities, and, of course, war. "The first blow" displacing salt as a preservative came from a Parisian cook; a man so obscure that his given name remains disputed. Nicolas [Francois?] Appert worked out how to preserve meat by "canning". Adopted by Napoleon's armies, the technique spread rapidly. The technology of the Industrial Revolution led to effective refrigeration. Kurlansky gives an account of Clarence Birdseye's efforts to found what became a major industry.

Although the topic seems overspecialised, the universal application and long historical view of this book establishes its importance. Kurlansky has successfully met an immense challenge in presenting a wealth of information. That he graces what might have been a dry pedantic exercise with recipes, anecdotes, photographs and maps grants this book wide appeal. He's to be congratulated for his worldly view and comprehensive presentation. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]


Kurlansky uses salt as a thread to link cultures and history   March 21, 2003
Barnaby Dorfman (Seattle, WA USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Salt" takes the reader through thousands of years of human cultural and scientific development, all-the-while making it interesting and accessible. The common character throughout is ordinary table salt, which up until 100 years ago, played a far more important role in human society and economics. Through the use of this everyday material, Kurlansky takes us on a tour that from ancient China and Rome, to Britain's rule of India, into the slave operated salt mines of Europe, down to Avery Island during the American Civil War (and the creation of Tabasco Sauce); all with a focus on the cuisines of those places and times. A long book that I was sorry to finish.


Good Book   May 19, 2005
Ace Man sans rien (Asia)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Reading the other reviews I see that almost everyone either loves it or hates it. I loved it. Salt was what Oil is today. I cut bait on a book if it's not interesting to me and I had no problem reading this cover to cover. I'm a non-fiction reader and a business person, not a literary type or a writer, so stylistic issues that other reviewers surfaced didn'd bother me. I also loved Giles Milton's "Nathaniel's Nutmeg."


A gem of a book   June 9, 2004
Paul D (San Rafael, CA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

This is a gem of a book. It discusses and intertwines the history and importance of salt from prehistoric times until now in the context of the various types of salt, preserving and brining meat, fish and other foods, cooking, cheese making, health, geology, geography, place names, world trade, world history, warfare, art and investments, to name a few topics.

The descriptions of the role of salt in the American Civil War and the Caribbean islands were fascinating. Then there were the Romans, the Mayans, The Aztecs, the Chinese, the French, the Germans, the English, the Dutch, the Russians, the Scandinavians and others and their involvement with salt.

The recipes for cooking with salt are aptly chosen from about 4000 years of recorded history and are remarkably similar to those in use today. The colorful view and history of the San Francisco salt ponds from an airplane were always a bit of mystery to me, but no longer. The origin of towns and cities whose name ends in "wich" was enlightening, to say nothing of Salzburg and the many salt mines in the world.

In short, this book is a grand, well-written, informative and often amusing world panorama of salt filled with a host of pearls of learning. It is hard to put down and makes 449 pages pleasantly fly by, leaving you with a taste for more. If you have ever used salt, you really should read this book.


Worth its weight in salt   March 20, 2006
Devin Cambridge
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

Marc Kurlansky provides one of the best comprehensive social, economic and political reviews of a substance that at one time was as vital and fought over as oil is today. Salt: A World History gives spice to the global history of something that in modern times we take for granted. Mr. Kurlansky manages to show how Empires rose and fell over the substance with the book citing amazing examples from the Venetian salt merchants monopolistic manipulation of the salt market to the loss of the confederacy during the American civil war due to lack of adequate salt sources. Although one step away from an academic text, Mr. Kurlansky's writing style makes this book as accessible as a New York Times article.

Mr. Kurlansky manages to bring his strong interest in food to his work (he was a professional chef and food writer). Just don't expect a food network level presentation. This book is solid and far more erudite than your everyday celebrity chef commentary. But the absolute detail is what makes it better than your average read. Expect to learn about all the wonderful technology and political intrigue involved in salt production. For the foodie, there are also some interesting historical recipes scattered through the web of interesting facts and events. This book is not a casual read and fans of his other books such as Cod and The Big Oyster will find this book longer and perhaps a bit slower than his other titles.

If you have a love of food network's Elton Brown's accessible scientific explanations and Malcom Gladwell's ability to shift people's perceptions, then this is the perfect fusion of their two styles.