Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Salt: A World History

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky 2002

In the book, The Lion Hunter and its sequel, The Empty Kingdom, a young boy, Telemakos, heir to the Ethiopian Dynasty, was captured and made a slave in the salt mines. In Ethiopia salt was the coin of the realm. The story was interesting and I started reading about the Aksumite Empire in the areas of Eritrea and Ethiopia from the 2nd to the 6th century. In my readings I came across the non-fiction book entitled Salt: A World History. This book is about history, chemistry, geography, culture, linguistics, cuisine… There are varieties of salt: black salt, shades of white, shades of grey, brown, red. Red salt from the Philippines was once considered inferior salt because it was mixed with the volcanic soil but now is used by chefs the world over who say it is the best salt in the world. Salted anchovy paste was the first Ketchup. Gandhi’s famous salt march to the sea began India’s way to independence from England. The Chinese used salt in gunpowder; it was used by the Mayas and Incas. The word “salary” comes from the Latin word, salarium, which was the money paid to Roman soldiers to buy salt. There’s much more……