Salt was so important to early mankind, that it became currency (and the “salary” and “sale” of today). Salt was more important then than petroleum is to us today.
According to David Bloch at http://www.salt.org, “Salt is physiologically absolutely necessary for human life, equal in importance to water; each required strictly in proportion to the other, in the body. In ancient times, unlike water, the known sources of salt were limited. So much so, that salt became a critical demographic power factor for most communities.
It was only available as visible and exposed rock outcrops in arid regions, and as dried out salt-cake in lagoon areas and on the shores of seas and salt lakes. In humid areas, with wet climates, the salt dissolved in to salt “mirrors” below ground making it almost impossible for man to discover.
It is probably this, more than for any other reason, that some of the great civilizations first developed near deserts, and in desert climates: for example the Mediterranean, Mesoamerica, and Babylonia, at the edges of the “arid” zones…. and close to known salt sources in spite of the hardships of living in such inhospitable places.”
As this blog develops, information will be provided on the different types of salts, peppers and olives, their origin and modern culinary uses. If you have sites or information you would like to contribute to this subject, please contact me at georgannm@gmail.com
