Salt, a world history is an interesting book. And I do not mean this nicely, that was definitely a backhanded compliment. This “interesting” book was written by a someone who’s way too obsessed with an oddly specific array of topics, you could see this from another book written by the same author conveniently named “cod”.  That aside, Salt, a world history is actually a very elegantly written series of informationals on the value salt has on different cultures and its importance to history.

When people think of significant resources throughout history such as spices from India, tea from China, potatoes from the Andes mountains, and ivory from west Africa, salt is often overlooked. Presumably due to its commonness. Mark Kurlansky, the book’s author, makes it clear that salt is incredibly important throughout history. From a symbol for longevity and friendship, cleansing of evil, to sometimes being an alternative for salaries and taxing, through salt, the book introduces the reader to different cultures around the world. This only shows how important salt is as it is the link between these civilizations, salt trade brings wealth, but sometimes also war.

Insert Second Picture here

War is bad. Why do wars happen? What makes people mad at each other? For Britain’s case, it was because they felt like Indian salt threatened Liverpool salt, the heart of the British salt industry. The English have had a history of salt production, dating back to the 13th century.

Insert Third Picture here

Salt’s versatility makes it a valuable resource, and like any valuable resource in history, it is debatable whether its left the world better or worse. The history of salt continues as we discover more about its properties.