The Incredible Journey of Salt

The production and trading of salt has been carried on for thousands of years. Long before any purposely-built roadways were formed, ‘salt roads’ were used in order to transport the highly valued commodity to regions that lacked it. Once the salt was extracted, navigable rivers and seas carried the salt to various ports. During the Middle Ages in the Mediterranean, salt – a basic commodity – was abundant. Transporting salt by sea was the most economical means of transport, but, if there was a shipwreck, the entire cargo was gone!

When most people think of salt, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the sprinkling of it onto foods. Even though salt is an essential element in the diet of humans, animals and plants, throughout history, salt has been prized for more than its seasoning, and used in unusual ways.

• Salt has been used to preserve Egyptian mummies
• Salt was used as currency at various places and times, and was also known to cause bitter warfare
• In some cultures, salt is a form of etiquette, where it is offered with bread to visitors
• Egyptian art from as long ago as 1450 B.C. records salt-making
• Salt rations were once given to Roman soldiers as salary
• Salt has played an important part in religious rituals in many cultures, where it symbolized incorruptible purity
• Since Roman times, saltmaking encompasses much of the history of Europe
• In ancient China, coins were made of salt
• In Mediterranean regions, salt cakes were used as money