{"id":87625,"date":"2022-12-15T14:22:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T18:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=87625"},"modified":"2022-12-29T12:41:15","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T16:41:15","slug":"salt-mark-kurlanksy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/salt-mark-kurlanksy\/","title":{"rendered":"Salt by Mark Kurlansky: Overview & Takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Salt<\/em> by Mark Kurlansky about? What are the main takeaways of the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Salt<\/em>, Mark Kurlansky presents a history of salt and describes the role it played in nourishing our ancestors, driving innovation, and building empires. Further, you’ll learn why salting food isn’t just about improving its flavor, and salt’s important role in independent movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read below for a brief overview of Salt<\/em> by Mark Kurlansky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Salt<\/em> by Mark Kurlansky<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Salt is one of the cheapest, most commonplace items: It sells for less than a loaf of bread, and during winter, we scatter it liberally on roads and sidewalks. However, there was once a time when salt was considered rare and valuable. In Salt<\/em>, Mark Kurlansky argues that throughout much of human history, salt was a precious commodity\u2014one that significantly shaped civilizations. <\/strong>He traces the history of salt, describing the role it played in nourishing our ancestors, driving innovation, building empires\u2014and even provoking rebellions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurlansky, an American journalist, has published over 30 books on topics ranging from the history of cod to the history of nonviolent activism. While Salt <\/em>is also a history book, it isn\u2019t just for history buffs: It spans a variety of topics ranging from cooking to engineering, making it relevant to anyone seeking to better understand why the world looks how it does today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Salt?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When most people think of salt, they likely picture a sprinkling of white crystals and imagine a salty taste. However, according to Kurlansky, salt is more than this. He explains that salt is a term chemists use to describe a compound that\u2019s produced when an acid reacts with a base<\/strong>. Kurlansky elaborates on the diversity of salts with the following facts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact 1: Only some<\/em> salt is edible. <\/strong>Some of the most common edible salts include table salt (sodium chloride) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Inedible ones include barium chloride, a highly toxic salt used to make red pigments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact 2: Salt can taste salty, sour, or bitter. <\/strong>For instance, magnesium chloride is a bitter salt that\u2019s often found in baby formula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact 3: Not all salt is white.<\/strong> It can also be pink, red, gray, or other colors depending on how and where it\u2019s harvested. For instance, some salt is pink because it contains traces of several minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt\u2019s Biological Significance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Kurlansky, salt has played an important role throughout history because it\u2019s necessary for humans\u2019 and animals\u2019 survival. <\/strong>Salt is crucial to cell function, brain and nervous system function, and digestion. Each of these bodily processes uses up salt, so we need to consume it to replenish our salt levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kurlansky adds that to stay healthy, we and animals have to consume the right<\/em> amount of salt. <\/strong>When you don\u2019t consume enough salt, you become nauseated and weak. If you\u2019re deprived of salt for too long, you die. On the other hand, eating too much salt may also harm you. For instance, some experts claim that excessive salt consumption raises your blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt\u2019s Culinary Significance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to enabling our survival, salt has culinary significance. Kurlansky argues that salt has played an important role in shaping cuisines around the world. <\/strong>First, salt preserves food, making it possible to eat when food production is low (such as during droughts). Second, salt is a seasoning<\/a> that makes food more flavorful and palatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt\u2019s Impact on Innovation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because salt is necessary for life and eating, people throughout history have been motivated to develop ways to harvest it. Kurlansky argues that throughout history, salt has driven technological and scientific innovation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt Industries\u2019 Impact on the Environment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kurlansky argues that throughout history, salt industries and salt-related innovations have degraded the environment.<\/strong> Environmental damage in the English county of Cheshire, England\u2019s leading salt producer for several centuries, exemplifies several of the ways salt industries can degrade the environment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n