This blog mainly record some notes and information from the book named SALT：A WORLD HISTORY.
The Welsh Jungian psychologist Ernest Jones published an essay about the human obsession with salt. Jones states that "In all ages salt has been invested with a significance far exceeding that inherent in its natural properties, interesting and Important as these are." (p3)
Jones concluded" There is every reason to think that the primitive mind equated the idea of salt, not only with that of semen, but also with the essential constituent of urine."(p5)
⭐️ "It is true that semen and urine- along with blood, tears, sweat, and almost every part of the human body- contain salt, which is a necessary component in the functioning of cells." (p5)
⭐️ "Salt is so common, so easy to obtain, and so inexpensive that we have forgotten that from the beginning of civilization until about 100 years ago, salt was one of the most sought-after commodities in human history."(p6)
The meaning of salt preserving.
"Freud might have considered an irrational attachment to salt, a seemingly trivial object, because, in our unconscious, we associate it with longevity and permanence, which are of boundless significance."
"Loyalty and friendship are sealed with salt because its essence does not change. Even dissolved into liquid, salt can be evaporated back into square crystals."
Evidence: " In both Islam and Judaism, salt seals a bargain because it is immutable, Indian troops pledged their loyalty to the British with salt. ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans included salt in sacrifices and offerings, and they in-voked gods with salt and water, which is thought to be origin of Christian holy." (p7)
Salt Preserving History Context.
"Evil spirits detest salt. In traditional Japanese theater, salt was sprinkled on the stage before each performance to protect the actors from evil spirits."
"Both Jews and Muslims believe that salt protects against the evil eye. (The book of Ezekial ) mentions that rubbing newborn infants with salt to protect them from evil. The practice in Europe of protecting newborns either by putting salt on their tongues or by submerging them in salt water is thought to predate Christian baptism. In France, until the practice was abolished in 1408, children were salted until they were baptized. In parts of Europe, especially Holland, the practice was modified to placing salt in the cradle with the child." (p8)
The History Context Of Salt And Iron.
"About 1000B.C., iron first came into use in China, though the first evidence of it being used tin salt making is not until 450B.C. by a man named Yi Dun. According to a passage written in 129B.C., (Yi Dun rose to prominence by producing salt in pans.'' Yi Dun is believed to have made salt by boiling brine in Iron pans, an innovation which would become one of the leading techniques for making for the next 2000 years.'' (p19)
Salt Architecture
"In 1352, Ibn Batuta, the greatest Arab-Language traveler of the Middle Ages, who had journeyed overland across Africa, Europe, and Asia, reported visiting the city of Taghaza, which, he said, was entirely built of salt, including an elaborate mosque.''(p48)
"The first-century-A.D. Roman Paling the Elder, writing of rock salt mining in Egypt, mentioned houses built of salt.'' (p48)
The method of making salt
"when the Romans came to England in A.D.43, they found the Britons making salt by pouring brine on hot charcoal and scraping off the crystals that formed." (p180)
"Salt makers drove wooden stakes into tidal pools, and salt would crystalize on the wood as the pools evaporated. This technique was inexpensive but also yielded little." (p221)
"How to manufacture salt for home use.--- Take a towel, or any piece of cloth- say, two yards long- sew the two ends together, hang it on a roller, and let one end revolve in a tub or basin of salt water; the sun and air will act on the cloth, and evaporate the water rapidly." (p270)
"P.s. To make salt requires a little patience, as it is of slow formation. — John Commins. Charleston Tannery. Charleston Mercury. June 11, 1862" (p270)
The value of salt
"White salt, and was rare and expensive, only for the best tables and the finest salted foods. The gray was the cheap everyday salt. The relative value of the white and gray salt is a question of supply, demand and labor, but also culture, history, and the fashion of the times."
"Why should salt that is washed be cheaper than salt with dirt? Fixing the tire value of salt, one of earth's most accessible commodities, has never been easy." (p449)
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