Salt (180-270)

Summary: Rekigion played a major part in the economic uprising of Salt because priests would sell rights to eat meat to certain people during fast. This was very corupt and did not provide for a good reputation for the Catholic Church. British food was very salted because they ate lots of meats and and dairy products. They salted their bacon because it made for a good flavor as well. Bacon had to be soaked before eating. Vegtables were also put into salt and had to be "refreshed" before eating. Butter was also very salty. The salt was to perserve the butter rather than spice up the taste. In the middle ages exoctis yellow flowers were salted and beaten to exract juice so they could add color to butter. The church didn't allow butter to be eaten on fast days because it came form cows. Cheese was also a popular salted food for the poor but the rich got the better cheese. Ketchup, or "catsup", was frequently used by french as a condiment.
            Salt production was increasing because hauling coal became a major expense. To make certain recipes, nutmeg, fresh butter, and salt were commonly used together to add a unique flavor to the dish. North American Cod became a popular dish between 1713 and 1759 and that recipe of nutmeg, salt, and fresh butter was used to freshen up the flavor.
            Salt was found in major brine springs, brackish water, rock salt an any available natural salt for licking. Sometimes salt ended up in a large mixture with sand which led to bad salt. The Aztecs  believed that only men could gather salt but the Navajo allowed women.
The Incas were large salt producers with salt wells just outside Cuzco, Colombia. The Chibcha salt lords honored the gods two time a year by abstaining from sex and salt. Aztecs made salt from evaporing urine. Salt conveys feared enemy warships and pirate ship. New Englanders slaughtered their meat in the fall and salted it.

Salt (90-180)

Summary:
     Thus far we have journeyed through Venice, Egypt, and The Celts of whatever land they came from. Now we are moving up from the common uses of Salt and transitioning into the more traditional and royal uses of the famous rock. Our journey takes us to Italy and introduces us to the famous Parma. The Parma was the salted ham of Italy it was the most famous of its kind(salted meats). The name Parmesan, of the equally famous cheese was derived form the Parma meat of Italy because of it's rare texture and somewhat semi-aged nature, but still maintained its dairy-like flavor.
      Now we are introduced to the role of salt in the age old battle of aged cheese vs. fresh cheese. Because cheese is as old as domesticated animals, fresh cheese was always easier to come by, so it was readily available. On the other hand aged cheese took experience to perfect and lots of time and energy to produce on the market. The revolution of salt in salted cheese made the market for that product open up completely.
      Then we are introduced to the different kinds of salts and the types of uses they are primarily used for. Cardona's rock salt for example was a salt in high demand but was not available to those who could not pay the hefty price tag that came along with the demanding rock. The rock was not of higher quality but its variety of uses made it a favorite to those who were always experimenting. Then the products of salt in  the preservation of fishes was introduced. Salt provided for whiter and leaner fish which cold have been kept in an inexpensive packaging and storage facility and still maintain its fresh quality. Different spices mainly from the Mediterranean, made the fish brown and not nearly as lean as with salt curing. Also the packaging of the Mediterranean had to be tightly sealed with little to no oxygen exposure.  The exposure would cause the fish to turn rancid, and that kind of packaging was not readily available during that time.
     The topic of Vikings also comes up, and is explained with their economic involvement with salt.Like the Celts the Vikings were always on the move and came across Salt as they did so, and they made a life out of selling and trading salt. They were either selling salt or making tools and weapons out of elephant tusks or reindeer antler.


       Back to the royal portion of the book: Royalty had many superstitions regarding the wa y salt was eaten and passed, or even placed around the table. When royalty had company they would send their servant to the saltcellar(yes their homes/castles were that big that they had e cellar especially made for salt) to fetch their best batch. Salt would be placed in front of the Dinner guests and then was never to be touched with one's fingers, only by knife or fork, etc.

Salt:A World History (1-90)

Summary- Salt has been in our worlds history as long as there have been records kept. They were first introduced in China, used as currency when they built the Great Wall. Salt was made by boiling sea water then extracting the salt crystals from the bottom of the mixture. The provinces of China spent centuries perfecting the process and did not do so until the completion of the Great Wall, and its counterparts.  With the revolution of Salt in China's culture we now move on to Europe and its strange take on the edible rock. The first location of preserved bodies came in Europe with the discovery of Celts. They were found near a salt mine, and appeared to be in a fair condition with their clothes and flesh and hair still completely intact. Celts were recognized by the Romans as a savage race who had no civility and depended on its barbarism to survive. The truth is that Celts were the first civilization to actually preserve meats and foods. The majority of their products were salted meats such as porks and hams in general. Celts were actually known as the salt people according to the Greeks and Romans. The smart thing to do, as many generals noticed was to put a price on salt, and then tax it to make a profit.
      Italy took the need of salt and made small businesses out of it. The farmers and citizens who wanted to make a profit out of the salt business created small ponds that kept salt-water handy. Then on hot days the salt-water crystallized, and could be sold by the pound. Roman Empire: The roman army was a very strong one indeed and made an effort to keep it that way. A commonly-used term that was derived fromt he use of salt in the army is "salary." Another word that came from  the roman empire was "salad" which was salted vegetables, and "soldier" which means paid. Saalt was mandatory to be present at a propr\er Dinner gathering, if not present it would be an insult to guest attending Dinner. Olives were also very important because they were made by being soaked in salt-water.  
      Egypt: Mummies were preseved with salt and many other things. The process is very grusome, but i will explain it anyways. They extract all of the brains throught the nostrils and the take out all o9f the inerds from the stomach.
       Italy: Garum is very nasty, but was supposably good for you at the time. Garum is fermented fish sauce, and physicians saw it as a good healing power for sores headaches, and digestive disorders.

Quote: "The fact that in ancient Egypt the poor were mummified with sodium chloride and the rich with natron suggests that the Egyptians valued natron more."
     Analysis: This qoute was well managed through the text because natron was widely-valued all throughout ancient egypt.