A brief history of salt
There is no clear scientific evidence as to when salt was first used, either as an ingredient in food or as a preservative. It is true that some animals instinctively lick certain salty-tasting stones and that this action gives them pleasure.
It is very likely that primitive humans also felt the need to lick certain rocks to obtain the salty taste, or perhaps they discovered that food surrounded by salt was preserved for longer.
What is certain is that human uses of salt go back to ancient times and that all cultures on Earth considered it a valuable commodity, worthy of commercial transactions.
There are sites in Central Europe that support the use of salt at least as early as the Iron Age (one example is the Hallstatt culture). It is quite possible that the first uses of salt came from cooking with seawater or from its extraction as a mineral (halite).
Salt in Asia
In Asia we first find a written description of salt extraction (usually from mines) and its culinary and preservation uses, at least around 2000 BC, in the area of Zhongba (Central China).
There is evidence of salt production in the remains of pottery used for processing (briquetage) and transport. The Chinese fermented foods in salt from ancient times, and its culinary uses spread throughout Asia, making some sauces characteristic of Asian cuisine.
The use of salt as a food is well documented from the time of the Chinese emperor Huangdi and dates back to 2670 BC. One of the earliest verified salt mines for human consumption is located in northern Shanxi province, in a place full of mountains and salt lakes. It is quite possible that the summer sun evaporated the water in the lakes and the people collected the salt crystals that rose to the surface.
The first elaborate extractions (using hydraulic machinery) date back to the Xia Dynasty, around 800 BC. At that time, seawater was placed in earthenware vessels exposed to fire until, by evaporation, salt crystals were obtained.
Other ancient uses of salt in China involved the transport of perishable foods such as fish or eggs, preserving them by salting (such as the traditional centuries-old eggs), which facilitated inland trade.
The texts of the time mention the salt tax, which was levied on every purchase made. These practices led to a salt monopoly that lasted almost 300 years. A large part of the construction of the Great Wall of China was financed with the proceeds of this tax.
Salt was then considered a luxury food and it was not uncommon for a banquet of the wealthy class to display pure salt in special containers (possibly the first salt shakers) in the centre of the tables.
The Mongols have been using salt since time immemorial, as they have numerous salt lakes to supply their livestock and population.
In India, there are deposits of rock salt in Punjab; however, Indian cuisine preferred the use of sun-evaporated salt (called kartach). In certain places there are deposits called khalaris which produce high quality salt. When the British came to India in the 19th century and made it a colony, they took over the Orissa salt market and turned it into a monopoly.
Salt became a symbol of British economic power over India until Gandhi led the famous Salt March in 1930, calling for the cancellation of taxes, which hastened the fall of British colonialism.
Mummies preserved with the salt sands of the Egyptian deserts (a mixture of salt and natron) have been found, some dating back to 3000 BC, which shows some knowledge of the preservative properties of salt at the time of the pharaohs.
It was in ancient Egypt that meat began to be cured with salt, producing the first salted meats. It is believed that they were among the first cultures to salt hams and fish from the Nile, giving rise to dishes such as bottarga, very typical of Mediterranean cuisine. One of the first culinary uses may have been the maceration of olives in brine.
Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, describes how King Ptolemy II discovered salt in some deserts near Pelusium.
Thanks to preservation techniques, the Egyptians increased the number of exportable foodstuffs, benefiting traders.
Some salt transport routes are still in operation today, such as the Azalai (salt caravans). On this route through the Sahara, the Tuaregs transport large quantities of salt on camels to cities in the Mediterranean and North Africa. In 1960, some 15,000 tonnes were transported along this route.
Salt in Europe and America
In Europe, salt works are known from very ancient times. Probably the first one was at Cardona (Barcelona), dating back to the Neolithic period. Also ancient are the mines of Hallein (meaning ‘salt mine’) near Salzburg (literally ‘salt city’), one of the first European contributions to the salt trade.
One of the pre-Roman cultures that acquired the culinary and preservative knowledge of salt was the Celts, who used salt to cure meat. When the Celts were absorbed into the Roman Empire, this knowledge was passed on.
At the beginning of the Roman Empire, the patricians insisted that every man was entitled to a portion of the ‘common salt’ (a concept that stems from that time).
The Romans learned from the Celts how to salt hams and other pork products. According to the geographer Strabo, the most valued ham in the Empire came from the forests of Burgundy, a former Celtic territory. In Hispania, hams were often salted, using indigenous breeds of Iberian pigs. The Romans also used salt to raze enemy lands, thus preventing their future agricultural exploitation.
Northern European nations began trading salt to preserve foodstuffs such as fish. One example is Ireland, which traded its produce through the port of Le Croisic. Salt was sometimes used to preserve butter to prevent it from spoiling.
The salting of fish soon became an essential skill for long-distance sea voyages, which allowed the beginning of European colonialism thanks to the possibility of transporting preserved foodstuffs.
In France, the salt tax (gabelle) was introduced as a general system in 1342 and provoked revolts throughout the country.
In Paris, every Frenchman over the age of eight was obliged to buy a fixed quantity of salt at a price stipulated by the king (sel du devoir). Salt smuggling was very intense, although it was severely punished, even with the death penalty.
In Spain, in Biscay, between 1631 and 1634, several mutinies took place in the so-called Salt Rebellion. This revolt was the result of an economic conflict due to the increase in the price of salt stored in the Señorío de Vizcaya.
In the Americas, the importance of salt is reflected in the fact that many indigenous cultures had deities dedicated to it. The history of salt on the continent is full of wars for its control, even before the arrival of the European colonisers.