The love of mankind for salt is an indisputable fact. Perhaps that is why it is so harmful, because, as luck would have it, all tasty causes harm to one degree or another. This list includes 15 incredible facts about salt, which you most likely have never heard, and if you have, you can pretend that they are new to you!
1 In ancient times, the cost of salt was so high that many states calculated it instead of money. For example, in Ethiopia (formerly the Abyssinian Empire) they did not just pay with salt - its pound was considered the main currency of the state, which lasted until the 20th century. In some parts of Africa, salt was literally worth its weight in gold.
2 The largest dried salt lake in the world is in Bolivia. It is called Salar de Uyuni; its area is 10 588 square kilometers. But this is not the main feature of the lake. At a certain time, the salt is covered with a very thin water layer, which makes the solonchak completely mirror. Scientists have found how to take advantage of such a gift from nature, and use a “mirror” to calibrate equipment in space. The lake also provides mankind with 50% of the total world lithium production.
TheBiggest.ru already wrote about this lake in its article about the largest lakes on the planet.
3 Thought drinking plenty of water was very beneficial? No matter how! Nutritionists and fitness trainers are constantly advised to absorb as much fluid as possible, but by doing so you can wash the salt out of the body. Have you noticed when you can’t get drunk in hot weather? The more you drink, the more you sweat, that's how salt leaves our body, causing our skin to dry out. With a lack of salt, there is a risk of fatal hyponatremia, which once again indicates the importance of salt for humans.
4 Have not forgotten the first fact of the high cost of salt in ancient times? Catch the following - if you eat a lot of salt, you can die. Everyone knows this, but how much? Only 1 gram per kilogram is enough, that is, if a person weighs 82 kg, he can die by “consuming” only 82 grams of salt. Good thing that doesn't apply to ... chocolate. How does this relate to the high cost of salt? Rich Chinese used salt as a tool for suicide, which was considered a very expensive "pleasure."
5 In high-quality sea salt contains many minerals useful for the life of the body, including zinc, potassium and iron. The quality of sea salt is also determined by its color, the darker it is, the more useful elements are in it. Although you should not forget about the possible presence in the salt of undesirable "impurities", for example, lead. Salt from the best manufacturers will always be slightly moist, which allows the product to retain its beneficial properties.
6 In the Middle Ages, salts gave the nickname "white gold", you guessed it, again because of its high cost. The road that was used by the Germans to transport salt along the cities of the Baltic coast has even survived to our times. In Germany, even small coins were made from salt, which could well be paid. They were called Hellers, and they could be eaten in the literal sense of the word.
7 The famous black salt is made in Pakistan and India by mixing the Harada plant and salted water. No chemical additives are used. The mixture is deposited to remove moisture through evaporation, after which pieces of black color remain. Further, manufacturers perform actions that they try to keep secret (although it has long been disclosed), receiving a powder of gray-pink colors. Unlike many other varieties, black salt is extremely useful.
8 In the medieval French city of Gerand, locals still extract salt in the old way, invented by the Celtic tribes. To do this, they took baskets from wicker branches and “drove” seawater through a kind of sieve. This method of extracting salt is unusually energy-consuming, but salt from Geranda is considered to be of high quality and expensive. The variety Fleur de Sel is especially appreciated. It is not used in cooking, but is used only as an exhibition material, sprinkling dishes before displaying.
9 The story of paying salt to Roman legionnaires is no more than a bike that is so widespread that it owes the English word salary, meaning salary. Legionnaires were mere mercenaries who received "classic" money, but civil servants in the Roman Empire could really get salt as payment for their labor. But the salt paving of roads on the way to Rome, carried out by soldiers - is true. Maybe because of this, people began to talk about the salary of legionnaires issued by this rare product.
10 In the days of biblical Judaism, salt was used for ritual ceremonies associated with sacrifices. It was mixed with the blood of slaughtered animals. Many priests used it as a kind of totem, calling it "their" symbol, talking about their prudence, justice and wisdom.
11 Do you have raw aviation fuel? Surely not, but if it does, we will show you how to clean it. All the “dirt” is contained in excess water, and removing it is quite simple - you need to mix the fuel with salt and it will quickly expel the water, leaving pure fuel for air travel.
12 Eating salt is essentially a unique and unnatural process. It is formed as a result of the synthesis of gaseous chlorine and metallic sodium. This interaction leads to the formation of sodium chloride, the only similar substance used by humans for food. Separately, these elements are inedible, and chlorine is the most dangerous poison!
13 In all developed states of the XIX century, the price of salt was 4 times higher than the cost of beef. Apparently, therefore, only very rich people could afford to salt a meat dish, and mere mortals limited themselves to fresh meat (This is what, before the discovery of America, Columbus and vegetables were tight).
14 Of all the world's salt reserves, only a small portion goes for culinary purposes (no more than 6%). This is especially surprising when you consider that it takes almost three times as much salt to sprinkle roads during ice.
15 Little contrast with the facts about the high cost of salt in Africa and medieval Europe. At the end of the XVII century, the main profit of the Caribbean was the sale of salt for the United States. Her purchase was carried out in order to salt fish for black slaves who worked in cotton fields and sugar plantations. Fish, of course, was the cheapest.
In conclusion
Surely each product holds some kind of secrets or incredible stories, but none of them can be compared with salt, since the 15 facts described above are only a fraction of the many wonders associated with this beautiful mineral.
Article Author: gunner1886