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Post by Loupy on Sept 7, 2013 22:04:35 GMT -7
Some Fun Facts about SaltFrom: www.theartofdoingstuff.com/ 1. Until 100 years ago or so, pound bars of salt were the basic currency in Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia). Some say in very small regions it is still treated as currency.
2. In the early 1800s salt was 4 times as expensive as beef on the frontier – it was essential in keeping people and livestock alive.
3. Kosher salt is indeed, not kosher. It gets its name because the larger salt you know as kosher salt, is what was used when koshering (removing blood from) meat. Larger, salt crystals allowed the surface blood to be removed without absorbing into the meat. So kosher salt could be washed off without affecting the taste of the meat unlike a fine salt.
4. There are 32 references to salt in the bible, the first one being in The Book of Job.
5. Salt is poisonous. But only when consumed in large quantities. That’s why in China it used to be a way of committing suicide. And quite a reputable one at that. All the upper crust chose to commit suicide by salt because it was so expensive. Even in a suicidal state there’s time for elitism.
6. One of the first known taxes in the world was issued in the year 2200 BC by the Chinese emperor Hsia Yu. He taxed salt. Perhaps it was a way to cut down on suicides.
7. Throughout time, salt has typically been used as money. At one point it was known to trade at the same value as gold. So one ounce of salt was worth the same as an ounce of gold.
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