What I’m reading – Salt: A World History

Firstly, I have to be honest and say that I’ve already finished reading this book. I actually finished it a couple of weeks ago. But seriously, it is a book worth blogging about.

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky (not an affiliated link)

This was a pretty interesting find. I stumbled upon it awhile back. My first thought (as many of you might be having right now) “Salt? Really? How could you write a whole book about it? And who would ever read such a book?”

Well friends, I have to say my curiosity was sparked so I added it to my Amazon wishlist. Next thing you know, one of my awesome nephews bought it for me for Christmas! And with a 2018 goal of reading a minimum of 1 book per month, I jumped right on this book in February.

At almost 500 pages packed full of history, it was a bit of a slower read for me. However, I found it quite fascinating. Almost every day I was telling my boyfriend or coworkers about the latest thing I had read.

For example, I learned that in the 1860’s recipes were offered up for “homemade soda.” It involved mixing an acidic syrup such as lemon or pineapple, and mixing it with cold water and a bit of baking soda. It’ll suds up and then you have a “soda.”

Though the focus of the book was salt, it was full of other interesting finds. From the creation of ketchup and Tabasco sauce to the use of abandoned salt mines being used to host formal dinners for the rich and famous.

Whether you are interested in the history of food or not, I highly recommend this book. It will teach you to truly appreciate a mineral that today is found on nearly every table, but in the past could only be found on the table of the high class.