Salt has a very bad reputation lately, and rightly so. Its excessive use has led to chronic high blood pressure and a raft of related diseases. But, some 4500 years ago or so, salt's properties as a preservative made it an extremely valuable commodity.
Salt Making in Yunnan China in 1922. Restored photo by RalphRepo
Archaeological evidence of salt production is scattered all over the world, but whether we're looking at a small scale, brief household level production in Fiji or a massive, centuries-long manufacturing site in China, the process is pretty much the same, which you can read all about in the new article Making Salt.
- Making Salt: A History of Salt Production
- Briquetage, archaeological evidence of salt making
- Salt making in Zhongba, China
- Salt making in Sigatoka Sand Dunes, Fiji
Comments