Salt Fun Facts
There is enough salt in the ocean to cover the continents 500 feet
deep
Up until the 16th century it wasn't uncommon for convicted criminals
to be sentenced to life sentences in European salt mines.
One of the most secure storage facilities is in a hollowed out salt
deposit 650 feet under Hutchinson, Kansas. Supposedly even the original
negative of "Gone With The Wind" is there.
In the 1920s iodine was added to American table salt to help prevent
hypothyroidism, which was near epidemic levels at the time. Today, it
is nearly nonexistent.
During the Renaissance salt storage boxes or "cellars", crafted for
wealthy tables, were often fashioned from gold and jewels.
75 percent of the sodium we consume is in the form of processed foods.
Food for thought…no?
English towns that were once salt centers have "wich" in
their names (Norwich, Greenwich). In Germany and Austria salz or hall
are used.
The Chinese were pumping brine from wells before the time of Christ.
They even devised bamboo pipelines to transport it to the boiling facility.
Many American frontiersmen, including Daniel Boone, were taught how
to make salt by Native Americans.
Some of the first American ad campaigns were for the many salt companies
that popped up at the close of the 19th century.
During the Middle Ages salt was used as a symbol of purity not only
because it could preserve things, but because it was often the whitest
thing around.
Number of crystals in a pound of table salt: 5,370,000. Number of
crystals in a pound of kosher salt: 1, 370,000…give or take a crystal
or two.
Some of the oldest roads still in use in Europe and Africa were originally
built to move salt.
To make homemade play dough, mix ˝ cup of salt with 1 cup of flour,
2 Tbs. of vegetable oil and ˝ cup of water.
The majority of salt produced in the United States is used to keep
winter roads ice-free.
Banner photo credit: Tony Williams
All About Salt
