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丕賱賲賱丨: 鬲丕乇賷禺 毓丕賱賲賷
賷噩爻賾丿 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱賲匕賴賱 賵丕賱賲卮賵賾賯 賱丕賰鬲卮丕賮 賲丕丿丞 丕賱賲賱丨貙 賵賰賷賮 氐丕乇鬲 賲賰賵賾賳丕賸 兀爻丕爻賷丕賸 賮賷 睾匕丕卅賳丕貙 賰賲丕 賷毓乇囟 丕爻鬲賯氐丕亍賸 鬲丕乇賷禺賷丕賸 賷夭禺乇 亘丨賯丕卅賯 賲匕賴賱丞 毓賳 賴匕賴 丕賱賲丕丿丞貙 賵賰賷賮 丿禺賱鬲 賲賰賵賾賳丕賸 賲卮鬲乇賰丕賸 賵噩丕賲毓丕賸 賵賲賵丨丿丕賸 亘賷賳 賰賱 兀氐賳丕賮 丕賱胤毓丕賲 丕賱賲賳鬲卮乇丞 亘賷賳 胤乇賮賷 丕賱賰乇丞 丕賱兀乇囟賷丞.
賷賯氐 賰賵乇賱丕賳爻賰賷 鬲兀乇賷禺 賳卮兀丞 丕賱賲賱丨貙 賲賳匕 賴賵賲賷乇賵爻 賵兀賮賱丕胤賵賳 賵賲丕 賯亘賱賴賲丕貙 賵賷禺亘乇賳丕 賰賷賮 氐丕睾 丕賱賲賱丨 丕賱丨囟丕乇丞 賲賳匕 賳卮兀丞 丕賱禺賱賷賯丞貙 賵賰賷賮 卮賰賱 賲丕丿丞 賱廿孬丕乇丞 丕賱賳夭丕毓丕鬲 賵丕賱丨乇賵亘 亘爻亘亘賴. 賰賲丕 賷毓乇囟 賰賷賮 兀氐亘丨鬲 丕賱囟乇丕卅亘 毓賱賶 丕賱賲賱丨 囟賲丕賳丞 丕賯鬲氐丕丿賷丞 賱亘賯丕亍 賵丕爻鬲賲乇丕乇賷丞 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱兀賲亘乇丕胤賵乇賷丕鬲 毓亘乇 兀賵乇賵亘丕 賵丌爻賷丕貙 賵賰賷賮 噩毓賱 丕賱賲賴丕鬲賲丕 睾丕賳丿賷 賲丕 爻賲賾丕賴 "賲爻賷乇丞 丕賱賲賱丨", 賲丨乇賾囟丕賸 賱賱孬賵乇丞 丕賱賴賳丿賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀胤賱賯賴丕 毓丕賲 1930貙 賵賲孬賾賱鬲 亘丿丕賷丞 爻賯賵胤 丕賱丨賰賲 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷 賮賷 丕賱賴賳丿.
賷賯氐 賰賵乇賱丕賳爻賰賷 鬲兀乇賷禺 賳卮兀丞 丕賱賲賱丨貙 賲賳匕 賴賵賲賷乇賵爻 賵兀賮賱丕胤賵賳 賵賲丕 賯亘賱賴賲丕貙 賵賷禺亘乇賳丕 賰賷賮 氐丕睾 丕賱賲賱丨 丕賱丨囟丕乇丞 賲賳匕 賳卮兀丞 丕賱禺賱賷賯丞貙 賵賰賷賮 卮賰賱 賲丕丿丞 賱廿孬丕乇丞 丕賱賳夭丕毓丕鬲 賵丕賱丨乇賵亘 亘爻亘亘賴. 賰賲丕 賷毓乇囟 賰賷賮 兀氐亘丨鬲 丕賱囟乇丕卅亘 毓賱賶 丕賱賲賱丨 囟賲丕賳丞 丕賯鬲氐丕丿賷丞 賱亘賯丕亍 賵丕爻鬲賲乇丕乇賷丞 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱兀賲亘乇丕胤賵乇賷丕鬲 毓亘乇 兀賵乇賵亘丕 賵丌爻賷丕貙 賵賰賷賮 噩毓賱 丕賱賲賴丕鬲賲丕 睾丕賳丿賷 賲丕 爻賲賾丕賴 "賲爻賷乇丞 丕賱賲賱丨", 賲丨乇賾囟丕賸 賱賱孬賵乇丞 丕賱賴賳丿賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀胤賱賯賴丕 毓丕賲 1930貙 賵賲孬賾賱鬲 亘丿丕賷丞 爻賯賵胤 丕賱丨賰賲 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷 賮賷 丕賱賴賳丿.
504 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2002
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221391 people want to read
About the author
Mark Kurlansky
68听books1,895听followersMark Kurlansky is an American journalist and author who has written a number of books of fiction and nonfiction. His 1997 book, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World (1997), was an international bestseller and was translated into more than fifteen languages. His book Nonviolence: Twenty-five Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea (2006) was the nonfiction winner of the 2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,798 reviews
May 2, 2021
Update, May 2021 Where I live has the most exclusive and best-tasting salt in the world. All over the Caribbean are salt ponds fringed with mangroves. Once every ten years or so there will be a major storm which will fill the ponds with water, and then there will be a drought of at least four months, which will evaporate it completely leaving huge salt crystals, untainted by any pollution at all, since there is no industry for thousands of miles. This salt is the saltiest salt you've ever tasted, and one pond is distinguishable from the next. These crystals are a little whiter, a little yellower, bigger, or smaller, you can taste the difference, and they are no more like table salt than French champagne is to Prosecco.
2019 was the last year for this. Hurricane Irma had filled the ponds in September 2017, then an early drought in 2019 meant the ponds were drying out. My son used to go and find conchs who would die and take them out to the sea, to deeper water. He collected about 7lb of salt, enough for presents and until the ponds dry out again.
_____________________
I read several chapters of this. It was mind-numbingly boring. Lists, lists, lists of everything that has ever been done with salt. What different countries, cultures and times have done with salt. The word salt in many different languages. That old thing about salary being the precious salt that the Romans paid their military in, right. I was praying for a relief from the tedium of this book. But all I got was the odd not-at-all interesting anecdote. I don't know how the rest of the book progressed but I don't care either.
This was about as interesting as reading the long list of all the ingredients in a box of Twinkies where you can't pronounce half of them, have never heard of the rest and are only reading it because there isn't anything else to read. (Like you do cereal boxes or the ketchup bottle). That said, the book was actually very interesting. If could make that interesting, I don't see why Kurlansky failed so utterly with Salt.
But he did, at least for me. A lot of Kurlansky's other books sound very appealing, but I'm wary now...
2019 was the last year for this. Hurricane Irma had filled the ponds in September 2017, then an early drought in 2019 meant the ponds were drying out. My son used to go and find conchs who would die and take them out to the sea, to deeper water. He collected about 7lb of salt, enough for presents and until the ponds dry out again.
_____________________
I read several chapters of this. It was mind-numbingly boring. Lists, lists, lists of everything that has ever been done with salt. What different countries, cultures and times have done with salt. The word salt in many different languages. That old thing about salary being the precious salt that the Romans paid their military in, right. I was praying for a relief from the tedium of this book. But all I got was the odd not-at-all interesting anecdote. I don't know how the rest of the book progressed but I don't care either.
This was about as interesting as reading the long list of all the ingredients in a box of Twinkies where you can't pronounce half of them, have never heard of the rest and are only reading it because there isn't anything else to read. (Like you do cereal boxes or the ketchup bottle). That said, the book was actually very interesting. If could make that interesting, I don't see why Kurlansky failed so utterly with Salt.
But he did, at least for me. A lot of Kurlansky's other books sound very appealing, but I'm wary now...
February 25, 2018
Chris Lavers started his review of this book for the Guardian with speculation on how an author can get released from publisher鈥檚 contract. The publisher receives priority by including a 鈥渇irst refusal鈥� clause on a second book. You merely present your publisher with stunningly unappealing material. If they choose not to publish, then you are free to go elsewhere. A history of salt should work.
Mostly, a foodie history with emphasis on the historical importance of salt for food preservation. There is some discussion of industrial uses like embalming in Egypt and other parts of Africa. The sections about cod and Basque fishing were familiar from reading and .
Until the first invention by a Paris cook, Nicolas Appert, the 鈥淔ather of Canning,鈥� most food preservation was salt. The Vitamin C in sauerkraut made it possible for early sailors to avoid scurvy.
Appert canning jar
More sophisticated canning of fish and vegetables followed. Cold preservation and Clarence Birdseye, founder of the frozen food industry were not far behind. In 1928 Birdseye found a buyer for his company and fast freezing method, it became General Foods. But, until these relatively recent events, salt was a vital part of the economy. There were salt laws, salt taxes, and salt merchants.
I learned a lot about the magical properties of salt, well the beliefs and customs in its magic. Salt protects against the evil eye according to both Jews and Muslims. Remember rubbing the newborn infants with salt from the Book of Ezekial 16:4. Sprinkle salt on the stage in traditional Japanese theater to protect against evil. Anglo-Saxon farmers used salt on the plow when invoking the earth goddess for a good harvest. Romans called a man in love salax, in a salted state, the origin of the word salacious.
An 1157 Paris engraving titled Women Salting Their Husbands demonstrated how to make your man more virile. The last line of an accompanying poem reads, 鈥淲ith salting, front and back, At last strong natures they will not lack.鈥� Biblioth猫que Nationale
From early history the West African silent barter reported by Herodotus and the ancient salt well of Shaanxi and Sichuan to the 1901 salt dome drilling of Spindletop which redefined the terms drill rig and well to mean oil, not salt. It's all here not too briny, just savory sample.
A crowd gathers to watch a side gusher on Spindletop hill in Beaumont, Texas which was the site of the first Texas oil gusher, 10 January 1901. (Photo by the Texas Energy Museum/Newsmakers)
Spindletop by 1902
*
Mostly, a foodie history with emphasis on the historical importance of salt for food preservation. There is some discussion of industrial uses like embalming in Egypt and other parts of Africa. The sections about cod and Basque fishing were familiar from reading and .
Until the first invention by a Paris cook, Nicolas Appert, the 鈥淔ather of Canning,鈥� most food preservation was salt. The Vitamin C in sauerkraut made it possible for early sailors to avoid scurvy.
Appert canning jar
More sophisticated canning of fish and vegetables followed. Cold preservation and Clarence Birdseye, founder of the frozen food industry were not far behind. In 1928 Birdseye found a buyer for his company and fast freezing method, it became General Foods. But, until these relatively recent events, salt was a vital part of the economy. There were salt laws, salt taxes, and salt merchants.
I learned a lot about the magical properties of salt, well the beliefs and customs in its magic. Salt protects against the evil eye according to both Jews and Muslims. Remember rubbing the newborn infants with salt from the Book of Ezekial 16:4. Sprinkle salt on the stage in traditional Japanese theater to protect against evil. Anglo-Saxon farmers used salt on the plow when invoking the earth goddess for a good harvest. Romans called a man in love salax, in a salted state, the origin of the word salacious.
In the Pyrenees, bridal couples went to church with salt in their left pockets to guard against impotence. In some parts of France, only the groom carried salt, in others only the bride. In Germany, the bride鈥檚 shoes were sprinkled with salt.
An 1157 Paris engraving titled Women Salting Their Husbands demonstrated how to make your man more virile. The last line of an accompanying poem reads, 鈥淲ith salting, front and back, At last strong natures they will not lack.鈥� Biblioth猫que Nationale
From early history the West African silent barter reported by Herodotus and the ancient salt well of Shaanxi and Sichuan to the 1901 salt dome drilling of Spindletop which redefined the terms drill rig and well to mean oil, not salt. It's all here not too briny, just savory sample.
A crowd gathers to watch a side gusher on Spindletop hill in Beaumont, Texas which was the site of the first Texas oil gusher, 10 January 1901. (Photo by the Texas Energy Museum/Newsmakers)
Spindletop by 1902
*
April 20, 2018
Let them eat salt! Literally, let everyone do so, as we all need a (moderate) dose of it. Such is one of the early discoveries in Mark Kurlansky鈥檚 biography of salt and how it shaped the world. Kurlansky uses his attention to detail and ability to entertain the curious reader in this book that explores much of how salt came to be found on most tables around the world, as well as some of the key customs and traditions that have lasted for centuries, if not millennia. The book places salt鈥檚 importance in three distinct categories throughout history, which Kurlansky develops effectively. Salt is most easily seen as a part of food/cooking, but also an important business over time, and finally a key political commodity throughout documented history. By viewing salt through these three lenses, the reader can better understand and respect how powerful and integral those small grains (or large rocks) have been to shaping the world in which we live. Interested and open-minded readers will enjoy this highly educational biography on what might seem a random and somewhat bland topic (pun intended). I challenge anyone who has the time to step outside the box and see if it鈥檚 to your taste.
It is worth mentioning that, while Kurlansky does make mention of many forms of salt through the narrative, the significant portion of the book relates to sodium chloride (NaCl), common table salt. This product is surely both a quintessential part of human function, but also found in most foods, either in core ingredients or added in preparation. Kurlansky discusses how the Chinese were some of the first to document their use of salt to create new staples in the country, namely soy sauce, which involves a fermentation process that salt helps spark. Salt has the sensational ability to pull moisture from items and create a brine that cures them in new and exciting ways, thinking of such things as picked cucumbers, meats, or even eggs. Salt as a preserving agent proved to be central to the success of permitting foods to be kept for longer periods, be it meats hunted to last throughout the winter or fish caught on the far side of the world to endure the journey back. Kurlansky briefly explores the importance that salt and cod played as teammates to bring the fish from the seaside communities to the islands and across the Atlantic (which is extrapolated in his book about the history of cod, another good read), thereby feeding the masses who could not fish themselves. Salt鈥檚 preserving ability also serve the rich well in keeping their wines before the discovery of bottling corks, where a sprinkling in the wine not only kept it fresh, but added an interesting flavour. Kurlansky mentions throughout that salt鈥檚 addition to items to keep them edible led to numerous accidental creations that we take for granted now. Sauerkraut, long deemed (by me, at least) to be a Germanic invention has some of its earliest documented findings in China, where packing cabbage in brine within barrels that previously held fermented items led to this delicacy that the likes of Marie Antoinette could not get enough of, up to the day of her death. I also came to learn that corned beef has nothing to do with corn, but embedded salt (a corned substance being one that has bits of another item embedded within it) that seeps in and creates an interesting flavour. That humans need salt is not in question, though Kurlansky does admit that salt intake is much higher now than in times of old and that sodium levels far exceed the recommended amount. I suppose we鈥檙e well preserved for years to come, allowing us to work well into old age.
While there is no doubt that salt helped feed the masses, it had to come from somewhere to make it onto tables or into the foods that were consumed. Salt was surely a lucrative and profit-rich business, according to Kurlansky, and anyone could do it on a small scale. However, large salt deposits could be handled in various ways by different companies. The first and most profitable type of business was brine ponds, used primarily for medicinal purposes. Those seeking to cure what ails them could turn to a soak in one of these ponds, usual naturally warm, and find much success. Those areas of the world able to procure the development of these ponds and keep them from drying out would see significant profits. There were other areas that used larger bodies of salt water to procure the salt needed for preserving food or making its way to the table. By creating man-made smaller basins and using the sun as a means of evaporating the water, large salt deposits remained, which could then be sold on the market. New England and parts of the Nordic countries were able to profit significantly through this method, which was sometimes paired with their cod stocks to create salted cod to sell on the world market, providing financial stability for the region. As Kurlansky discusses throughout the book, various groups were able to perfect the salt extraction method long before large machines or complex piping entered the scene. He does stress in the latter portion of the book that the lost art of salt retrieval, once passed from generation to generation, is all but lost in an era where massive factories can produce and sell salt at a discounted rate. The selling or trading of salt on the open market promised to be just as lucrative. Supply and demand would surely enter the discussion here, as would regions able to boost their economic situations by exporting salt to those in need. Kurlansky does have an interesting take on this, which I will discuss below, but there is no doubt that profits played a huge part in the salt business. Of note, salt was a significant factor in influencing Joseph Smith and Brigham Young in where they might choose to settle, away from the eyes of the majority of the American population in the mid-19th century. Looking for fertile and self-sustaining land, Young found a spot close to... yep, a 鈥榮alt lake鈥�, where he developed the Mormon Church and eventually helped forge Utah鈥檚 Salt Lake City. Food and business (and even religious settlements) help pave the way to a discussion of the politics of salt.
As with most things in life, if there is a crack left open (or space between crystals, in this case), politics will seep in. The politics of salt are far-reaching and have significant impact since documented history began. Kurlansky discusses the Chinese in the millennia before the Common Era not only capitalising on salt in the region, but regulating its use and distribution across the empire. Perhaps a sign of things to come, rulers and governments sought to control who could have what, when, and how much, though there was no sense of equality. Far be it from me to inject economic terms here, but regulation most certainly led to a dilution of the free-market economies of these areas, where the capable could profit based on their vested time and interest. Equally interesting, there is a discussion of the British suppressing their Indian subjects prior to the country鈥檚 independence. Mahatma Gandhi fought the British ban on local procuring and selling of salt, feeling that the people had a right to work for themselves without being suppressed. It worked, though not until after much struggle and bloodshed. Kurlansky makes an interesting observation throughout the book, that one could always predict that war was on the horizon when militaries began procuring large amounts of salt. Campaigns of any length would require forethought and planning, as it was not always possible to predict the plentifulness of energy-rich foods. Salting products for long-term use was the key way of doing so, which took not only ingenuity, but also access to salt. In one example, Kurlansky uses the US Civil War, where some were sure Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Army was surely doomed, having no known salt reserves from which to pull. Salt as a political weapon, albeit one that cannot make you bleed (but definitely could cause one to squirm if it got into the wound, no?!). The political side of salt also served to create a significant have and have not duality, such that portions of the population or states facing one another were able to elevate prices and quantities to suit their own needs. As with many products, there is no way to completely balance distribution, though one can presume that it is greed that led to as much disparity on the world market, even with something as basic as salt. Put labour into the mix and politics cannot stay away, begging to regulate or comment on working conditions, hours, and rates of pay. Kurlansky stirs the pot throughout by sprinkling commentaries on these and many other political topics throughout the book, sure to keep the reader thinking.
This is my third food-related biography by Kurlansky and I have not read one that has not completely floored me. The subject matter might seem bland or even off-putting, but take the time to explore what Kurlansky has to say and few will drift off from boredom. The detail Kurlansky takes in his writing seeks to educate and entertain in equal measure, while not drowning the reader in minutiae. Adding historical references and some anecdotes, the reader is taken on this journey and the points being made are further solidified as being fundamental. Kurlansky also shows an interesting habit that becomes apparent to those who have read many of his biographical pieces, pulling on pieces of research at just enough depth to make his point, but expounding on them in another tome. One can see this with his pieces on salt, cod, and milk, three that I have recently had the pleasure to devour. This interchange of ideas only furthers the hypothesis that everything is interconnected on some level, part of the larger lifeblood of the world in which we live. As with his other pieces, Kurlansky also brings the point home with related recipes embedded in the larger narrative. This personalises the subject matter and, for most, permits the reader to become actively involved in the topic at hand. Kurlansky鈥檚 books would not be complete without random pieces of knowledge, what I like to call 鈥榙inner party fodder鈥�. I had no idea of salt鈥檚 presumed trait as a fertility agent or aphrodisiac. I suppose men of a more advanced age in centuries past would turn to a handful of salt rather than their coloured pill to boost their 鈥榮haker鈥�, though, much like the modern pill, too much can lead to heart issues. Still, there is no end to the funny information I learn when Mark Kurlansky is in the driver鈥檚 seat. Take a whirl and spice up your life!
Kudos, Mr. Kurlansky, for never ceasing to amaze me. I know so much more now than I ever thought I could have about common table salt. What may seem so simplistic is shown to be so very exciting, with your lighthearted writing. I look forward to reading more of your work in short order.
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It is worth mentioning that, while Kurlansky does make mention of many forms of salt through the narrative, the significant portion of the book relates to sodium chloride (NaCl), common table salt. This product is surely both a quintessential part of human function, but also found in most foods, either in core ingredients or added in preparation. Kurlansky discusses how the Chinese were some of the first to document their use of salt to create new staples in the country, namely soy sauce, which involves a fermentation process that salt helps spark. Salt has the sensational ability to pull moisture from items and create a brine that cures them in new and exciting ways, thinking of such things as picked cucumbers, meats, or even eggs. Salt as a preserving agent proved to be central to the success of permitting foods to be kept for longer periods, be it meats hunted to last throughout the winter or fish caught on the far side of the world to endure the journey back. Kurlansky briefly explores the importance that salt and cod played as teammates to bring the fish from the seaside communities to the islands and across the Atlantic (which is extrapolated in his book about the history of cod, another good read), thereby feeding the masses who could not fish themselves. Salt鈥檚 preserving ability also serve the rich well in keeping their wines before the discovery of bottling corks, where a sprinkling in the wine not only kept it fresh, but added an interesting flavour. Kurlansky mentions throughout that salt鈥檚 addition to items to keep them edible led to numerous accidental creations that we take for granted now. Sauerkraut, long deemed (by me, at least) to be a Germanic invention has some of its earliest documented findings in China, where packing cabbage in brine within barrels that previously held fermented items led to this delicacy that the likes of Marie Antoinette could not get enough of, up to the day of her death. I also came to learn that corned beef has nothing to do with corn, but embedded salt (a corned substance being one that has bits of another item embedded within it) that seeps in and creates an interesting flavour. That humans need salt is not in question, though Kurlansky does admit that salt intake is much higher now than in times of old and that sodium levels far exceed the recommended amount. I suppose we鈥檙e well preserved for years to come, allowing us to work well into old age.
While there is no doubt that salt helped feed the masses, it had to come from somewhere to make it onto tables or into the foods that were consumed. Salt was surely a lucrative and profit-rich business, according to Kurlansky, and anyone could do it on a small scale. However, large salt deposits could be handled in various ways by different companies. The first and most profitable type of business was brine ponds, used primarily for medicinal purposes. Those seeking to cure what ails them could turn to a soak in one of these ponds, usual naturally warm, and find much success. Those areas of the world able to procure the development of these ponds and keep them from drying out would see significant profits. There were other areas that used larger bodies of salt water to procure the salt needed for preserving food or making its way to the table. By creating man-made smaller basins and using the sun as a means of evaporating the water, large salt deposits remained, which could then be sold on the market. New England and parts of the Nordic countries were able to profit significantly through this method, which was sometimes paired with their cod stocks to create salted cod to sell on the world market, providing financial stability for the region. As Kurlansky discusses throughout the book, various groups were able to perfect the salt extraction method long before large machines or complex piping entered the scene. He does stress in the latter portion of the book that the lost art of salt retrieval, once passed from generation to generation, is all but lost in an era where massive factories can produce and sell salt at a discounted rate. The selling or trading of salt on the open market promised to be just as lucrative. Supply and demand would surely enter the discussion here, as would regions able to boost their economic situations by exporting salt to those in need. Kurlansky does have an interesting take on this, which I will discuss below, but there is no doubt that profits played a huge part in the salt business. Of note, salt was a significant factor in influencing Joseph Smith and Brigham Young in where they might choose to settle, away from the eyes of the majority of the American population in the mid-19th century. Looking for fertile and self-sustaining land, Young found a spot close to... yep, a 鈥榮alt lake鈥�, where he developed the Mormon Church and eventually helped forge Utah鈥檚 Salt Lake City. Food and business (and even religious settlements) help pave the way to a discussion of the politics of salt.
As with most things in life, if there is a crack left open (or space between crystals, in this case), politics will seep in. The politics of salt are far-reaching and have significant impact since documented history began. Kurlansky discusses the Chinese in the millennia before the Common Era not only capitalising on salt in the region, but regulating its use and distribution across the empire. Perhaps a sign of things to come, rulers and governments sought to control who could have what, when, and how much, though there was no sense of equality. Far be it from me to inject economic terms here, but regulation most certainly led to a dilution of the free-market economies of these areas, where the capable could profit based on their vested time and interest. Equally interesting, there is a discussion of the British suppressing their Indian subjects prior to the country鈥檚 independence. Mahatma Gandhi fought the British ban on local procuring and selling of salt, feeling that the people had a right to work for themselves without being suppressed. It worked, though not until after much struggle and bloodshed. Kurlansky makes an interesting observation throughout the book, that one could always predict that war was on the horizon when militaries began procuring large amounts of salt. Campaigns of any length would require forethought and planning, as it was not always possible to predict the plentifulness of energy-rich foods. Salting products for long-term use was the key way of doing so, which took not only ingenuity, but also access to salt. In one example, Kurlansky uses the US Civil War, where some were sure Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Army was surely doomed, having no known salt reserves from which to pull. Salt as a political weapon, albeit one that cannot make you bleed (but definitely could cause one to squirm if it got into the wound, no?!). The political side of salt also served to create a significant have and have not duality, such that portions of the population or states facing one another were able to elevate prices and quantities to suit their own needs. As with many products, there is no way to completely balance distribution, though one can presume that it is greed that led to as much disparity on the world market, even with something as basic as salt. Put labour into the mix and politics cannot stay away, begging to regulate or comment on working conditions, hours, and rates of pay. Kurlansky stirs the pot throughout by sprinkling commentaries on these and many other political topics throughout the book, sure to keep the reader thinking.
This is my third food-related biography by Kurlansky and I have not read one that has not completely floored me. The subject matter might seem bland or even off-putting, but take the time to explore what Kurlansky has to say and few will drift off from boredom. The detail Kurlansky takes in his writing seeks to educate and entertain in equal measure, while not drowning the reader in minutiae. Adding historical references and some anecdotes, the reader is taken on this journey and the points being made are further solidified as being fundamental. Kurlansky also shows an interesting habit that becomes apparent to those who have read many of his biographical pieces, pulling on pieces of research at just enough depth to make his point, but expounding on them in another tome. One can see this with his pieces on salt, cod, and milk, three that I have recently had the pleasure to devour. This interchange of ideas only furthers the hypothesis that everything is interconnected on some level, part of the larger lifeblood of the world in which we live. As with his other pieces, Kurlansky also brings the point home with related recipes embedded in the larger narrative. This personalises the subject matter and, for most, permits the reader to become actively involved in the topic at hand. Kurlansky鈥檚 books would not be complete without random pieces of knowledge, what I like to call 鈥榙inner party fodder鈥�. I had no idea of salt鈥檚 presumed trait as a fertility agent or aphrodisiac. I suppose men of a more advanced age in centuries past would turn to a handful of salt rather than their coloured pill to boost their 鈥榮haker鈥�, though, much like the modern pill, too much can lead to heart issues. Still, there is no end to the funny information I learn when Mark Kurlansky is in the driver鈥檚 seat. Take a whirl and spice up your life!
Kudos, Mr. Kurlansky, for never ceasing to amaze me. I know so much more now than I ever thought I could have about common table salt. What may seem so simplistic is shown to be so very exciting, with your lighthearted writing. I look forward to reading more of your work in short order.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: /group/show/...
July 2, 2023
Why I chose to read this book:
1. this was one of the first books that I added to my WTR list since I love learning about various microhistories; and,
2. June 2023 is my "Nonfiction Month"!
Praises:
1. I thought that author included several interesting facts about salt, the only edible rock, especially about how nations thrived from the use of salt, and how salt taxes sometimes brought about revolutions;
2. informative maps, photos and illustrations were interspersed throughout the book; and,
3. I enjoyed the mention of the folktale . A lovely retelling is written by .
Niggles:
1. the writing was very repetitive and, at times, confusing! Seems like every culture and/or country that needed salt processed it the same way, with a few technological tweaks here and there. It often digressed and felt disorganized. Sometimes, chapters were left hanging;
2. portions of this book were devoted to cod fishing and/or the Basques, often not even mentioning salt! When I realized that this author also wrote books titled and , I got the feeling that Kurlansky borrowed information from them to pad up this book;
3. I wasn't expecting so many recipes! Although some were interesting in a historical way, others barely mention salt as a vital ingredient; and,
4. I was; however, expecting to read about cultural superstitions involving salt. Explanations about why it's bad luck to spill salt and the reasoning behind throwing salt over one's left shoulder would have been compelling to read about, even a nod towards da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" alluding to the symbolism behind the overturned salt cellar near Judas Iscariot's elbow. This should have made an honorable mention.
Overall Thoughts:
I hate to abandon a book, especially since I was so invested to read it! But when I began to dread picking it up and found myself nodding off after reading a couple of paragraphs, I had to admit to myself that life is too short, and that I had to move on. Very disappointed that it just wasn't for me.
DNF at 65%.
1. this was one of the first books that I added to my WTR list since I love learning about various microhistories; and,
2. June 2023 is my "Nonfiction Month"!
Praises:
1. I thought that author included several interesting facts about salt, the only edible rock, especially about how nations thrived from the use of salt, and how salt taxes sometimes brought about revolutions;
2. informative maps, photos and illustrations were interspersed throughout the book; and,
3. I enjoyed the mention of the folktale . A lovely retelling is written by .
Niggles:
1. the writing was very repetitive and, at times, confusing! Seems like every culture and/or country that needed salt processed it the same way, with a few technological tweaks here and there. It often digressed and felt disorganized. Sometimes, chapters were left hanging;
2. portions of this book were devoted to cod fishing and/or the Basques, often not even mentioning salt! When I realized that this author also wrote books titled and , I got the feeling that Kurlansky borrowed information from them to pad up this book;
3. I wasn't expecting so many recipes! Although some were interesting in a historical way, others barely mention salt as a vital ingredient; and,
4. I was; however, expecting to read about cultural superstitions involving salt. Explanations about why it's bad luck to spill salt and the reasoning behind throwing salt over one's left shoulder would have been compelling to read about, even a nod towards da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" alluding to the symbolism behind the overturned salt cellar near Judas Iscariot's elbow. This should have made an honorable mention.
Overall Thoughts:
I hate to abandon a book, especially since I was so invested to read it! But when I began to dread picking it up and found myself nodding off after reading a couple of paragraphs, I had to admit to myself that life is too short, and that I had to move on. Very disappointed that it just wasn't for me.
DNF at 65%.
November 20, 2015
This book changed my life. I picked it up because fiction novels were all looking the same to me, and because it was thick enough to last the long train ride from Dusseldorf to Maastricht. School textbooks were the only non-fiction I'd ever read, and they had not prepared me for the vibrant and engaging writing found in Salt. Since reading this book I have become a devoted fan of non-fiction writing, which has exposed me to a whole new world of literature.
April 23, 2007
This was the first so-called "commodity history" that I've read, and I'm sorry to say it might have turned me completely off the damn things. I'm not entirely sure why this book is so popular and so widely read, since it strikes me as simply a series of stories by that quickly settle into the same basic mantra, which is: 1) Here is this culture; 2) Like the twenty other cultures I have just introduced to you, salt was also important to this culture; 3) These are the ways they gathered salt; 4) Here is a random sprinkling of recipes involving salt. Done. Move on to next story.
The different stories are not even interwoven, so that halfway through the book I still didn't really know what Kurlansky's point is, unless to underscore his initial point that all animals need salt to live. But I already knew this before I cracked open the book, and I don't think Kurlansky's additional 450 pages underscoring the subject really added anything useful to my life.
Moreover, how can this guy write one book about how Cod changed the world (aptly titled ), and then turn right around and write another about how salt changed the world? One wonders if his gimmick isn't getting a bit old. And in any case, can't you name pretty much anything out there and weave a story about how it "changed" the world? Shoelaces, rubber, pencils, ziplock bags . . .
The one thing about the book that was interesting was how it printed all these old school recipes involving salt, salting and brining. The recipes are incredible because of the sheer amount of labor and preparation that they describe. It's both fascinating and horrifying. No wonder a woman's place used to be in the kitchen, if cooking and eating took so damn long.
Here is one of the simpler recipes, this one for salted cucumbers:
SOLENYE OGURTSY (SALTED CUCUMBER)
Dry out very clean river sand and pass it through a fine sieve. Spread a layer of this sand, the thickness of your palm, on the bottom of a barrel. Add a layer of clean black currant leaves, dill, and horseradish cut into pieces, followed by a layer of cucumbers. Cover the cucumbers with another layer of leaves, dill, and horseradish, topped with a layer of sand. Continue in this manner until the barrel is full. The last layer over the cucumbers must be currant leaves, with sand on the very top. Prepare the brine as follows: For one pail of water, use one and a half pounds of salt. Bring to a boil, cool, and cover the cucumbers completely with the brine. Replenish the brine as it evaporates. Before any kind of salting, cucumbers must be soaked for 12-15 hours in ice water. --Elena Molokhovets, A Gift to Young Housewives
=============
ADDENDUM I:
Okay, I am about three quarters through the book now (I was probably only about halfway through when I wrote the first portion of this review) and it's getting a lot better. Maybe it was just the very long Part II about salting cadavers and the preservation of fish that got me so down on the book before I'd even finished the damn thing. I was initially tempted to quit and put the book down, but I have done that so rarely with books that I decided to just push on, and thankfully the arc of the story shifted and started getting a lot better.
=============
ADDENDUM II:
Okay, the book got a lot better towards the end. It's still not a book that I would read again with any relish or recommend to anyone who is not already gung-ho about commodity histories, but I don't feel like I am wasting my eyes and mental energy with it anymore. Two stars!
The different stories are not even interwoven, so that halfway through the book I still didn't really know what Kurlansky's point is, unless to underscore his initial point that all animals need salt to live. But I already knew this before I cracked open the book, and I don't think Kurlansky's additional 450 pages underscoring the subject really added anything useful to my life.
Moreover, how can this guy write one book about how Cod changed the world (aptly titled ), and then turn right around and write another about how salt changed the world? One wonders if his gimmick isn't getting a bit old. And in any case, can't you name pretty much anything out there and weave a story about how it "changed" the world? Shoelaces, rubber, pencils, ziplock bags . . .
The one thing about the book that was interesting was how it printed all these old school recipes involving salt, salting and brining. The recipes are incredible because of the sheer amount of labor and preparation that they describe. It's both fascinating and horrifying. No wonder a woman's place used to be in the kitchen, if cooking and eating took so damn long.
Here is one of the simpler recipes, this one for salted cucumbers:
SOLENYE OGURTSY (SALTED CUCUMBER)
Dry out very clean river sand and pass it through a fine sieve. Spread a layer of this sand, the thickness of your palm, on the bottom of a barrel. Add a layer of clean black currant leaves, dill, and horseradish cut into pieces, followed by a layer of cucumbers. Cover the cucumbers with another layer of leaves, dill, and horseradish, topped with a layer of sand. Continue in this manner until the barrel is full. The last layer over the cucumbers must be currant leaves, with sand on the very top. Prepare the brine as follows: For one pail of water, use one and a half pounds of salt. Bring to a boil, cool, and cover the cucumbers completely with the brine. Replenish the brine as it evaporates. Before any kind of salting, cucumbers must be soaked for 12-15 hours in ice water. --Elena Molokhovets, A Gift to Young Housewives
=============
ADDENDUM I:
Okay, I am about three quarters through the book now (I was probably only about halfway through when I wrote the first portion of this review) and it's getting a lot better. Maybe it was just the very long Part II about salting cadavers and the preservation of fish that got me so down on the book before I'd even finished the damn thing. I was initially tempted to quit and put the book down, but I have done that so rarely with books that I decided to just push on, and thankfully the arc of the story shifted and started getting a lot better.
=============
ADDENDUM II:
Okay, the book got a lot better towards the end. It's still not a book that I would read again with any relish or recommend to anyone who is not already gung-ho about commodity histories, but I don't feel like I am wasting my eyes and mental energy with it anymore. Two stars!
August 15, 2018
What a disappointment this was. Kurlansky clearly has searched complete encyclopaedias on the word 'salt' and has poured it all down in this book, with no connecting narrative or analysis. Facts, myths and stories are mixed almost randomly. And okay, you do get the impression that salt has played a very important role throughout history, and even all around the world, but in the end you're stuck with a dizzying amount of (unreliable) facts. Kurlansky even has the annoying habit of adding all kinds of other non-salt-related information; unfortunately for him, he regularly makes big mistakes and he repeats himself constantly. This is certainly not the way that World History should go.
February 11, 2024
Published in 2002鈥攜ears prior to the Pink Himalayan salt craze鈥擬ark Kurlansky鈥檚 鈥淪alt: A World History,鈥� is still both a great, and a relevant, read.
This book is arranged into three parts: Part One: A Discourse on Salt, Cadavers, and Pungent Sauces; Part Two: The Glow of Herring and the Scent of Conquest; and Part Three: Sodium鈥檚 Perfect Marriage. In just twenty-six chapters, Kurlasnky takes the reader on a world tour of the history of salt making.
The author鈥檚 writing is geared to a non-academic, general public and includes not just Western countries鈥攍ike in Europe and the United States鈥攂ut also includes salt making in places like ancient Egypt, Rome, and the Middle East, Africa, China, and India. However, the majority of the writing does focus on European communities, including the US, and China.
The book鈥檚 ending seemed a bit stifled. It was clear that by Chapter 26, the author could have quite literally gone 鈥榦n and on鈥� but had to stop out of necessity. And while Kurlansky went out of his way to include short discussions of colonialism and slavery, these discussions were generally short because his subject was so broad that he could have created an entire multi-volume encyclopedia on the subject.
Being geared towards the general public, the author kept his scientific discussions to a minimum, but was able to incorporate information on numerous other types of salts other than just sodium chloride. What I really loved about this book is that the author showed readers how a single commodity can have such a huge impact on world history and economics, spanning from the earliest recorded history and up to the present time.
The author chose to avoid the use of both in-text citations and footnotes/endnotes, but did include a bibliography. While I wouldn鈥檛 consider the bibliography to be exhaustive, it was entirely acceptable. 鈥淪alt: A World History,鈥� was a fantastic read. There is no doubt as to why this book has become so popular and why people are still intent on reading it.
This book is arranged into three parts: Part One: A Discourse on Salt, Cadavers, and Pungent Sauces; Part Two: The Glow of Herring and the Scent of Conquest; and Part Three: Sodium鈥檚 Perfect Marriage. In just twenty-six chapters, Kurlasnky takes the reader on a world tour of the history of salt making.
The author鈥檚 writing is geared to a non-academic, general public and includes not just Western countries鈥攍ike in Europe and the United States鈥攂ut also includes salt making in places like ancient Egypt, Rome, and the Middle East, Africa, China, and India. However, the majority of the writing does focus on European communities, including the US, and China.
The book鈥檚 ending seemed a bit stifled. It was clear that by Chapter 26, the author could have quite literally gone 鈥榦n and on鈥� but had to stop out of necessity. And while Kurlansky went out of his way to include short discussions of colonialism and slavery, these discussions were generally short because his subject was so broad that he could have created an entire multi-volume encyclopedia on the subject.
Being geared towards the general public, the author kept his scientific discussions to a minimum, but was able to incorporate information on numerous other types of salts other than just sodium chloride. What I really loved about this book is that the author showed readers how a single commodity can have such a huge impact on world history and economics, spanning from the earliest recorded history and up to the present time.
The author chose to avoid the use of both in-text citations and footnotes/endnotes, but did include a bibliography. While I wouldn鈥檛 consider the bibliography to be exhaustive, it was entirely acceptable. 鈥淪alt: A World History,鈥� was a fantastic read. There is no doubt as to why this book has become so popular and why people are still intent on reading it.
December 20, 2013
You know you're a writing tutor when you fantasize about conversing with the author over his organization strategies.No, seriously. I had an entire dialog in my head about it. How did you organize this book? Does each section have a main concept or idea? Does every chapter and/or paragraph help move towards this idea? Can you find any that don't? Let's read through some of these paragraphs together and you can tell me where you think something might be tangential to the main idea.
This book meanders. It shares an interesting perspective on history based on one trading commodity, but sections, paragraphs, and even sentences within paragraphs will go off on a somewhat related topic and then return to the original topic as though it hadn't even left. One memorable example of this: I read a paragraph about the Egyptians making salt that, in the middle, incorporated a sentence about their trade with the Phoenicians, and then the next sentences finished the explanation salt making.
Some might like their nonfiction to take the scenic route to every idea; I discovered through this book that I am not one of those people.
This book meanders. It shares an interesting perspective on history based on one trading commodity, but sections, paragraphs, and even sentences within paragraphs will go off on a somewhat related topic and then return to the original topic as though it hadn't even left. One memorable example of this: I read a paragraph about the Egyptians making salt that, in the middle, incorporated a sentence about their trade with the Phoenicians, and then the next sentences finished the explanation salt making.
Some might like their nonfiction to take the scenic route to every idea; I discovered through this book that I am not one of those people.
June 3, 2016
毓孬乇鬲 毓賱賶 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賮賶 爻賵乇 丕賱丕夭亘賰賷丞 賷賵賲 丕賱爻亘鬲 丕賱賲丕囟賶 賮賶 賲毓乇囟 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賵丕卮鬲乇賷鬲賴 亘禺賲爻丞 噩賳賷賴丕鬲 亘毓丿賲丕 鬲乇丿丿鬲 賮賶 卮乇丕卅賴 賮賯丿 賯乇兀鬲 賲賯丿賲鬲賴 孬賲 鬲乇賰鬲賴 賵匕賴亘鬲 賵賱賲 賷胤丕賵毓賳賶 賯賱亘賶 賮毓丿鬲 丕賱賷賴 賲乇丞 丕禺乇賶 賮丕卮鬲乇賷鬲賴 貙 ...
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" 氐賵乇丞 賲賰亘乇丞 賱丨亘賷亘丕鬲 賲賳 丕賱賲賱丨 "
賰丕賳賵丕 賯丿賷賲丕賸 毓賳丿賲丕 賷乇賷丿賵賳 鬲毓馗賷賲 卮賶亍 賲丕 賵賲賳丨賴 丕賱孬賳丕亍 賵丕賱丿賱丕賱丞 毓賱賶 兀賴賲賷鬲賴 賷氐賮賵賳賴 亘兀賳賴 ' 賲賱丨 丕賱兀乇囟 ' 兀賵 ' 賲賱丨 丕賱亘賱丿 ' 兀賶 賰賲丕 兀賳 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賷氐亘丨 孬賯賷賱丕 賰丿乇丕 ' 賲丕爻禺丕 ' 賱丕 胤毓賲 賱賴 亘丿賵賳 丕賱賲賱丨 賰匕賱賰 賮廿賳 丕賱丿賳賷丕 鬲氐亘丨 賲丕爻禺丞 孬賯賷賱丞 賰丿乇丞 亘丿賵賳 賵噩賵丿 匕丕賰 丕賱卮禺氐 丕賱匕賶 賷丿賵乇 丨賵賱賴 丕賱賰賱丕賲
賲賳 賴賳丕 賷賲賰賳 賱賴丕 丕賳 賳賮賴賲 鬲賱賰 丕賱毓亘丕乇丞 丕賱卮賴賷乇丞 丕賱鬲賶 賵乇丿鬲 毓賱賶 賱爻丕賳 爻賮賷丕賳 丕賱孬賵乇賶 乇丨賲賴 丕賱賱賴 賵賴賵 賷氐賮 噩賲毓丕賸 賲賳 丕賱毓賱賲丕亍
賰丕賳 賲賳 毓丕丿丞 爻賮賷丕賳 丕賱孬賵乇賷 (97 - 161賴賭) 兀賳 賱丕 賷購毓賻賱賾賲購 兀丨丿丕 丕賱毓賱賲 丨鬲賶 賷鬲毓賱賲 丕賱兀丿亘貙 賵賱賵 毓卮乇賷賳 爻賳丞! 賵賰丕賳 賷賯賵賱 賱胤賱丕亘 丕賱毓賱賲: 芦廿匕丕 賮爻丿 丕賱毓賱賲丕亍貙 賮賲賳 亘賯賷 賮賷 丕賱丿賳賷丕 賷氐賱丨賴賲責 孬賲 賷賳卮丿 賯丕卅賱丕: 賷丕 賲毓卮乇 丕賱毓賱賲丕亍 賷丕 賲賱丨 丕賱亘賱丿 賲丕 賷氐賱丨 丕賱賲賱丨 廿匕丕 丕賱賲賱丨 賮爻丿責!禄...丕賶 賷丕 賲賳 賵馗賷賮鬲賰賲 丕賳 鬲毓胤賵丕 賱賱丿賳賷丕 胤毓賲丕賸 賰賲丕 賷賮毓賱 丕賱賲賱丨 賲毓 丕賱胤毓丕賲..賷丕賲賳 賲賴賲鬲賴賲 丨賮馗 毓賯賵賱 丕賱賳丕爻 賵賯賱賵亘賴賲 賲賳 兀賳 賷鬲爻乇亘 廿賱賷賴丕 丕賱毓賮賳 賵丕賱鬲丨賱賱 賰賲丕 賷賮毓賱 丕賱賲賱丨 賲毓 丕賱胤毓丕賲 ..賱賵 賮爻丿鬲賲 賲賳 兀賷賳 賷鬲兀鬲賶 丕賱廿氐賱丕丨 責
丨亘賷亘丕鬲 賲賱丨 亘賳賷丞 賲賳 噩亘丕賱 丕賱賴賲丕賱丕賷丕 
丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賷亘丿兀 亘鬲毓乇賷賮 丕賱賲賱丨 賵胤乇賯 丕爻鬲禺乇丕噩賴 (賰卮胤 丕賱亘丨賷乇丕鬲 賵丕賱卮賵丕胤賶亍 賵鬲爻禺賷賳 賲丕亍 丕賱亘丨乇 賵鬲亘禺賷乇賴 ) 賵鬲乇賰賷亘鬲賴 丕賱賰賷賲丕卅賷丞 孬賲 賷毓乇噩 毓賱賶 兀賴賲賷鬲賴 賮賶 丕賱丨囟丕乇丕鬲 丕賱賯丿賷賲丞 賵丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲丕鬲賴 丕賱毓丿賷丿丞 噩丿丕 賵丕賱禺乇丕賮丕鬲 丕賱賲乇鬲亘胤丞 亘賴 丕賱鬲賶 丨賵賱鬲賴 賮賶 賳馗乇 丕賱賯丿賲丕亍 廿賱賶 卮賶亍 兀卮亘賴 亘丕賱爻丨乇 孬賲 賷亘丿兀 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘丕賱賰賱丕賲 丨賵賱 丕賱氐乇丕毓丕鬲 丕賱鬲賶 丿丕乇鬲 丨賵賱 丕賱賲賱丨 ..丨賵賱 丕賱丿賵賱 丕賱鬲賶 丕賳賴丕乇鬲 賮賶 氐乇丕毓丕鬲 丕賱爻賷胤乇丞 毓賱賶 賲氐丕丿乇 丕賱賲賱丨 賵胤乇賯 鬲噩丕乇鬲賴 ..
賮賶 禺賱丕賱 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 丕賱胤賵賷賱 毓賱賶 丕賱丕乇囟 乇亘賲丕 賱賲 賷乇鬲亘胤 賵噩賵丿賴 亘賲丕丿丞 賰賲丕 丨丿孬 賲毓 " 賰賱賵乇賷丿 丕賱氐賵丿賷賵賲 " = 丕賱賲賱丨 , 賮賲賳匕 丕賳 毓乇賮 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 丨賷丕丞 丕賱丕爻鬲賯乇丕乇 賱賲 賷爻鬲胤毓 丕亘丿丕賸 丕賳 賷鬲禺賱賶 毓賳 丕賱賲賱丨 賵卮賰賱鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱賲丕丿丞 噩夭亍丕 丕爻丕爻賷丕賸 賲賳 丨賷丕鬲賴 ,賮賴賵 賷丨鬲丕噩 丕賱賷賴丕 賱賱胤毓丕賲 賵鬲毓賵賷囟 丕賱噩爻賲 亘賲丕 賷丨鬲丕噩賴 賲賳 賲賵丕丿 丕爻丕爻賷丞 鬲丿禺賱 賮賶 鬲賰賵賷賳 丕賱丿賲 孬賲 賮賶 賲乇丨賱丞 孬丕賳賷丞 丕丨鬲丕噩 丕賱賷賴丕 賱鬲禺夭賷賳 丕賱胤毓丕賲 賵丨賲丕賷鬲賴 賲賳 丕賱賮爻丕丿
亘丿兀 丕賱丕賲乇 賲賳 丕賱氐賷賳 , 賮賮賶 丕賱丕賱賮 丕賱丕賵賱賶 賯亘賱 丕賱賲賷賱丕丿 賮賶 丕賱賲賳丕胤賯 丕賱賲噩丕賵乇丞 賱亘丨賷乇丞 "賷賵鬲卮賷賳噩 " 丿丕乇鬲 賲毓丕乇賰 賰孬賷乇丞 噩丿丕賸 賱賱丕爻鬲賷賱丕亍 賵丕賱爻賷胤乇丞 毓賱賶 兀賯丿賲 賲氐賳毓 賲毓乇賵賮 賮賶 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 賱丕賳鬲丕噩 丕賱賲賱丨 , 賵賰丕賳 丕賱賲賱丨 丌賳匕丕賰 爻賱毓丞 丕爻丕爻賷丞 丕丨鬲賰丕乇賴丕 賷囟賲賳 丕賱孬乇賵丞 賵丕賱賯賵丞 , 賵 賰賲丕 賴賶 毓丕丿丞 丕賱氐賷賳賷賳 賮賶 丕賱丕亘鬲賰丕乇 賵丕賱丕禺鬲乇丕毓 賮賯丿 丕爻鬲禺丿賲賵丕 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 氐賳丕毓丞 " 丕賱賲禺賱賱丕鬲 , 賵丨賮馗 丕賱丕胤毓賲丞 亘丕賱鬲賲賱賷丨 "
兀賲丕 賮賶 賲氐乇 丕賱賯丿賷賲丞 賮賯丿 丕爻鬲禺丿賲賵賴 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丌禺乇 賱丨賮馗 丕賱噩孬孬 賵丕賱賲賵賲賷丕賵丕鬲 毓賳 胤乇賷賯 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 賰賲賷丕鬲 賰亘賷乇丞 賲賳 丕賱賲賱丨 賵丨卮賵賴丕 丿丕禺賱 丕賱噩爻賲 賱鬲噩賮賷賮 丕賱爻賵丕卅賱 丕賱賲賵噩賵丿丞 賮賷賴 賵鬲卮亘毓 賲爻丕賲 丕賱噩賱丿 亘丕賱賲賱丨 丕賱匕賶 賷賲孬賱 丕丿丕丞 賲賲鬲丕夭丞 賱賲賯丕賵賲丞 丕賱鬲毓賮賳 賵丕賱鬲丨賱賱 賵賰賲丕 丕爻鬲禺丿賲賵丕 丕賱賲賱丨 賱丨賮馗 賱丨賵賲 " 噩孬孬賴賲 " 丕爻鬲禺丿賲賵賴 丕賷囟丕賸 賱丨賮馗 賱丨賵賲 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 = 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 丕賱賲賲賱丨丞 丕賱鬲賶 鬲亘丿賵 毓賱賶 賰賱 丨丕賱 丕禺鬲乇丕毓丕賸 賲氐乇賷丕賸 禺丕賱氐丕賸 賱賲 鬲夭賱 乇丕卅丨鬲賴 丕賱賲賲賷夭丞 鬲夭賰賲 丕賱丕賳賵賮 賮賶 卮賴乇 丕亘乇賷賱 賲賳 賰賱 毓丕賲 賮賶 卮賲 丕賱賳爻賷賲
丕賲丕 丕賱賮賷賳賷賯賷賵賳 賮賴賲 丕賷囟丕賸 賯丕賲賵丕 亘丿賵乇賴賲 賮賶 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱賲賱丨 丕賱胤賵賷賱 賮賯丿 噩毓賱賵丕 丕賱賲賱丨 爻賱毓丞 毓丕賱賲賷丞 , 賮賴賲 賳噩丨賵丕 賮賶 鬲乇賵賷噩賴 賮賶 丕賱毓丕賱賲 毓賳 胤乇賷賯 丕爻丕胤賷賱賴賲 丕賱亘丨乇賷丞 丕賱卮賴賷乇丞 丕賱鬲賶 賰丕賳鬲 鬲噩賵亘 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱賯丿賷賲 丨賷賳匕丕賰 賮賶 賰賱 賱丨馗丞 , 賮賯丿 丕爻鬲禺丿賲賵賴 賰丕丿丕丞 賱賱賲賯丕賷囟丞 賵鬲亘丕丿賱 丕賱爻賱毓 毓亘乇 賲賵丕賳賶亍 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇丞 賯丿賷賲丕 , 賵賰丕賳 丕賱賮賷賳賷賯賷賵賳 賷爻鬲禺丿賲賵賳賴 亘賰孬乇丞 賲賲夭賵噩丕賸 賲毓 賯卮乇 丕賱乇賲丕賳 賱賱氐亘丕睾丞 丕賱鬲賶 丕卮鬲賴乇賵丕 亘賴丕, 賵賰匕賱賰 賮賶 丿亘丕睾丞 丕賱噩賱賵丿
匕賰乇 丕賱乇丨丕賱丞 丕賱毓乇亘賷 丕亘賳 亘胤賵胤丞 兀賳賴 夭丕乇 賲丿賷賳丞 鬲丕睾乇丕 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賲 1352 丕賱賲亘賳賷丞 賲賳 丕賱賲賱丨 亘賲丕 賮賷 匕賱賰 賲爻噩丿賴丕 貙 賵賰丕賳 丕賱賲賱丨 丕賳匕丕賰 賷爻鬲禺丿賲 賰爻賱毓丞 亘丕賱睾丞 丕丕賱丕賴賲賷丞 賱丿乇噩丞 丕賳 亘毓囟 賯亘丕卅賱 丕賮乇賷賯賷丕 賰丕賳鬲 鬲賯丕賷囟 賰賲賷丕鬲 丕賱賲賱丨 亘丕賱匕賴亘 丕賱禺丕賱氐 .
賯賵丕賮賱 賳賯賱 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 丕孬賷賵亘賷丕 * 
丕賲丕 丕賱乇賵賲丕賳賷賷賳 賮賯丿 丕丿乇賰賵丕 賲亘賰乇丕 賯賷賲丞 丕賱賲賱丨 賵丕賴賲賷鬲賴 , 賮賱賲 賷鬲乇丿丿賵丕 賱丨馗丞 賮賶 丕賱丕爻鬲賷賱丕亍 賵丕賱爻賷胤乇丞 毓賱賶 賵乇卮 丕賱賮賷賳賷賯賷賷賳 賱丕賳鬲丕噩 丕賱賲賱丨 賵丕賱鬲賶 賰丕賳鬲 鬲賳鬲卮乇 毓亘乇 卮賵丕胤賶亍 丕賱賲鬲賵爻胤 , 賵 賮賶 禺賱丕賱 賴匕賴 丕賱賮鬲乇丞 兀購囟賷賮鬲 亘毓囟 丕賱鬲賯賳賷丕鬲 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞 賮賶 賴匕丕 丕賱夭賲丕賳 賱丨賮馗 丕賱禺囟丕乇 賵丕賱夭賷鬲賵賳 毓賳 胤乇賷賯 丕賱賲賱丨
賱賱丕爻賮 鬲亘丿賵 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 賵丕賱丨賷鬲丕賳 丕賱賮卅丞 丕賱賵丨賷丿丞 丕賱丕賰孬乇 鬲囟乇乇丕賸 賮賶 匕賱賰 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱胤賵賷賱 賱賱賲賱丨 賵鬲胤賵乇丕鬲 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲賴 , 賮賶 丕賱賯乇賳 丕賱孬丕賲賳 毓卮乇 賵丕賱鬲丕爻毓 毓卮乇 賮賶 丕賵噩 丕夭丿賴丕乇 毓氐乇 丕賱賳賴囟丞 丕賱丕賵乇亘賷丞 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱亘賷囟丕亍 丕賱毓噩賵夭 鬲賳賵亍 亘丨賲賱賴丕 丕賱賲鬲夭丕賷丿 賲賳 丕賱爻賰丕賳 賵賰丕賳鬲 賮賶 丕賲爻 丕賱丨丕噩丞 丕賱賶 爻丿 丨丕噩鬲賴賲 丕賱賲鬲賳丕賲賷丞 丕賱賶 丕賱胤毓丕賲 毓賳 胤乇賷賯 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 賮馗賴乇鬲 丨賲賱丕鬲 賵丕爻毓丞 賱賱氐賷丿 賮賷賲丕 賵乇丕亍 丕賱亘丨丕乇 賮賶 丕賱賲丨賷胤丕鬲 丕賱賵丕爻毓丞 丨賷孬 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 丕賱賵賮賷乇丞 賵丕賱丕賳鬲丕噩 丕賱睾夭賷乇 , 賱賰賳 賴匕賴 丕賱乇丨賱丕鬲 鬲爻鬲睾乇賯 丕賷丕賲丕賸 賵丕爻丕亘賷毓 賱賱賵氐賵賱 丕賱賶 賴匕賴 丕賱丕賲丕賰賳 孬賲 丕賱毓賵丿丞 賲乇丞 丕禺乇賶 亘賲丕 鬲賲 氐賷丿賴 丕賱賶 丕賱卮賵丕胤賶亍 丕賱丕賵乇賵亘賷丞 賵賴匕賴 丕賱賲丿丞 賰丕賳鬲 賰丕賮賷丞 賱丕賮爻丕丿 賵鬲毓賮賳 丕賶 賰賲賷丞 賷鬲賲 丕氐胤賷丕丿賴丕 賲賳 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 賲亘丕卮乇丞 , 賵 賰丕賳 丨賱 賴匕賴 丕賱賲毓囟賱丞 賷鬲賲孬賱 賮賶 " 丕賱賲賱丨 " 賮賶 鬲賱賰 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 丕賱賲賲賱丨丞 丕賱賲賯丿丿丞 丕賱賱匕賷匕丞 丕賱鬲賶 賷鬲賲 丨卮賵賴丕 亘丕賱賲賱丨 亘毓丿 氐賷丿賴丕 賲亘丕卮乇丞 賱賲賳毓 丕賶 鬲丨賱賱 丕賵 鬲毓賮賳 賷馗賴乇 毓賱賷賴丕 .
賲賳 賳丕丨賷丞 兀禺乇賶 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱乇丨賱丕鬲 丕賱賰卮賮賷丞 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇賷丞 丕賱丕賵乇賵亘賷丞 賮賶 兀賵噩 丕夭丿賴丕乇賴丕 賮賶 賴匕丕 丕賱毓氐乇 , 賵賰丕賳鬲 丕賱卮賵丕胤賶亍 丕賱兀賵乇賵亘賷丞 鬲賯匕賮 丕賱賶 丕賱亘丨丕乇 賷賵賲賷丕賸 丕賱丕賱丕賮 賲賳 丕賱賲睾丕賲乇賷賳 丕賱氐毓丕賱賷賰 丕賱匕賷賳 禺乇噩賵丕 亘丨孬丕賸 毓賳 丕賱孬乇賵丞 賵丕賱匕賴亘 賮賷賲丕 賵乇丕亍 丕賱亘丨丕乇 賵 賰丕賳鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱乇丨賱丕鬲 鬲馗賱 丕賷囟丕賸 卮賴賵乇丕 胤賵賷賱丞 賮賶 毓乇囟 丕賱亘丨乇 鬲亘毓丿 毓賳 丕賯乇亘 賲乇賰夭 賱賱丕賲丿丕丿 賵丕賱鬲賲賵賷賳 亘丕賱丌賮 丕賱賰賷賱賵賲鬲乇丕鬲 賵賮賶 賳賮爻 丕賱賵賯鬲 賱丕賷賲賰賳賴丕 丕賱丕丨鬲賮丕馗 亘丕賱胤毓丕賲 丕賱匕賶 睾丕賱亘丕賸 賲丕 賷賱亘孬 賮鬲乇丞 賷爻賷乇丞 丕賱丕 賵賷馗賴乇 毓賱賷賴 丕孬丕乇 丕賱鬲毓賮賳 賵丕賱鬲丨賱賱 , 賲賳 賴賳丕 馗賴乇鬲 丕賱丨丕噩丞 丕賱賲賱丨丞 賱丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 鬲禺賱賷賱 丕賱賮賵丕賰賴 賵丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 賱丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲賴丕 賮賶 賴匕賴 丕賱乇丨賱丕鬲 丕賱胤賵賷賱丞 賵賰賱 匕賱賰 胤亘毓丕賸 亘丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱賲賱丨 .
賮賶 馗賱 賴匕賴 丕賱丨賲賱丕鬲 丕賱囟禺賲丞 賱氐賷丿 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 賵丕賱丨賷鬲丕賳 爻賵丕亍 賱爻丿 丕賱毓噩夭 丕賱睾匕丕卅賶 賮賶 丕賵乇賵亘丕 丕賵 賱賱氐賳丕毓丕鬲 丕賱睾匕丕卅賷丞 丕賱賯丕卅賲丞 毓賱賶 丕賱鬲禺賱賷賱 賵丕賱鬲賲賱賷丨 馗賴乇鬲 丨賲賱丕鬲 賲噩賳賵賳丞 睾賷乇 賲賳囟亘胤丞 賵噩丕卅乇丞 賱賱氐賷丿 丨氐丿鬲 賮賶 胤乇賷賯賴丕 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賳賵丕毓 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 丕賱鬲賶 鬲毓乇囟鬲 賱賱丕賳賯乇丕囟 賵丕賱丕禺鬲賮丕亍 賰賱 匕賱賰 亘賮囟賱 賵鬲卮噩賷毓 賴匕賴 丕賱鬲賯賳賷丕鬲 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞 '丨賮馗 丕賱胤毓丕賲 亘丕賱賲賱丨' .賽 ..賰丕賳 丕賱鬲毓賮賳 丕賱爻乇賷毓 賱賱爻賲賰 賴賵 丨噩乇 丕賱毓孬乇丞 丕賱匕賶 賷賯賮 賮賶 賵噩賴 丨賲賱丕鬲 丕賱氐賷丿 丕賱噩丕卅乇丞 賮賱賲丕 馗賴乇鬲 鬲賯賳賷丞 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 丕賱賲賲賱丨丞 丕賳胤賱賯鬲 丨賲賱丕鬲 丕賱氐賷丿 丕賱噩丕卅乇 亘賱丕 囟丕亘胤 賵賱丕 乇賯賷亘.
亘丨賷乇丕鬲 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 亘賵賱賷賮賷丕 = 丕賲乇賷賰丕 丕賱噩賳賵亘賷丞 
丨賷賳賲丕 賵氐賱 丕賱丕賵乇賵亘賷賵賳 丕賱賶 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱亘賰乇 = 賯丕乇丞 丕賱賴賳賵丿 丕賱丨賲乇 丕賵 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱丕賲乇賷賰賷丞 賰賲丕 丕胤賱賯 毓賱賷賴丕 亘毓丿 匕賱賰 , 賰丕賳 丕賱爻賰丕賳 丕賱丕氐賱賷賵賳 賷毓乇賮賵賳 噩賷丿丕賸 丕賳鬲丕噩 丕賱賲賱丨 賱丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲鬲賴賲 丕賱賷賵賲賷丞 毓賳 胤乇賷賯 卮賵丕胤賶亍 丕賱亘丨丕乇 , 賵賱賲 賷賱亘孬 丕賱丕賵乇亘賷賵賳 賯賱賷賱丕賸 丨鬲賶 丕胤賱賯賵丕 丨賲賱丕鬲 賵丕爻毓丞 賱丕爻鬲賰卮丕賮 丕賲丕賰賳 鬲賵丕噩丿 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞 賵 賱賲 鬲鬲賵丕賳賶 賴匕賴 丕賱丨賲賱丕鬲 毓賳 賯鬲賱 賵鬲丿賲賷乇 丕賱爻賰丕賳 丕賱丕氐賱賷賷賳 賲賳 丕噩賱 丕賱爻賷胤乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賲賱丨 賰賲丕 賮毓賱賵丕 賲賳 丕噩賱 丕賱爻賷胤乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱匕賴亘 賵毓賱賶 賰賱 賲賯丿乇 賲賳 賲賯丿乇丕鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱禺囟乇丕亍 , 賱賰賳 賲賯丕賱賷丿 丕賱丕賲賵乇 賰丕賳鬲 賵賯鬲賴丕 賮賶 賷丿 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕 丕賱鬲賶 賰丕賳鬲 鬲鬲賯丕爻賲 丕賱丨賰賲 賮賶 丕賲乇賷賰丕 賲毓 賮乇賳爻丕 , 賮賱賲 鬲鬲胤賵乇 賴匕賴 丕賱氐賳丕毓丞 賮賶 丕賲乇賷賰丕 賰孬賷乇丕賸 賮丨丕噩丞 丕賱爻賰丕賳 賲賳 丕賱賲賱丨 賰丕賳 賷鬲賲 鬲賵賮賷乇賴丕 毓賳 胤乇賷賯 丕爻鬲賷乇丕丿 丕賱賲賱丨 賲賳 賲丿賷賳丞 丕賱賲賱丨 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丞 丕賱丕卮賴乇 丨賷賳匕丕賰 = 賱賷賮乇亘賵賱 , 丕賱匕賶 賰丕賳 賲賱丨賴丕 賷丨鬲賱 賲賰丕賳丞 賵爻賲毓丞 胤賷亘丞 丕賳匕丕賰 賮賶 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賰賲賱丨 毓丕賱賶 丕賱噩賵丿丞 ( 賲賱丨 賱賷賮乇亘賵賱 ) ,毓賱賶 賲丿丕乇 丕賱爻賳賵丕鬲 丕賱鬲丕賱賷丞 賱賲 賷賰賳 丕賱鬲噩丕乇 丕賱丕賲乇賷賰賷賵賳 賷乇鬲丕丨賵賳 賰孬賷乇丕賸 賱賮賰乇丞 丕賱丨賰賲 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賶 賱丕賲乇賷賰丕 ,
賵亘丿兀 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷賵賳 賮賷 毓丕賲 1759 賷賵丕噩賴賵賳 丕賱賲賷賱 丕賱兀賲賷乇賰賷 賱賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 亘賮乇囟 鬲毓乇賷賮丕鬲 賵囟乇丕卅亘 毓賯丕亘賷丞 毓賱賶 丕賱鬲噩丕乇丞 丕賱兀賲賷乇賰賷丞 鬲胤賵乇鬲 廿賱賶 丨丕賱丞 鬲賲乇丿 賵丨乇亘 毓丕賲 1775貙 賵賮乇囟 丨氐丕乇 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷 毓賱賶 丕賱賲爻鬲賵胤賳丕鬲 丕賱兀賲賷乇賰賷丞 丕賱賲鬲賲乇丿丞 兀丿賶 廿賱賶 賳賯氐 賮賵乇賷 賵禺胤賷乇 賮賷 丕賱賲賱丨貙 賵丕爻鬲賴丿賮鬲 丕賱賲毓丕乇賰 賵丕賱氐乇丕毓丕鬲 亘賷賳 丕賱噩丕賳亘賷賳 賲氐丕丿乇 丕賱賲賱丨貙 賵丨丕賵賱 賰賱 胤乇賮 丨乇賲丕賳 禺氐賲賴 賲賳賴丕. 賵亘丿兀鬲 丕賱廿丿丕乇丞 丕賱兀賲賷乇賰賷丞 丕賱賲爻鬲賯賱丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賮賵乇 賮賷 噩賲賱丞 賲賳 丕賱爻賷丕爻丕鬲 賵丕賱廿噩乇丕亍丕鬲 鬲卮噩賷毓 氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱賲賱丨 賵賲賵丕噩賴丞 賳賯氐賴 丕賱丨丕丿 賵丕賱丨氐丕乇 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷貙 賮卮賰賱 丕賱賰賵賳睾乇爻 賱噩丕賳丕 賱賱賲卮賵乇丞 賮賷 胤乇賯 賵賵爻丕卅賱 廿賲丿丕丿 丕賱賵賱丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲丨丿丞 亘丕賱賲賱丨貙 賵兀毓賮賷 丕賱毓賲丕賱 丕賱毓丕賲賱賵賳 賮賷 賲噩丕賱 丕賱賲賱丨 賲賳 丕賱禺丿賲丞 丕賱毓爻賰乇賷丞貙 賵賵丕噩賴 丕賱氐賷丕丿賵賳 賵丕賱賲夭丕乇毓賵賳 兀夭賲丞 禺丕賳賯丞 賮賷 丕賱丨氐賵賱 毓賱賶 丕賱賲賱丨.賵賮賷 丕鬲賮丕賯賷丞 亘丕乇賷爻 賲賳 爻亘鬲賲亘乇/ 兀賷賱賵賱 毓丕賲 1783 丕賳鬲賴鬲 丕賱孬賵乇丞 丕賱兀賲賷乇賰賷丞 亘丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱貙 賵賵賱丿鬲 兀賲丞 噩丿賷丿丞 賲毓 匕丕賰乇丞 賲乇丞 毓賲丕 賷毓賳賷賴 丕賱丕毓鬲賲丕丿 毓賱賶 丕賱丌禺乇賷賳 賱賱丨氐賵賱 毓賱賶 丕賱賲賱丨.
鬲胤乇賯 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 兀賷囟丕 廿賱賶 丕賱孬賵乇丞 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷丞 賵卮賳賯 賱賵賷爻 丕賱乇丕亘毓 毓卮乇 丕賱匕賶 賰丕賳鬲 爻賷丕爻丕鬲賴 丕賱賲丕賱賷丞 丕賱賮丕卮賱丞 爻亘亘丕 賮賶 丕賳丿賱丕毓 丕賱孬賵乇丞 囟丿賴 賮賶 兀乇噩丕亍 賮乇賳爻丕 貙 賵丕丨丿 兀賴賲 賴匕賴 丕賱爻賷丕爻丕鬲 丕賱賲丕賱賷丞 丕賱爻賷卅丞 賴賶 囟乇賷亘丞 ' 丕賱睾丕賷亘賱 ' 兀賵 囟乇賷亘丞 丕賱賲賱丨 丕賱鬲賶 爻噩賳鬲 丕賱丨賰賵賲丞 丕賱丕賱丕賮 賲賳 丕賱賲賵丕胤賳賷賳 丨賷賳賲丕 丨丕賵賱賵丕 丕賱鬲賴乇亘 賲賳賴丕 ..賯丕賲鬲 丕賱孬賵乇丞 賵賰丕賳鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱囟乇賷亘丞 賲賳 兀賵丕卅賱 丕賱囟乇丕卅亘 丕賱鬲賶 鬲賲 廿賱睾丕亍賴丕 賮賵乇丕 亘毓丿 丕賱孬賵乇丞 .
" 丕賱賰賷賲賷丕 睾丿丕乇丞"
乇亘賲丕 賰丕賳 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲毓賱賷賯 賴賵 丕賱丕賳爻亘 賱鬲賵氐賷賮 丨丕賱丞 丕賱賲賱丨 亘毓丿 丕賳 睾丿乇鬲 亘賴 丕賱賰賷賲賷丕亍 , 賮賶 丕賱爻賳賵丕鬲 丕賱丕禺賷乇丞 鬲乇丕噩毓 丿賵乇 丕賱賲賱丨 賰孬賷乇丕 賵賮賯丿 賯丿乇丕 賰亘賷乇丕 賲賳 爻賱胤鬲賴 賵爻胤賵鬲賴 , 毓丿丿 賱賷爻 亘丕賱賯賱賷賱 賲賳 丕賱賲噩丕賱丕鬲 丕賱鬲賶 賰丕賳 賷爻鬲禺丿賲 賮賷賴丕 賰賱賵乇賷丿 丕賱氐賵丿賷賵賲 鬲賲 丕爻鬲亘丿丕賱賴 賮賷賴丕 亘丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲乇賰亘丕鬲 丕賱賰賷賲丕卅賷丞 丕賱丕賯賱 爻毓乇丕賸 賵賰賱賮丞
賮賶 丕賱賵丕賯毓 賷賲賰賳 賱賳丕 丕賳 賳鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 囟乇亘鬲賷賳 賲賵噩毓鬲賷賳 鬲賱賯丕賴賲丕 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 丕賱毓氐乇 丕賱丨丿賷孬 丕賮賯丿鬲丕賴 賰孬賷乇丕賸 賲賳 丕賴賲鬲賷賴 , 丕賱囟乇亘丞 丕賱丕賵賱賶 賰丕賳鬲 毓賱賶 賷丿 丕賱胤丕賴賶 丕賱賮乇賳爻賶 丕賱卮賴賷乇 賳賷賯賵賱丕爻 兀亘賷乇貙 丕賱匕賷 丕禺鬲乇毓 鈥溫з勜官勝娯ㄢ€� 貙 賮賷賲丕 丕賱囟乇亘丞 丕賱賯丕氐賲丞 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 噩丕亍鬲 賲賳 氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱孬賱噩貙 丨賷孬 丕賳鬲卮乇 鬲噩賲賷丿 丕賱丕爻賲丕賰 賵丕賱賱丨賵賲 亘丿賱丕 賲賳 鬲賲賱賷丨賴丕..
丕賱賲賱丨 賵丕爻鬲禺乇丕噩锟斤拷 賮賶 丕賱賴賳丿
賮賶 丕賱賮氐賵賱 丕賱丕禺賷乇丞 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 鬲賳丕賵賱 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 丕賱賴賳丿 , 爻賷胤乇鬲 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕 毓賱賶 丕賱賴賳丿 賮賶 丕賱賯乇賳 丕賱爻丕丿爻 毓卮乇 賵賱賲 鬲賱亘孬 賯賱賷賱丕 丨鬲賶 丕丨鬲賰乇鬲 鬲賲丕賲丕賸 氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱賲賱丨 賵鬲噩丕乇鬲賴 賮賶 卮亘賴 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱賴賳丿賷丞 賮丕丕賱丨賰賵賲丞 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丞 賲賳毓鬲 丨鬲賶 賰卮胤 丕賱賲賱丨 毓賳 爻胤丨 丕賱鬲乇亘丞 鬲丨鬲 胤丕卅賱丞 毓賯賵亘丕鬲 賯丕爻賷丞貙 賵賲賳毓鬲 卮毓賵亘丕 賰丕賳鬲 鬲毓鬲賲丿 亘兀賰賲賱賴丕 毓賱賶 氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱賲賱丨 賵丕賱丕鬲噩丕乇 亘賴 賲賳 賲賵丕氐賱丞 毓賲賱賴丕 丕賱匕賷 丕毓鬲丕丿鬲 毓賱賷賴 丌賱丕賮 丕賱爻賳賷賳 , 賮賶 丕賱毓氐乇 丕賱丨丿賷孬 賵禺賱丕賱 丕賱孬賵乇丞 丕賱賴賳丿賷丞 囟丿 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕 賯丕賵賲 丕賱賴賳賵丿 賲亘丿兀 丕丨鬲賰丕乇 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕 賱氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱賲賱丨 賵賯丕賲 毓丿丿 賲賳 夭毓賲丕亍 丕賱孬賵乇丞 亘丕賱爻賷乇 賱賲爻丕賮丞 鬲夭賷丿 500 賰賷賱賵 爻賷乇丕 毓賱賶 丕賱丕賯丿丕賲 賱賱賵氐賵賱 丕賱賶 卮賵丕胤賶亍 丕賱賴賳丿 賲賳 丕噩賱 丕爻鬲禺乇丕噩 丕賱賲賱丨 賰賳賵毓 賲賳 丕賱鬲丨丿賶 賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕 賵亘毓丿 丨賲賱丞 賲賳 丕賱丕毓鬲賯丕賱丕鬲 賵丕丨鬲噩丕噩丕鬲 賵丕爻毓丞 爻賲丨鬲 丨賰賵賲丞 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 賱賱賴賳賵丿 亘丕爻鬲禺乇丕噩 丕賱賲賱丨 賵氐賳丕毓鬲賴 賲賳 丕噩賱 丨丕噩鬲賴賲 丕賱禺丕氐丞 賮賯胤 孬賲 賱賲 鬲賱亘孬 丕賱賴賳丿 賯賱賷賱丕 亘毓丿賴丕 丨鬲賶 丨氐賱鬲 毓賱賶 丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱賴丕 丕賱賰丕賲賱
__________________________
賲賳 丕賱丕卮賷丕亍 丕賱鬲賶 賷賳亘睾賶 丕賱鬲毓賱賷賯 毓賱賷賴丕
賴賶 丕賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賮賶 賲毓乇囟 爻乇丿賴 賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱賲賱丨 賮賶 丕賱丕丿賷丕賳 匕賰乇 丕賳 丕賱賲賱丨 賷丨鬲賱 賲賰丕賳丞 禺丕氐丞 賮賶 丕賱丿賷丕賳丞 丕賱賷賴賵丿賷丞 賵丕賱賲爻賷丨賷丞 孬賲 丕囟丕賮 丕賱賷賴丕 丕賱丕爻賱丕賲
亘賷丿 丕賳賳丕 賱丕 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賳 賳賵丕賮賯 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賮賶 賲丕 匕賴亘 丕賱賷賴 , 賮賰賱 賲賳 賱賴 丕丿賳賶 賲毓乇賮丞 亘丕賱丕爻賱丕賲 賵亘卮乇丕卅毓賴 賷毓賱賲 丕賳 丕賱賲賱丨 賱丕 賷丨鬲賱 賲賰丕賳丞 丿賷賳賷丞 賵賱丕 丨鬲賶 卮毓丕卅乇賷丞 賮賶 丕賱丕爻賱丕賲 , 賵丕賳 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 亘毓囟 丕賱噩賴賱丞 賲賳 丕賱賲爻賱賲賷賳 賱賱賲賱丨 賰賲丕丿丞 賱賱丨賮馗 賲賳 丕賱丨爻丿 賵丕賱乇賯賷丞 賵賲丕 丕賱賶 匕賱賰 賴賵 賳賵毓 賲賳 丕賱亘丿毓 賵丕賱禺乇丕賮丕鬲 丕賱鬲賶 賱丕 毓賱丕賯丞 賱賱丕爻賱丕賲 亘賴丕 ..
賱丕 鬲賰賵賳 丕賱丕賲丞 丕賰孬乇 賮賯乇丕 丕賱丕 毓賳丿賲丕 鬲亘丿賵 賲賰鬲馗丞 亘丕賱丕孬乇賷丕亍
May 21, 2012
While certainly an interesting and often entertaining read, with many historic details I had never heard before, this book is seriously flawed in several ways.
It has a bibliography, but no footnotes or endnotes. Given that on those subjects that I had detailed pre-knowledge, I found details that were misinterpreted, glossed over, or just plain wrong, I can only assume the same is true for the subjects I didn't know about before reading this book. But without detailed endnotes (which a book of this sort really ought to have), I would have to guess which of the many books in the bibliography is the source of any given fact or factoid. Plus there's every reason to believe some were pieced together by the author from multiple sources -- or pieced together of whole cloth.
The book lacks a general organizing principle. Are we traveling through time, era by era? Through the globe, region by region? Or perhaps it's time for a (grossly oversimplified and sometimes flat-out wrong) chemistry lesson? It never quite decides. Nor can it decide what its theme or focus should be. History? Politics? Geography? Certainly not chemistry. Maybe cooking?
3 stars means "I liked it", and that's about right. Mostly, I did. But that's despite its myriad flaws, certainly not because of them.
It has a bibliography, but no footnotes or endnotes. Given that on those subjects that I had detailed pre-knowledge, I found details that were misinterpreted, glossed over, or just plain wrong, I can only assume the same is true for the subjects I didn't know about before reading this book. But without detailed endnotes (which a book of this sort really ought to have), I would have to guess which of the many books in the bibliography is the source of any given fact or factoid. Plus there's every reason to believe some were pieced together by the author from multiple sources -- or pieced together of whole cloth.
The book lacks a general organizing principle. Are we traveling through time, era by era? Through the globe, region by region? Or perhaps it's time for a (grossly oversimplified and sometimes flat-out wrong) chemistry lesson? It never quite decides. Nor can it decide what its theme or focus should be. History? Politics? Geography? Certainly not chemistry. Maybe cooking?
3 stars means "I liked it", and that's about right. Mostly, I did. But that's despite its myriad flaws, certainly not because of them.
April 2, 2009
I very much enjoyed this book on world history, roled like a ball of yarn around the role salt played in this history. I think that different readers will enjoy different aspects of the book. There is something for everyone. I particularly enjoyed the sections on Chinese ancient history, on French salt production on Noirmoutier and Ile de R茅 and also the perspective of how French salt taxes (gabelle) influenced the French revolution. This was interesting becuase other books stress the role of the price of bread rather than these salt taxes. Other people may be interested in the role salt played in the American Revoltion, Morton Salt Company, German and Austrian salt mines, how a lack of Scandinavian salt influenced the Vikings, hydraulic drilling and gas deposits or the numerous old recipes provided (the original ketchup, tomato ketchup, the difference betwwen the Swedish herring surstr枚mming versus sill). I believe there is something here for everyone. The author makes the information so interesting that it fastens in your head! Well hopefully at least for awhile!
July 17, 2008
Mark Kurlansky is a historical writer who does what one reviewer referred to as the 鈥渓ittle-big鈥� style of writing, that is to say, he takes something little and often overlooked and from it he spins out larger truths about society and the world. To say that he does this well would be an understatement.
Salt: A World History, his fascinating history of this overlooked cooking seasoning, makes a couple very good points in its introduction. Because of its current cheapness and easy availability, we nowadays tend to forget that wars were fought, empires rose and fell, and fortunes were made and lost all on the basis of salt. Entire buildings have been constructed of salt, methods of transportation have been begun for moving salt, religious rituals around the world make use of salt, and it is the only rock we eat.
Nearly everyone I鈥檝e mentioned the book too gives me the same look. A book about salt? that look says. How could that possibly be interesting?A much drier history could be written that was more cohesive if you wished to focus on one specific element, such as the development of salt procurement technologies, replete with graphs and tables. Instead, Kurlansky has written a lively book that moves about with rapidity and brio, never bogging down in any area.
While at times the author seems to suggest a little too freely that salt was the main ingredient in important historical revolutions (the American, the French, Ghandi鈥檚 in India), he does at least add this element so lacking in most other stories. If his partisanship as a salt historian has him shaking his salt cellar a little too aggressively over world events, consider it a corrective. Where he might have spent a little more time near the book鈥檚 conclusion is the environmental impacts of road salt and the increasing salinization of fresh water sources from this and due to rising sea water levels.
Most of the ancient practices for salt collection, such as filling a clay jar with brine, then letting the water evaporate out, then refilling with brine until the accumulated salt filled the jar, then smashing the jar open, persisted for thousands of years. The oldest human remnants in North America are such jar shards. On a large scale, this was done with a series of artificial ponds, brine pumped into one, set to evaporate for several months, then that water pumped into another lake to be replaced with fresh brine and so on. There are also, all over the world, brine springs and large pure veins of salt in the earth.
This early form of salt, irregular and large chunky crystals, impurities in the supply leading to discolorations, prone to clumping as well as oozing brine in humidity, was prized nonetheless. It often served as a means of trade and was bartered for other goods.
Near Salzburg (鈥淪alt Town鈥�), a collapse of a mountain in the middle ages uncovered a well preserved salt miner dating back to 400 BC, completely preserved even down to his leather pouch and brightly colored fabrics. Three miners were found in total, these were known to the Romans as Gauls (鈥淪alt people鈥�). These celtic types spread out as far as possible, going as far as being found perfectly preserved in Asian salt mines.
The Roman Empire (after defeating the Gauls and absorbing all their salt technology, their salted meat recipes, among other things) was the first peoples to declare common salt, that is, salt as a right belonging to all citizens. Most Italian cities were founded along nearby salt works. The first great Roman road, the Via Saleria has a name that might give it a clue as to what was behind its construction.
Salt was such an important part of Roman culture that two rather popular words in English still used today date from their original usage. The etymology of the word 鈥渟alary鈥� comes from the Romans paying their men in salt. To pay the large Roman army on the nearly continual German campaigns, generals would often set up salt evaporation ponds. Roman salt works lasted for centuries, some of them being taken over by the French monarchy and used in the 1300s.
Likewise, the origin of the word 鈥渟alad鈥� is from the Roman habit of salting their green vegetables to moderate the bitter taste, the word meaning 鈥渟alted.鈥� That one still buys canned green beans among other vegetables with salt already added is a testament to our tastes having long roots.
Later Venetian city state power was built on salt. Merchants there realized that selling and trading salt was actually more profitable than salt harvesting, and thus outsourced the salt production to Indians and Chinese and others. All imported salt supplied by Venice had to pass through the government for regulation, taxation, etc. As the money came rolling in, the Venetians had to expand their buying and their navy sailed farther and farther afield. The Venetian navy doubled as a military force and would police the Mediterranean, seizing ships and searching them for illegal salt transportation. Perhaps their most famous traveler would be Marco Polo who traveled along the Silk Road and met Kubla Khan.
Fish itself became a Friday food because of the Catholic Church鈥檚 expansion of 鈥渇ast days鈥� on which one was also supposed to abstain from sex. Red meat was seen as a 鈥渉ot meat鈥� and thus had sexual connotations, while aquatic meat were considered 鈥渃ool鈥� and thus unlikely to provoke salacious thinking. The legal penalty for eating meat on Friday in England was hanging and this law stood on the books until King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church.
In the American Revolution, salt would come to play am important role. With the supply of Liverpool salt obviously cut off, the very first patent issued in the United States was for a refinement on salt production. Several battles engaged in by George Washington were to secure and hold the American salt production locales and supplies. Several measures were passed by the Continental Congress advocating salt production in each colony. Pamphlets were published and distributed freely among the colonists for bay salt production. Exemptions were offered to salt works letting their workers out of military service; New Jersey would allow each facility to exempt up to ten men.
This importance extended itself in history through the American Civil War as well. Secession exposed the South鈥檚 desperate lack of salt works. The Union blockade from England was designed to prevent the importation of Liverpool salt through the port of New Orleans. An army essentially could not subsist without salted meat which prevented spoilage and allowed for long marches. Wherever they marched, Union armies attacked Confederate salt works and when captured, they destroyed them. When the Confederates captured (or retook) a salt works, they celebrated. This shortage of salt is best demonstrated when Lee surrendered to Grant. As part of terms, he asked the conquering general for food, stating that his soldiers hadn鈥檛 eaten in two days.
Prior to the Civil War and just after the American Revolution, the Erie Canal鈥檚 backers and the surveyor who pushed the idea, presenting it first to President Thomas Jefferson then later to New York business interests after Jefferson denied them, were salt manufacturers. It was eventually built and one of its main products shipped was salt. The Trans-Ohio Canal from the Ohio River to Cleveland carried nothing but salt.
Nearby a ten-mile stretch of the Kanawha River through what is now West Virginia managed to set up the best salt works in America, giving the earlier established Onedega salt works in New York a run for its money. Cincinnati grew as a city, grew from salt pork due to Ohio grown hogs and Kanawha salt. Eventually, the Kanawha salt makers were crushed by the New York Onedega salt works鈥� friends in government who passed laws making it harder for the Virginia firm to compete.
Back overseas, The British East India Company鈥檚 salt policy, featuring the usual bad elements such as high taxes and a brutal enforcement policy, prohibitions on salt production at one point (when the Indian salt works produces cheaper salt than Liverpool), and a deaf ear to poverty, eventually got noticed by a small fellow named Ghandi. His salt campaign was launched through the India National Congress. He marched to the Indian Ocean with 78 followers (the number rising to thousands) and after a ritual purification, he waded to the shore and scooped up a large crystal of salt, thus breaking the British laws. All over India, people began scooping up salt, making salt, mining salt. In that single moment, that single act, the British lost their colony for all time.
Salt has always been a part of our history. Without it, health suffers; with too much of it health suffers. How much is good for you and how much is bad for you seems very particular based on where you live, your activity level, and your genetics. Kurlansky addresses this in closing, but it鈥檚 just circles. The exact formula can probably never be argued with certainty due to any number of factors playing a role, but what is without question is that salt, that simple little rock, so common today as to be given away freely at restaurants, is still important and will always be important.
In the way the world works, circularly, the various colored, irregular salt crystals of the past, which were spurned when whiter, purer salt was regularized and when consistency of shape and size was prized, are now seen as artisanal salts. They have now become the expensive style salt whereas they used to be cheaper salt eaten by the poor. The coloration of the salt is merely an indication of differing kinds of dirt in the product. Pure, regular white salt crystals are now the salt of the poor. What comes around goes around.
Salt: A World History, his fascinating history of this overlooked cooking seasoning, makes a couple very good points in its introduction. Because of its current cheapness and easy availability, we nowadays tend to forget that wars were fought, empires rose and fell, and fortunes were made and lost all on the basis of salt. Entire buildings have been constructed of salt, methods of transportation have been begun for moving salt, religious rituals around the world make use of salt, and it is the only rock we eat.
Nearly everyone I鈥檝e mentioned the book too gives me the same look. A book about salt? that look says. How could that possibly be interesting?A much drier history could be written that was more cohesive if you wished to focus on one specific element, such as the development of salt procurement technologies, replete with graphs and tables. Instead, Kurlansky has written a lively book that moves about with rapidity and brio, never bogging down in any area.
While at times the author seems to suggest a little too freely that salt was the main ingredient in important historical revolutions (the American, the French, Ghandi鈥檚 in India), he does at least add this element so lacking in most other stories. If his partisanship as a salt historian has him shaking his salt cellar a little too aggressively over world events, consider it a corrective. Where he might have spent a little more time near the book鈥檚 conclusion is the environmental impacts of road salt and the increasing salinization of fresh water sources from this and due to rising sea water levels.
Most of the ancient practices for salt collection, such as filling a clay jar with brine, then letting the water evaporate out, then refilling with brine until the accumulated salt filled the jar, then smashing the jar open, persisted for thousands of years. The oldest human remnants in North America are such jar shards. On a large scale, this was done with a series of artificial ponds, brine pumped into one, set to evaporate for several months, then that water pumped into another lake to be replaced with fresh brine and so on. There are also, all over the world, brine springs and large pure veins of salt in the earth.
This early form of salt, irregular and large chunky crystals, impurities in the supply leading to discolorations, prone to clumping as well as oozing brine in humidity, was prized nonetheless. It often served as a means of trade and was bartered for other goods.
Near Salzburg (鈥淪alt Town鈥�), a collapse of a mountain in the middle ages uncovered a well preserved salt miner dating back to 400 BC, completely preserved even down to his leather pouch and brightly colored fabrics. Three miners were found in total, these were known to the Romans as Gauls (鈥淪alt people鈥�). These celtic types spread out as far as possible, going as far as being found perfectly preserved in Asian salt mines.
The Roman Empire (after defeating the Gauls and absorbing all their salt technology, their salted meat recipes, among other things) was the first peoples to declare common salt, that is, salt as a right belonging to all citizens. Most Italian cities were founded along nearby salt works. The first great Roman road, the Via Saleria has a name that might give it a clue as to what was behind its construction.
Salt was such an important part of Roman culture that two rather popular words in English still used today date from their original usage. The etymology of the word 鈥渟alary鈥� comes from the Romans paying their men in salt. To pay the large Roman army on the nearly continual German campaigns, generals would often set up salt evaporation ponds. Roman salt works lasted for centuries, some of them being taken over by the French monarchy and used in the 1300s.
Likewise, the origin of the word 鈥渟alad鈥� is from the Roman habit of salting their green vegetables to moderate the bitter taste, the word meaning 鈥渟alted.鈥� That one still buys canned green beans among other vegetables with salt already added is a testament to our tastes having long roots.
Later Venetian city state power was built on salt. Merchants there realized that selling and trading salt was actually more profitable than salt harvesting, and thus outsourced the salt production to Indians and Chinese and others. All imported salt supplied by Venice had to pass through the government for regulation, taxation, etc. As the money came rolling in, the Venetians had to expand their buying and their navy sailed farther and farther afield. The Venetian navy doubled as a military force and would police the Mediterranean, seizing ships and searching them for illegal salt transportation. Perhaps their most famous traveler would be Marco Polo who traveled along the Silk Road and met Kubla Khan.
Fish itself became a Friday food because of the Catholic Church鈥檚 expansion of 鈥渇ast days鈥� on which one was also supposed to abstain from sex. Red meat was seen as a 鈥渉ot meat鈥� and thus had sexual connotations, while aquatic meat were considered 鈥渃ool鈥� and thus unlikely to provoke salacious thinking. The legal penalty for eating meat on Friday in England was hanging and this law stood on the books until King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church.
In the American Revolution, salt would come to play am important role. With the supply of Liverpool salt obviously cut off, the very first patent issued in the United States was for a refinement on salt production. Several battles engaged in by George Washington were to secure and hold the American salt production locales and supplies. Several measures were passed by the Continental Congress advocating salt production in each colony. Pamphlets were published and distributed freely among the colonists for bay salt production. Exemptions were offered to salt works letting their workers out of military service; New Jersey would allow each facility to exempt up to ten men.
This importance extended itself in history through the American Civil War as well. Secession exposed the South鈥檚 desperate lack of salt works. The Union blockade from England was designed to prevent the importation of Liverpool salt through the port of New Orleans. An army essentially could not subsist without salted meat which prevented spoilage and allowed for long marches. Wherever they marched, Union armies attacked Confederate salt works and when captured, they destroyed them. When the Confederates captured (or retook) a salt works, they celebrated. This shortage of salt is best demonstrated when Lee surrendered to Grant. As part of terms, he asked the conquering general for food, stating that his soldiers hadn鈥檛 eaten in two days.
Prior to the Civil War and just after the American Revolution, the Erie Canal鈥檚 backers and the surveyor who pushed the idea, presenting it first to President Thomas Jefferson then later to New York business interests after Jefferson denied them, were salt manufacturers. It was eventually built and one of its main products shipped was salt. The Trans-Ohio Canal from the Ohio River to Cleveland carried nothing but salt.
Nearby a ten-mile stretch of the Kanawha River through what is now West Virginia managed to set up the best salt works in America, giving the earlier established Onedega salt works in New York a run for its money. Cincinnati grew as a city, grew from salt pork due to Ohio grown hogs and Kanawha salt. Eventually, the Kanawha salt makers were crushed by the New York Onedega salt works鈥� friends in government who passed laws making it harder for the Virginia firm to compete.
Back overseas, The British East India Company鈥檚 salt policy, featuring the usual bad elements such as high taxes and a brutal enforcement policy, prohibitions on salt production at one point (when the Indian salt works produces cheaper salt than Liverpool), and a deaf ear to poverty, eventually got noticed by a small fellow named Ghandi. His salt campaign was launched through the India National Congress. He marched to the Indian Ocean with 78 followers (the number rising to thousands) and after a ritual purification, he waded to the shore and scooped up a large crystal of salt, thus breaking the British laws. All over India, people began scooping up salt, making salt, mining salt. In that single moment, that single act, the British lost their colony for all time.
Salt has always been a part of our history. Without it, health suffers; with too much of it health suffers. How much is good for you and how much is bad for you seems very particular based on where you live, your activity level, and your genetics. Kurlansky addresses this in closing, but it鈥檚 just circles. The exact formula can probably never be argued with certainty due to any number of factors playing a role, but what is without question is that salt, that simple little rock, so common today as to be given away freely at restaurants, is still important and will always be important.
In the way the world works, circularly, the various colored, irregular salt crystals of the past, which were spurned when whiter, purer salt was regularized and when consistency of shape and size was prized, are now seen as artisanal salts. They have now become the expensive style salt whereas they used to be cheaper salt eaten by the poor. The coloration of the salt is merely an indication of differing kinds of dirt in the product. Pure, regular white salt crystals are now the salt of the poor. What comes around goes around.
September 29, 2011
Well, I'll be pickled!
We say we'll take something with a grain of salt as if it's nothing, but much of the history of the world is tied up in the quest for salt. It's not nothing. We're fortunate to have it in such abundance that we can take it for granted and worry about getting too much of it in our diets. For most of human existence that was not the case.
The material here is thorough and often fascinating, but you must have a strong interest in history if you hope to get through it. Had I tried to read it in print rather than listening to the audio book, I may not have stayed with it. It's quite thoroughly thorough, right down to ancient and modern recipes for salty foods that sound mighty revolting.
The quality and style of presentation in the book is similar to Bill Bryson's, but without the humor. It's hard to believe this was written by the same guy that put together that goofy book made up of nothing but questions.
We say we'll take something with a grain of salt as if it's nothing, but much of the history of the world is tied up in the quest for salt. It's not nothing. We're fortunate to have it in such abundance that we can take it for granted and worry about getting too much of it in our diets. For most of human existence that was not the case.
The material here is thorough and often fascinating, but you must have a strong interest in history if you hope to get through it. Had I tried to read it in print rather than listening to the audio book, I may not have stayed with it. It's quite thoroughly thorough, right down to ancient and modern recipes for salty foods that sound mighty revolting.
The quality and style of presentation in the book is similar to Bill Bryson's, but without the humor. It's hard to believe this was written by the same guy that put together that goofy book made up of nothing but questions.
October 17, 2009
AIYIYI... I just couldn't take this book. I was determined to read it after I chose it for a challenge I had entered but my goodness was it a struggle. I don't know if it was because I had just finished a textbook size of a book that was purely about science (A Short History of Nearly Everything) and was in major fiction withdrawal, or the fact that this book was breathtakingly boring, but I could literally not read more than 15 pages before I actually started to drift off into a deep slumber. I had to think about and plan out times where I would be awake enough to read. I had to get multiple nights of decent amounts of sleep before I could continue on my huge undertaking of reading more than 20 pages.
It was as if Kurlansky was intentionally aiming for the reader to not give a rats a** about salt. For the reader to actually not want to learn anything further about something that kinda seemed interesting at the time. The information Kurlansky gave me was so irrelevant and uninteresting I found myself having to reread lines over and over and still not be able to understand what the significance of it being there was.
I was really excited to read Salt: A World History because I thought it would be an unique experience to read about a topic that most people take for granted. To learn some new and interesting things about a topic that is very rarely a point of conversation. But what I found was what I thought the stereotype of books about random specific topics would be like. Completely and totally uninteresting and boring. Just because a book is non-fiction and about salt doesn't mean the writing as to be blander than an instruction manual on how to put together a flash light.
August 30, 2016
I hate to give this a 3/5 I really do. I cannot tell you how many times I picked up and put down this book in stores across the nation.... maybe that should have been my sign.
Don't boo me, but this was dry. There were sections that were legitimately interesting, but there were sections that just needed more editing, they needed to be trimmed down. Also, I dont know how I would personally fix this, but the layout of the book seemed to need changed. It was largely geographically based, so then large sections felt very redundant, afterall there is not so much difference between salting anchovies, or cod, or herring. Perhaps if the sections had been: preservation, tax, wars.... then we could have saved some of the parts that seemed to be rehashed.
Still, I learned a good deal of fascinating information, but I also often found myself too hungry to be rapt and craving salty, tasty foods.
Don't boo me, but this was dry. There were sections that were legitimately interesting, but there were sections that just needed more editing, they needed to be trimmed down. Also, I dont know how I would personally fix this, but the layout of the book seemed to need changed. It was largely geographically based, so then large sections felt very redundant, afterall there is not so much difference between salting anchovies, or cod, or herring. Perhaps if the sections had been: preservation, tax, wars.... then we could have saved some of the parts that seemed to be rehashed.
Still, I learned a good deal of fascinating information, but I also often found myself too hungry to be rapt and craving salty, tasty foods.
May 14, 2021
Salt: A World History
by Mark Kurlansky is an enthralling work. Immaculately researched and presented in a coherent and understandable way, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was shocked most of the time by how much of a major role salt has played in both modern and ancient human history. Both in a militarist and economic sense, salt has in many ways been the fuel for human advancement. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an incredibly engaging non-fiction read. Five stars.
December 17, 2013
I think this book should have been called Salt: It's Dry. I'm about 25% through it and I'm throwing in the towel (and possibly tossing salt over my shoulder for luck). There was just nothing about the writing or the information presented that was even mildly interesting. Moving on...
November 1, 2021
I felt so proud to be reading/listening to this. 鈥淟ook at me getting all educated about salt, of all things! Most people don鈥檛 even KNOW about salt鈥檚 historical importance.鈥�
The first few chapters, sure鈥mm, interesting, I didn鈥檛 know that! That鈥檒l make a nice dinner party/trivia share.
And then it kept going, in no particular order or structure that I could determine, for TWENTY-SIX (not short) chapters. Even when I spent one of my Audible credits to get the audiobook, thinking that maybe listening and having something else to look at would make it tolerable, my boyfriend and I could only listen to it an hour at a time on our roadtrip because we鈥檇 both start to fall asleep. 鈥淥n {date} {historical figure/civilization/ruling body/etc.} {discovered a place with/figured out a way to make/traded with/lost control of} salt. Over and over and over and鈥� (you get the picture) for 26 chapters. In no fathomable order.
I don鈥檛 fault the author. He did an incredible amount of research鈥ood on him. I bumped it up from 1 star to 2 stars for that reason alone.
Where was the f**king editor? This could actually have been a decent read. Shorten it. Organize it. Footnote the dates. SOMEthing鈥�
The first few chapters, sure鈥mm, interesting, I didn鈥檛 know that! That鈥檒l make a nice dinner party/trivia share.
And then it kept going, in no particular order or structure that I could determine, for TWENTY-SIX (not short) chapters. Even when I spent one of my Audible credits to get the audiobook, thinking that maybe listening and having something else to look at would make it tolerable, my boyfriend and I could only listen to it an hour at a time on our roadtrip because we鈥檇 both start to fall asleep. 鈥淥n {date} {historical figure/civilization/ruling body/etc.} {discovered a place with/figured out a way to make/traded with/lost control of} salt. Over and over and over and鈥� (you get the picture) for 26 chapters. In no fathomable order.
I don鈥檛 fault the author. He did an incredible amount of research鈥ood on him. I bumped it up from 1 star to 2 stars for that reason alone.
Where was the f**king editor? This could actually have been a decent read. Shorten it. Organize it. Footnote the dates. SOMEthing鈥�
February 18, 2024
For me, salt is something you use in cooking or at the table. It is also something you put on walkways and roads in the winter when it's frosty. Compared to what is in this book that is like dropping those words into a thimble and then filling it up with, well, salt. I guess I sort of knew that we can't live without salt. Did I think about horses and cows not being able to live without salt? No, even though I knew that pastures had salt licks. I like to think of myself as curious, but I never questioned the existence of those salt licks.
Please note that the subtitle is "A World History". The book opens in China, about 6000 BC. Yes, humans learned how to make salt long, long ago. After China is Roman times and even earlier years of Europe. The book moves west to the Basque country and, for me living in fishing country, this is where it got really interesting because the next thing I knew he was talking about the North Atlantic cod fishery. He crosses the Atlantic to North America and then back again. It is truly a world history of salt.
I like words and this book told me about the origins of some words. The below are from different times and regions.
Please note that the subtitle is "A World History". The book opens in China, about 6000 BC. Yes, humans learned how to make salt long, long ago. After China is Roman times and even earlier years of Europe. The book moves west to the Basque country and, for me living in fishing country, this is where it got really interesting because the next thing I knew he was talking about the North Atlantic cod fishery. He crosses the Atlantic to North America and then back again. It is truly a world history of salt.
I like words and this book told me about the origins of some words. The below are from different times and regions.
The Roman army required salt for its soldiers and for its horses and livestock. At times soldiers were even paid in salt, which was the origin of the word salary and the expression "worth his salt" or "earning his salt". In fact, the Latin word sal became the French word solde, meaning pay, which is the origin of the word, soldier.Perhaps you can see that I thought at least parts of this book are 5-stars. Unfortunately, there are also parts - though far fewer - that, for me, were a bit of a slog. Overall, I think this is 4-stars, perhaps a bit above the middle of that group.
It became a requirement of prosciutto di Parma that it be made from pigs that had been fed the whey from Parmesan cheese. Less choice parts of pigs fed on this whey qualified to be sent to the nearby town of Felino, where they were ground up and made into salami. (The word salami is derived from the Latin verb to salt)
For a time, the Hanseatics were well appreciated as honorable merchants who ensured the quality and fought against unscrupulous practices. They were known as Easterlings because they came from the east, and this is the origin of the word sterling, which meant "of assured value."
They also ate a great deal of salted herring, though they seem to have preferred lightly salted and smoked red herring, perhaps because of their limited salt supply. When these early settlers hunted, they would leave red herring along their trail because the strong smell would confuse wolves, which is the origin of the expression red herring, meaning "a false trail."
July 19, 2016
This is based upon the audio download from []
Narrated by: Scott Brick
The legendary pipes of Scott Brick did little to enhance this biography of the ubiquity of salt. The book is a curate鈥檚 egg鈥攖here are dull parts but there are also some very interesting parts. I didn't think it possible to have someone talk about salt for 13 hours and 43 minutes but it was.
The book begins with facts about salt and the sharing of some of the salt industry鈥檚 14,000 uses for salt. It was interesting to learn that the salt in the human body is equivalent to what would be found in 3 or 4 salt shakers.
The early history of salt was only slightly interesting but as the history moved to Europe, you learn how everyday words had their origin with salt鈥攕uch as salary and town names in England ending in 鈥渨ich鈥� have salt-related origins.
The best part of the book for me was the role it played in U.S. history (as that is what I like to read about most). I did not realize the strategic importance of salt, especially during the Civil War. My favorite passage from the book was actually a quote from General William Tecumseh Sherman in August 1862. He stated, 鈥淪alt is eminently contraband because of its use in curing meats without which armies cannot be subsisted.鈥� In all my readings of U.S. history and the Civil War, I've never come across a discussion of the importance of salt. This was eye-opening.
It was a slow, dry book but one that definitely imparts knowledge.
Narrated by: Scott Brick
The legendary pipes of Scott Brick did little to enhance this biography of the ubiquity of salt. The book is a curate鈥檚 egg鈥攖here are dull parts but there are also some very interesting parts. I didn't think it possible to have someone talk about salt for 13 hours and 43 minutes but it was.
The book begins with facts about salt and the sharing of some of the salt industry鈥檚 14,000 uses for salt. It was interesting to learn that the salt in the human body is equivalent to what would be found in 3 or 4 salt shakers.
The early history of salt was only slightly interesting but as the history moved to Europe, you learn how everyday words had their origin with salt鈥攕uch as salary and town names in England ending in 鈥渨ich鈥� have salt-related origins.
The best part of the book for me was the role it played in U.S. history (as that is what I like to read about most). I did not realize the strategic importance of salt, especially during the Civil War. My favorite passage from the book was actually a quote from General William Tecumseh Sherman in August 1862. He stated, 鈥淪alt is eminently contraband because of its use in curing meats without which armies cannot be subsisted.鈥� In all my readings of U.S. history and the Civil War, I've never come across a discussion of the importance of salt. This was eye-opening.
It was a slow, dry book but one that definitely imparts knowledge.
January 25, 2020
An interesting story of Salt through the ages but a bit repetitive at times.
There are sections of this book that are fascinating (5-star) and other sections that are long, tedious and dull (1-star). I'm settling on "I liked it" (3-star) for the overall book.
It's a bit scattered in it's formatting. There is salt through the ages, salt through cultures, salt through countries. A lot of the information is overlapping and repeated. It may have been an idea to have a chapter on the similar aspects of salt through the ages before going through the ages and then not repeating information in each age. If that makes sense.
Same goes with salting fish. Whether it's cod, anchovies, herring or any other fish, the salting process is the same. We don't need to hear it for every fish variety.
That put aside, though, this book is chock full of interesting information on salt, salt mining, recipes (these are quite entertaining), politics, salt usage and salt adages. It's a fascinating subject and I did enjoy the entire book. It's not the story or the information that takes away from this book, it's the way it's put together.
Page 339: The Great Hedge of India is mentioned. An interesting, travelogue book on this hedge is . I recommend this book.
There are sections of this book that are fascinating (5-star) and other sections that are long, tedious and dull (1-star). I'm settling on "I liked it" (3-star) for the overall book.
It's a bit scattered in it's formatting. There is salt through the ages, salt through cultures, salt through countries. A lot of the information is overlapping and repeated. It may have been an idea to have a chapter on the similar aspects of salt through the ages before going through the ages and then not repeating information in each age. If that makes sense.
Same goes with salting fish. Whether it's cod, anchovies, herring or any other fish, the salting process is the same. We don't need to hear it for every fish variety.
That put aside, though, this book is chock full of interesting information on salt, salt mining, recipes (these are quite entertaining), politics, salt usage and salt adages. It's a fascinating subject and I did enjoy the entire book. It's not the story or the information that takes away from this book, it's the way it's put together.
Page 339: The Great Hedge of India is mentioned. An interesting, travelogue book on this hedge is . I recommend this book.
July 18, 2007
The history of salt is super interesting, and I learned a lot of amazing facts about human history from reading this book, BUT... the editing was pretty bad. I mean, it has to be pretty bad for you to actually notice that a book is really poorly written. Chapters would end out of nowhere, there were tons of non-sequiturs, etc. It got progressively worse as I got through the book- and then towards the end it became an advertisement for Mortons Salt. I'd recommend this book from a library, but not for purchase.
Read
October 21, 2024No, this is certainly not a World History of Salt. Oh yes, I concede: there's a lot of salt in it. Kurlansky has stuffed a stunning amount of knowledge about this commodity in this book. But he has forgotten to tell a narrative, to look for the bigger picture, to analyse basic economic or cultural trends. And on top of that he has left his critical gaze at home. In the end all he offers is this mumbo jumbo of facts, titbits of knowledge, myths and nice stories, all about salt. I hope one day someone will do a better job.
December 14, 2021
In this non-fiction microhistory I expected to find a lot of really fascinating stuff about this amazing mineral without which humans (and many other animals) cant survive and which has shaped trading and cultures. Also, I expected to be fascinated, informed and intrigued as I have always wanted to read microhistories about coffee and salt.
I am really. really sad to have failed to enjoy this book.
A lot of that information is there, as expected but it it failed to fascinate and intrigue. It also informed less often than I had been hoping. There was virtually no science of any kind, it was about trade and human history, which is ok, but it was not well done. The writing felt like it was lists a lot of the time, it repeated itself SO much of the time that one became bored by the information, even though the information itself could have been interesting. For example: So many cultures used salt pans and because of the physical chemistry nature of salt they were all very similar, I get it. But instead of detailing exactly what every single culture did - when they are nearly identical - maybe having described the first one you did not need to write exactly the same minutae of detail for EVERY subsequent culture that did the same thing? I think even the narrator must have been bored; he is a very experienced narrator/actor, as I understand it, but the long lists of salt pans and cultures was often read in an unvarying drone. It might be better read than listened to, as one would be able to skim over repetition and recipes.
A problem I had with it personally, is that I have read another book by this author which I thoroughly enjoyed, and a large part of seems to have the exact same stuff in it, down to the recipes. Those recipes which I mostly skim read over the first time, but had to listen to in agonising detail here, as it was narrated in a drone.
As we progressed through this book, I was so bored that I was spending more time analysing my responses to the book than what was being said. Here is the conclusion I reached; the author is a great researcher, GREAT! He is especially interested in history and trade but not so much in science and the natural world. Not at all, in fact. Over many years of research and note taking, he noticed how often salt cropped up in both history and trade. At some point, he or his publishers decided it was a shame not to use a lot of that research even if most of it HAD been used in other books.
So he wrote Salt, a book that could have been a dream of a book, but is instead tedious as it repeated large sections from pervious books. It reads more like a pile of notes assembled by a Phd student who keeps changing his major and can't put his notes in order properly or assemble them into a cognitive narrative for his thesis. I would send this thesis draft back for further editing, which is what the publishers should have done with Salt: A World History.
This was a Did Not Finish for me at the end of chapter 14. I realised my library loan had expired and my main feeling was relief, I had no urge to renew or re-borrow and I am seriously doubting whether I want to read anything more by this author.
I am really. really sad to have failed to enjoy this book.
A lot of that information is there, as expected but it it failed to fascinate and intrigue. It also informed less often than I had been hoping. There was virtually no science of any kind, it was about trade and human history, which is ok, but it was not well done. The writing felt like it was lists a lot of the time, it repeated itself SO much of the time that one became bored by the information, even though the information itself could have been interesting. For example: So many cultures used salt pans and because of the physical chemistry nature of salt they were all very similar, I get it. But instead of detailing exactly what every single culture did - when they are nearly identical - maybe having described the first one you did not need to write exactly the same minutae of detail for EVERY subsequent culture that did the same thing? I think even the narrator must have been bored; he is a very experienced narrator/actor, as I understand it, but the long lists of salt pans and cultures was often read in an unvarying drone. It might be better read than listened to, as one would be able to skim over repetition and recipes.
A problem I had with it personally, is that I have read another book by this author which I thoroughly enjoyed, and a large part of seems to have the exact same stuff in it, down to the recipes. Those recipes which I mostly skim read over the first time, but had to listen to in agonising detail here, as it was narrated in a drone.
As we progressed through this book, I was so bored that I was spending more time analysing my responses to the book than what was being said. Here is the conclusion I reached; the author is a great researcher, GREAT! He is especially interested in history and trade but not so much in science and the natural world. Not at all, in fact. Over many years of research and note taking, he noticed how often salt cropped up in both history and trade. At some point, he or his publishers decided it was a shame not to use a lot of that research even if most of it HAD been used in other books.
So he wrote Salt, a book that could have been a dream of a book, but is instead tedious as it repeated large sections from pervious books. It reads more like a pile of notes assembled by a Phd student who keeps changing his major and can't put his notes in order properly or assemble them into a cognitive narrative for his thesis. I would send this thesis draft back for further editing, which is what the publishers should have done with Salt: A World History.
This was a Did Not Finish for me at the end of chapter 14. I realised my library loan had expired and my main feeling was relief, I had no urge to renew or re-borrow and I am seriously doubting whether I want to read anything more by this author.
May 4, 2021
It's interesting seeing the highly polarized reviews for this book. It seems a lot of people found this book dreadfully boring, and I can understand their viewpoint, however it seems that the exact thing that makes it terrible for some others is exactly what I like in a history book - a deep dive on a specific unifying topic, or in this case a universal commodity that spreads through human societies and influences their development on multiple and frequently surprising levels. This kind of approach appeals to me far more than any kind of personal narrative, and I recognize that is a matter of taste.
There are some many intriguing details in this book it would be impossible to call them all out, but few were: The deep drilling techniques developed in China long before they were developed in Europe. The amazing number of varying techniques for purifying and crystalizing salt. The nastiness of the British Empire and the ultimate victory by Ghandi that centered around the right to gather salt. The transition towards preserving foods with salt, and then the transition away as things like refrigeration and canning took precedence. The fact that sugar + salt is so popular in Sweden. On that last point, I really dislike how so much food is loaded with sugar now days, and I really hate when people put sugar in my savory foods like fish, jerky, BBQ, salad-dressing, etc. but according to this book, that style of food preparation has become increasingly popular over the last few decades.
I also found it quite humorous that people will now pay a premium for gray salt (i.e. dirty salt) over pure white salt because of the artisanal marketing aura, which is kind of like the vinyl resurgence.
There are some many intriguing details in this book it would be impossible to call them all out, but few were: The deep drilling techniques developed in China long before they were developed in Europe. The amazing number of varying techniques for purifying and crystalizing salt. The nastiness of the British Empire and the ultimate victory by Ghandi that centered around the right to gather salt. The transition towards preserving foods with salt, and then the transition away as things like refrigeration and canning took precedence. The fact that sugar + salt is so popular in Sweden. On that last point, I really dislike how so much food is loaded with sugar now days, and I really hate when people put sugar in my savory foods like fish, jerky, BBQ, salad-dressing, etc. but according to this book, that style of food preparation has become increasingly popular over the last few decades.
I also found it quite humorous that people will now pay a premium for gray salt (i.e. dirty salt) over pure white salt because of the artisanal marketing aura, which is kind of like the vinyl resurgence.
November 13, 2023
噩丕賱亘 亘賵丿. 丕賳鬲馗丕乇 丿丕卮鬲賲 乇丕噩毓 亘賴 趩賵爻丕賳 賯丿蹖賲 賴賲 鬲賵卮 亘禺賵賳賲馃槀馃槀
August 1, 2022
3.75/5
M岷h m峄搈 h峄゛ v峄沬 b岷 th芒n n膬m nay s岷� c脿y nhi峄乽 non-fic h啤n, ai d猫 l脿m 膽瓢峄 th岷璽. T么i 膽峄塶h =))
T峄� 膽峄峜 b岷 d峄媍h c峄 Huy Ho脿ng, v峄沬 t峄盿 膽峄� l脿 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 - L峄媍h s峄� th岷� gi峄沬 nhen.
___________________
膼峄淚 MU峄怚 - L峄媍h s峄� th岷� gi峄沬 l脿 m峄檛 cu峄憂 non-fic hay v脿 b峄� 铆ch, x峄﹏g 膽谩ng 膽峄� anh em 膽岷 t瓢 nha. Ai ng峄� h岷 mu峄慽 x铆u xiu m脿 c贸 b峄� d脿y l峄媍h s峄� si锚u to kh峄昻g l峄� 膽岷縩 v岷瓂 c啤 ch峄�?
N岷縰 c贸 b岷g x岷縫 h岷g m岷穞 h脿ng b谩n ch岷 nh岷 t峄� thu峄� s啤 khai, h岷硁 MU峄怚 s岷� ch峄卪 ch峄� ng峄搃 峄� v峄� tr铆 qu谩n qu芒n. Ng瓢峄漣 ng瓢峄漣 nh脿 nh脿 膽峄乽 s膬n l霉ng mu峄慽. Mu峄慽 膽岷痶 gi谩 膽岷縩 m峄ヽ 膽瓢峄 xem nh瓢 l脿 bi峄僽 t瓢峄g c峄 s峄� gi脿u sang, th岷璵 ch铆, mu峄慽 c貌n 膽瓢峄 bi岷縯 膽岷縩 l脿 m峄檛 膽啤n v峄� ti峄乶 t峄�.
Ng岷 nhi锚n h啤n, mu峄慽 c貌n 岷h h瓢峄焠g 膽岷縩 vi峄嘽 thi岷縯 l岷璸 c谩c tuy岷縩 膽瓢峄漬g tr峄峮g y岷縰 d脿nh cho m峄 膽铆ch th瓢啤ng m岷, gi煤p h矛nh th脿nh n锚n nh峄痭g li锚n minh, vv... V脿 h啤n h岷縯 th岷, mu峄慽 c貌n l脿 nguy锚n nh芒n g芒y ra s峄� n峄昳 d岷瓂 c峄 nh峄痭g cu峄檆 chi岷縩 m谩u l峄璦...
T峄� c贸 c岷 gi谩c trong qu谩 tr矛nh 膽峄峜 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 th矛 th峄� t铆ch n茫o c峄 t峄� to ra g岷 m岷 l岷 lu么n, v矛 c贸 r岷 nhi峄乽 th么ng tin h峄痷 铆ch v脿... l岷� l霉ng v峄� MU峄怚 trong c么ng tr矛nh ch峄� ngh末a si锚u b峄� n脿y. H岷硁 t谩c gi岷� cu峄憂 s谩ch - Mark Kurlansky - 膽茫 h岷縯 s峄ヽ 膽岷 t瓢 c么ng s峄ヽ v脿 ch岷 x谩m cho 膽峄゛ con tinh th岷 c峄 么ng, c峄憈 膽峄� cung c岷 膽瓢峄 nh峄痭g th么ng tin chu岷﹏ x谩c v脿 膽岷痶 gi谩 nh岷 cho 膽峄檆 gi岷� c峄 m矛nh.
V脿 d末 nhi锚n, 么ng 膽茫 th脿nh c么ng b峄焛 膽峄峜 膽岷縩 膽芒u th矛 t峄� m岷痶 ch峄� A m峄搈 ch峄� O 膽岷縩 膽贸. Qu岷� kh么ng h峄� danh l脿 ng瓢峄漣 t峄玭g 膽o岷 gi岷 James Bread - 膽瓢峄 bi岷縯 膽岷縩 nh瓢 "Gi岷 Oscar c峄 gi峄沬 岷﹎ th峄眂" - danh gi谩!
V峄� c谩 nh芒n t峄� th矛 t峄� th铆ch n峄璦 膽岷 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 h啤n v矛 t谩c gi岷� 膽茫 li峄噒 k锚 ra c峄眂 nhi峄乽 nh峄痭g fact 膽峄檆 膽谩o (v脿 c贸 ph岷 d峄�) v峄� mu峄慽. C贸 nh峄痭g fact m脿 khi 膽峄峜 膽岷縩, 膽岷 t峄� c峄� nh岷 tanh t谩ch c谩c c芒u c岷 th谩n: u l脿 tr峄漣, g矛 v岷瓂 tr峄漣, 峄�, ra l脿 th岷� ha, 谩aaaa, vv... mi岷縯 v岷瓂 膽贸.
Ch岷硁g h岷, Salt (mu峄慽) ch铆nh l脿 t峄� g峄慶 c峄 Salary (l瓢啤ng) v脿 th脿nh ng峄� worth his salt/earning his salt c农ng b岷痶 ngu峄搉 t峄� MU峄怚 m脿 ra c岷�. Nguy锚n do l脿 ng脿y x瓢a, l铆nh c峄 Qu芒n 膽峄檌 La M茫 膽瓢峄 tr岷� l瓢啤ng b岷眓g mu峄慽. T峄� soldier (ng瓢峄漣 l铆nh) v脿 solde trong ti岷縩g Ph谩p (tr岷� ti峄乶) c农ng b岷痶 ngu峄搉 t峄� Salt!
Ngo脿i ra, b岷 c贸 bi岷縯 c谩i t锚n ketchup - t瓢峄焠g ch峄玭g kh么ng li锚n quan - nh瓢ng l岷 b岷痶 ngu峄搉 t峄� m贸n c谩 mu峄慽 v脿 n瓢峄沜 t瓢啤ng Indonesia g峄峣 l脿 kecap ikan. Th脿nh ph岷 thi岷縯 y岷縰 c峄 m贸n n脿y l脿 l瓢峄g mu峄慽 r岷 l峄沶; mu峄慽 trong m贸n ketchup ban 膽岷 膽岷縩 t峄� c谩 mu峄慽! M茫i sau n脿y, ng瓢峄漣 Anh v脿 ng瓢峄漣 M峄� m峄沬 b峄� c谩 ra kh峄廼 ketchup, v脿 ch煤ng ta c贸 n瓢峄沜 x峄憈 c脿 chua nh瓢 b芒y gi峄�!
Mu峄慽 c貌n 膽瓢峄 ng瓢峄漣 Maya d霉ng 膽峄� l脿m thu峄慶 ng峄玜 thai, tr峄� b峄噉h 膽峄檔g kinh hay d霉ng 膽峄� gi岷 膽au khi sinh n峄�. V脿o nh峄痭g d峄媝 Gi谩ng sinh, h峄� c貌n cho mu峄慽 k岷縯 tinh tr锚n c谩c c脿nh c芒y nom nh瓢 tuy岷縯 ph峄�, r峄搃 膽em v峄� trang tr铆 n峄痑.
膼贸 l脿 m峄檛 v脿i th么ng tin m脿 t峄� thu th岷璸 膽瓢峄 trong n峄璦 膽岷 cu峄憂 s谩ch 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 (c貌n r岷 nhi峄乽, nh瓢ng ph岷 kh贸a m峄搈 v矛 s峄� x矛-poi c谩c b岷). C貌n n峄璦 sau th矛 膽峄峜 h啤i bu峄搉 ng峄� ch煤t nha, v矛 t峄� th岷 t谩c gi岷� Mark Kurlansky - d霉 么ng 膽茫 d脿y c么ng nghi锚n c峄﹗ v脿 t矛m hi峄僽 v峄� l峄媍h s峄� - nh瓢ng c岷 gi谩c 么ng b峄� "sa 膽脿" qu谩 v脿o chi岷縩 tranh v脿 drama ch铆nh tr峄� c峄 th峄漣 岷 (d岷玼 v岷玭 li锚n quan 膽岷縩 mu峄慽).
T峄眜 trung, 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 - L峄媍h s峄� th岷� gi峄沬 l脿 cu峄憂 s谩ch 膽谩ng 膽峄峜. D峄媍h 峄昻, b矛a 膽岷筽, trong s谩ch c贸 c谩c h矛nh minh h峄峚 n锚n 膽峄峜 kh么ng b峄� ch谩n nha. Recommend cho anh ch峄� em b峄憂 ph瓢啤ng, 膽岷穋 bi峄噒 l脿 b岷 n脿o 膽am m锚 l峄媍h s峄� nhen!
M岷h m峄搈 h峄゛ v峄沬 b岷 th芒n n膬m nay s岷� c脿y nhi峄乽 non-fic h啤n, ai d猫 l脿m 膽瓢峄 th岷璽. T么i 膽峄塶h =))
T峄� 膽峄峜 b岷 d峄媍h c峄 Huy Ho脿ng, v峄沬 t峄盿 膽峄� l脿 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 - L峄媍h s峄� th岷� gi峄沬 nhen.
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膼峄淚 MU峄怚 - L峄媍h s峄� th岷� gi峄沬 l脿 m峄檛 cu峄憂 non-fic hay v脿 b峄� 铆ch, x峄﹏g 膽谩ng 膽峄� anh em 膽岷 t瓢 nha. Ai ng峄� h岷 mu峄慽 x铆u xiu m脿 c贸 b峄� d脿y l峄媍h s峄� si锚u to kh峄昻g l峄� 膽岷縩 v岷瓂 c啤 ch峄�?
N岷縰 c贸 b岷g x岷縫 h岷g m岷穞 h脿ng b谩n ch岷 nh岷 t峄� thu峄� s啤 khai, h岷硁 MU峄怚 s岷� ch峄卪 ch峄� ng峄搃 峄� v峄� tr铆 qu谩n qu芒n. Ng瓢峄漣 ng瓢峄漣 nh脿 nh脿 膽峄乽 s膬n l霉ng mu峄慽. Mu峄慽 膽岷痶 gi谩 膽岷縩 m峄ヽ 膽瓢峄 xem nh瓢 l脿 bi峄僽 t瓢峄g c峄 s峄� gi脿u sang, th岷璵 ch铆, mu峄慽 c貌n 膽瓢峄 bi岷縯 膽岷縩 l脿 m峄檛 膽啤n v峄� ti峄乶 t峄�.
Ng岷 nhi锚n h啤n, mu峄慽 c貌n 岷h h瓢峄焠g 膽岷縩 vi峄嘽 thi岷縯 l岷璸 c谩c tuy岷縩 膽瓢峄漬g tr峄峮g y岷縰 d脿nh cho m峄 膽铆ch th瓢啤ng m岷, gi煤p h矛nh th脿nh n锚n nh峄痭g li锚n minh, vv... V脿 h啤n h岷縯 th岷, mu峄慽 c貌n l脿 nguy锚n nh芒n g芒y ra s峄� n峄昳 d岷瓂 c峄 nh峄痭g cu峄檆 chi岷縩 m谩u l峄璦...
T峄� c贸 c岷 gi谩c trong qu谩 tr矛nh 膽峄峜 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 th矛 th峄� t铆ch n茫o c峄 t峄� to ra g岷 m岷 l岷 lu么n, v矛 c贸 r岷 nhi峄乽 th么ng tin h峄痷 铆ch v脿... l岷� l霉ng v峄� MU峄怚 trong c么ng tr矛nh ch峄� ngh末a si锚u b峄� n脿y. H岷硁 t谩c gi岷� cu峄憂 s谩ch - Mark Kurlansky - 膽茫 h岷縯 s峄ヽ 膽岷 t瓢 c么ng s峄ヽ v脿 ch岷 x谩m cho 膽峄゛ con tinh th岷 c峄 么ng, c峄憈 膽峄� cung c岷 膽瓢峄 nh峄痭g th么ng tin chu岷﹏ x谩c v脿 膽岷痶 gi谩 nh岷 cho 膽峄檆 gi岷� c峄 m矛nh.
V脿 d末 nhi锚n, 么ng 膽茫 th脿nh c么ng b峄焛 膽峄峜 膽岷縩 膽芒u th矛 t峄� m岷痶 ch峄� A m峄搈 ch峄� O 膽岷縩 膽贸. Qu岷� kh么ng h峄� danh l脿 ng瓢峄漣 t峄玭g 膽o岷 gi岷 James Bread - 膽瓢峄 bi岷縯 膽岷縩 nh瓢 "Gi岷 Oscar c峄 gi峄沬 岷﹎ th峄眂" - danh gi谩!
V峄� c谩 nh芒n t峄� th矛 t峄� th铆ch n峄璦 膽岷 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 h啤n v矛 t谩c gi岷� 膽茫 li峄噒 k锚 ra c峄眂 nhi峄乽 nh峄痭g fact 膽峄檆 膽谩o (v脿 c贸 ph岷 d峄�) v峄� mu峄慽. C贸 nh峄痭g fact m脿 khi 膽峄峜 膽岷縩, 膽岷 t峄� c峄� nh岷 tanh t谩ch c谩c c芒u c岷 th谩n: u l脿 tr峄漣, g矛 v岷瓂 tr峄漣, 峄�, ra l脿 th岷� ha, 谩aaaa, vv... mi岷縯 v岷瓂 膽贸.
Ch岷硁g h岷, Salt (mu峄慽) ch铆nh l脿 t峄� g峄慶 c峄 Salary (l瓢啤ng) v脿 th脿nh ng峄� worth his salt/earning his salt c农ng b岷痶 ngu峄搉 t峄� MU峄怚 m脿 ra c岷�. Nguy锚n do l脿 ng脿y x瓢a, l铆nh c峄 Qu芒n 膽峄檌 La M茫 膽瓢峄 tr岷� l瓢啤ng b岷眓g mu峄慽. T峄� soldier (ng瓢峄漣 l铆nh) v脿 solde trong ti岷縩g Ph谩p (tr岷� ti峄乶) c农ng b岷痶 ngu峄搉 t峄� Salt!
Ngo脿i ra, b岷 c贸 bi岷縯 c谩i t锚n ketchup - t瓢峄焠g ch峄玭g kh么ng li锚n quan - nh瓢ng l岷 b岷痶 ngu峄搉 t峄� m贸n c谩 mu峄慽 v脿 n瓢峄沜 t瓢啤ng Indonesia g峄峣 l脿 kecap ikan. Th脿nh ph岷 thi岷縯 y岷縰 c峄 m贸n n脿y l脿 l瓢峄g mu峄慽 r岷 l峄沶; mu峄慽 trong m贸n ketchup ban 膽岷 膽岷縩 t峄� c谩 mu峄慽! M茫i sau n脿y, ng瓢峄漣 Anh v脿 ng瓢峄漣 M峄� m峄沬 b峄� c谩 ra kh峄廼 ketchup, v脿 ch煤ng ta c贸 n瓢峄沜 x峄憈 c脿 chua nh瓢 b芒y gi峄�!
Mu峄慽 c貌n 膽瓢峄 ng瓢峄漣 Maya d霉ng 膽峄� l脿m thu峄慶 ng峄玜 thai, tr峄� b峄噉h 膽峄檔g kinh hay d霉ng 膽峄� gi岷 膽au khi sinh n峄�. V脿o nh峄痭g d峄媝 Gi谩ng sinh, h峄� c貌n cho mu峄慽 k岷縯 tinh tr锚n c谩c c脿nh c芒y nom nh瓢 tuy岷縯 ph峄�, r峄搃 膽em v峄� trang tr铆 n峄痑.
膼贸 l脿 m峄檛 v脿i th么ng tin m脿 t峄� thu th岷璸 膽瓢峄 trong n峄璦 膽岷 cu峄憂 s谩ch 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 (c貌n r岷 nhi峄乽, nh瓢ng ph岷 kh贸a m峄搈 v矛 s峄� x矛-poi c谩c b岷). C貌n n峄璦 sau th矛 膽峄峜 h啤i bu峄搉 ng峄� ch煤t nha, v矛 t峄� th岷 t谩c gi岷� Mark Kurlansky - d霉 么ng 膽茫 d脿y c么ng nghi锚n c峄﹗ v脿 t矛m hi峄僽 v峄� l峄媍h s峄� - nh瓢ng c岷 gi谩c 么ng b峄� "sa 膽脿" qu谩 v脿o chi岷縩 tranh v脿 drama ch铆nh tr峄� c峄 th峄漣 岷 (d岷玼 v岷玭 li锚n quan 膽岷縩 mu峄慽).
T峄眜 trung, 膼峄淚 MU峄怚 - L峄媍h s峄� th岷� gi峄沬 l脿 cu峄憂 s谩ch 膽谩ng 膽峄峜. D峄媍h 峄昻, b矛a 膽岷筽, trong s谩ch c贸 c谩c h矛nh minh h峄峚 n锚n 膽峄峜 kh么ng b峄� ch谩n nha. Recommend cho anh ch峄� em b峄憂 ph瓢啤ng, 膽岷穋 bi峄噒 l脿 b岷 n脿o 膽am m锚 l峄媍h s峄� nhen!
January 22, 2021
Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded up because I'll read more of his work
Author Kurlansky's famous for his microhistory , so one knows what is coming when selecting one of his books: Lists, lists, lists; lots of vocabulary lessons and smatterings of cultural anthropology. What better time, I ask in all seriousness, than the Plague Lockdown to learn vital (seriously, salt = life) information in a readable, well-researched book? In the vein of and my doted-on , dig into Reality with a learn猫d guide while enjoying the process.
Author Kurlansky's famous for his microhistory , so one knows what is coming when selecting one of his books: Lists, lists, lists; lots of vocabulary lessons and smatterings of cultural anthropology. What better time, I ask in all seriousness, than the Plague Lockdown to learn vital (seriously, salt = life) information in a readable, well-researched book? In the vein of and my doted-on , dig into Reality with a learn猫d guide while enjoying the process.
August 6, 2008
the author read everything there is to read about salt. then he relentlessly put every bit of it in this book. you will wish for the end waay before you get there, i promise.
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