Salt: Forms and Function  Food and Travel,Ingredient August 30,
2012  Salt is arguably the most influential foodstuff in the
history of the world—and perhaps inarguably one of the tastiest.
Mark Boughton  Arguably the single most influential foodstuff in
the history of the world, salt funded the construction of
China’s Great Wall, dictated trade routes, gave rise to Europe’s
great cities, ignited wars, fueled centuries of political
discourse, helped spark the French Revolution, and was a focal
point the struggle for Indian independence. The words “sauce,”
“salad” and “sausage” are derived from the root word for “salt.”
In Rome, it served as currency; hence the word and phrase,
“salary” and “not worth his salt.”  Composed of sodium and
chlorine, salt is a stable, staple food essential for human
life. It regulates fluid levels and is necessary for muscle
function, nerve impulses and the distribution of nutrients.
Until the invention of canning and refrigeration, salt was
fundamental to food preservation. It’s