Right now I'm reading Mark Kurlansky's
Salt: A World History, a fascinating story of how important salt has been to human society. While I figured salt was an important commodity to certain cultures for millenia, I had no idea that in fact it was a
crucial commodity to most cultures, playing a pivotal role in the fortunes of many countries. Because salt could be used to preserve meats and vegetables, it made food mobile and allowed long-range travel possible both on land and water. It was used as money in many places and was the direct cause of countless armed conflicts across Europe and eventually in America. I'll let you read the rest. In the meantime, you can get a glimpse into the strange world of salt mining by exploring the
Wieliczka Salt Mine, a massive multi-level mine in Poland that has has been producing salt since around the tenth century. In addition to salt carvings and salt chandeliers, the mine contains chapels and ballrooms carved from the salt rock. You can take
a virtual tour of the mine here.
