Homer called it a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates here,salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning,and its story is a glittering,often surprising part of the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over salt and,while salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia,they have also inspired revolution - Gandhi's salt march in 1930 began the overthrow of British rule in India. From the rural Sichuan province where the last home-made soya sauce is produced to the Cheshire brine springs that supplied salt around the globe,Mark Kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of world history,a multi-layered masterpiece that blends political,commercial,scientific,religious and culinary records into a rich and memorable tale.
Publisher: Vintage PublishingISBN: 9780099281993Number of pages: 496Weight: 342 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 29 mm
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Refreshing and invigorating,full of fascinating factThis is an extraordinary little book,unputdownable,written in the most lyrical,flowing style which paints vivid pictures and,at the same time,punches into place hard facts that stop you dead in your tracks. A compulsive readCrisply and elegantly written - piques the appetite and sharpens the sensesA rich stew about every salt-influenced concoction and creation,from the first sausages and cured hams and fish sauces to the invention of parmesan,tomato ketchup and Tabasco sauceAn entertainingly anecdotal and lovingly partisan history.
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