9 Mind Blowing Facts About Salt You Should Know
Salt is an essential nutrient for humans, animals, and plants and is so valuable in ancient times that the soldiers in Rome were sometimes paid in salt. The word “salary” comes from the Latin word “sal” means salt. The phrase “not worth salt” got famous when a soldier was paid less for lousy work. Read on to know some of the most interesting facts about salt you could have never heard.
Some of the Fascinating Facts About Salt
1. Used as Currency
Right up to the 20th Century, salt was used as currency. Moulded into bars, called amoleh, were the basic currency of Abyssinia, now referred to as Ethiopia. As said above, salt was paid to Roman Soldiers and thus deriving the word “Salary.”
2. Essential Element for Your Body
Salt is considered to be an essential element in human life. Drinking too much water can flush out the necessary salt in your body, causing fatal Hyponatremia. Consumption of too much salt can also be deadly. It is hard to believe that if you take about 1 gram of salt per kg of your weight, then you can die. The Chinese used this method of eating more salt for ritual suicide.
3. Most Expensive Element in Ancient Times
In middle ages, salt was expensive that it was referred to as white gold. It is also said that Roman soldiers were used to protecting the salt roads leading to Rome (via Salarium). The most expensive salt till today exists in France, where this white granule substance is gathered in the old fashioned way. Baskets are used to stain away seawater, resulting in the formation of the finest quality of salt version referred to as “Flower of Salt“. This salt is often sprinkled on food before serving and never used in cooking. In the early 1800s, beef was much cheaper than salt.
4. Symbol of Wisdom and Discretion
The preservative properties of Salt made it a more significant and apt metaphor for permanence and conviction. Salt was also mentioned in the Bible many times.
5. Essential for Health
Every cell in the human body contains salt, and an adult body contains about 250 grams of salt. The human body requires sodium to conduct nerve impulses, move muscles, and maintain correct levels of water in the body. WHO (World Health Organization) recommends an intake of 5 grams of salt per day for an average person. Too much salt can also be deadly. According to some surveys, salt is responsible for most of the heart attacks, and 80% of them can be prevented by limiting the intake of salt.
6. Aviation Fuel Purifier
One of the interesting facts about salt is that before aviation fuel could be used, it is purified by mixing salt. Sodium Chloride removes all the traces of water present in the fuel, as a result, making it safe to be used in aircraft.
7. Iodine Added to Prevent Goiters
You might be familiar with iodized salt now, but this kind of salt was used for around 100 years from now. In 1920, the citizens of the Pacific Northwest part of the USA were mostly suffering from iodine deficiency. The government had then taken an initiative to mix iodine in salt, thus introducing iodized salt to the world.
8. Wars Fought Over Salt
Across the globe, some wars were fought to get hold of the salt reserves. In the USA, civil battles and El Paso Salt war took place due to salt. Internationally there were salt wars on the Jordan river, and Napoleon was forced to retreat as his troops were becoming salt-deficient. To put it simply, salt has a long war history.
9. Other Interesting Facts
As per some surveys, only 6% of salt is used for food in the US and Canada. Most of the salt manufactured is used for de-icing streets and highways in the winter season. Unstable sodium reacts with chlorine gas to form the salt. This chemical is the only family of rocks that is regularly consumed by humans. The dead sea is about ten times saltier than the typical sea or ocean water.
Conclusion
Salt is used by everyone all over the world and is a vital mineral in human life. There are three main methods of collecting salt, like solar collection, evaporation, and rock mining. The solar collection is natural, and evaporation involves an artificial process of vacuum pumping. Salt mining is done in underground by breaking chunks of salt rocks. Salt is the most effective de-icing agent and most used for clearing walkways. Canada salt Group Ltd is the most trusted and reliable supplier of road salt all over North America. For bulk order requests, call us at 866-321-(7258) or contact us below.
