Salt - history and tradition

The human need for salt

Neither humans or animals can live without salt. Salt is composed of two elements sodium and chloride. Sodium is needed for nerves to send signals around the body. Without sodium, for example, we had not been able to tighten our muscles and heart could not beat. Chloride found in the stomach and make sure that the acidity of the stomach break down food. Without chloride had we not been able to take up the business. Man's need for added salt occurred while she was resident. Before that was lived out to the large proportion of raw meat, which contains enough salt as it is. When we started farming, it became so that less meat and more cereals and was therefore forced to get in the salt in another way. It was also ensure to obtain salt to their pets that were not ramble freely to find the salt independence. In addition, of course, needed salt to preserve food so that it remained throughout the winter.

Salt in ancient times

Since salt was indispensable learned early people several ways to extract the salt. In the Mediterranean, it was common with sea salt. It made Monday by letting seawater evaporate in large barrels, known as saline. Another way was to boil sea water in pots, so the formation of salt blocks in there, which you then got out to smash the pots. In many places in Europe you could break the rock salt in mines or scrape up the salt soil. Salt from the ground called steppe salt. Those who did not had the opportunity to produce the salt itself, had to travel far to buy it elsewhere. The Vikings began with his travels in large part to get salt for winter stores.

Yawning Gulf

Salt also plays an important role in the Nordic creation story. It says that before the world come to, there were only a large throat, covered with snow and ice, called Yawning Gulf. But a warm wind from the south began to blow and the ice melted slowly away. From moisture and heat were born giant Ymer and his cow, Audhumbla. She lived to lick the salt itself that came up to the surface when the ice melted away. As she licked up the salt showed a man in the land that became more and more visible. It was Bure, the first god. His sons Oden, Vile and Ve was later killed the giant Ymer and the created world of his body.

Fairy tales and legends of salt

story of Audhumbla and giant Ymer is only one of all stories available on the salt. In the Arabian fairytale collection Thousand and One Nights, for example, told that if you eat salt in another person's house, you can not then be her enemy. In one of the sagas, a burglar home to a rich man and starts to gather on things. But then he happens to get in a bit of his salt and is so remorseful that he put everything back and go from there but to steal. In another of the stories meets Ali Baba and the forty robbers has himself backslang governor as a guest home. He adds, however, note that he does not eat any salt, and becomes suspicious. When he offers his salt tub and backslang governor declined know Ali Baba with certainty that the robber has something insidious atrocities in mind. In large parts of the world, it is still the custom to invite his guests to bread and salt when they come, perhaps to assure that they will remain friends.

Salt and the good forces

in Germany should be accompanied by bread and salt when you visit someone who is new residents, as these two things never missing a home. If you are superstitious might throw a few grains of salt over your shoulder to avert the accident. The idea behind this is that the salt to meet the devil in the eyes, so that he can not see to get up to more misery. The Bible says Jesus to the disciples that they should be earth salt, in the sense that they should be true and clean, and prevent the world and human decomposition. In England during the middle Ages you could see the social status of someone on where he or she had to sit in relation to salt. If it was placed between the values and the salt that is “ above the salt“ was an important person, someone to be reckoned with. If, however, had a seat on the other side of the salt, 'below the salt? it was not much to worry about.