Salt: A World History

From the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World comes a fascinating history of one of the most ordinary (and influential) substances in human civilization: salt.

The only rock we eat, salt has played a remarkable role in shaping the world around us. Once valuable enough to serve as currency, it helped establish trade routes, build cities, finance wars, secure empires, and fuel revolutions. What seems like a simple household ingredient has, for thousands of years, been deeply connected to power, wealth, exploration, and survival.

In Salt, Mark Kurlansky traces this overlooked but essential substance across centuries and continents, revealing the unexpected ways it has influenced politics, economics, culture, and everyday life. Along the way, he introduces readers to fascinating places, colorful historical figures, and a wealth of surprising details.

Entertaining, richly researched, and full of unexpected connections, Salt transforms an everyday ingredient into an extraordinary story of human civilization.