Wars have been fought over salt and while salt taxes secured empires across europe and asia they have also inspired revolution gandhis 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 made to the cheshire brine springs that supplied salt around the globe mark kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of world history a multilayered masterpiece that blends political commercial scientific religious and . Salt is a meandering popular history through that most commonplace of kitchen aids salt since earliest human history salt has been valued as a key nutrient preservative and enhancer of flavor a ready supply of salt was at the bottom of ancient military strength as an army marched on salted provisions. Well written book about the history of salt and its contribution to the world tonnes of interesting information snippets from old recipe books and i mean old and a few pictures dotted in the author never treats you like an idiot and the story moves along through to recent times it did fall down a little bit for me when so much time was spent on american history i imagine the . 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