SALT

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