History Fix

Ep. 122 Salt: How the Cheapest Thing at the Grocery Store Was Once Worth Its Weight In Gold


Listen Later

This week is all about the history of salt! Yes, salt. You've probably never given it much thought. It sits in a salt shaker on your kitchen counter, spice rack, or cabinet. You can buy a pound of it for 76 cents at Walmart right now. But, believe it or not, salt was once an extremely valuable commodity. Whole civilizations rose up over salt. Trade routes were established. People became very wealthy. Salt allowed for the preservation of food which allowed humans to travel over long distances. It has invaluable medicinal properties. And, at it's most basic level, salt keeps humans bodies alive. Salt has impacted human history arguably more than any other substance on Earth. Join me to learn how!  

Support the show! 

  • Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)
  • Buy some merch
  • Buy Me a Coffee
  • Venmo @Shea-LaFountaine

Sources: 

  • Time Magazine "A Brief History of Salt"
  • National Library of Medicine "A history of salt"
  • Wikipedia "History of Salt"
  • National Geographic "The Development of Agriculture"
  • Antiquity Journal "The earliest salt production in the world..."
  • History Cooperative "The History of Salt in Ancient Civilizations"
  • University of Hawaii "Weird Science: Salt is Essential to Life" 

Shoot me a message!

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

History FixBy Shea LaFountaine

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

73 ratings


More shows like History Fix

View all
Historic Royal Palaces Podcast by Historic Royal Palaces

Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

449 Listeners

Dark Histories by Ben Cutmore

Dark Histories

1,809 Listeners

Tudors Dynasty & Beyond by RedTop Media / Rebecca Larson

Tudors Dynasty & Beyond

716 Listeners

Conspiracy Theories by Podcasts1

Conspiracy Theories

11,431 Listeners

Southern Gothic by Southern Gothic Media

Southern Gothic

948 Listeners

Morbid by Morbid Network | Wondery

Morbid

97,996 Listeners

Talking Tudors by Natalie Grueninger

Talking Tudors

719 Listeners

Noble Blood by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Noble Blood

13,550 Listeners

Vulgar History: Revolution by Vulgar History | Realm

Vulgar History: Revolution

344 Listeners

So Supernatural by audiochuck | Crime House

So Supernatural

22,856 Listeners

Who Did What Now by Katie Charlwood

Who Did What Now

778 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,053 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

1,983 Listeners

History Tea Time by Lindsay Holiday

History Tea Time

487 Listeners

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal by History Hit

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

908 Listeners