Salt: A World History – Mark Kurlansky

June 1, 2010 – I’ve wanted to read this book for years and it was a great follow-up to Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs & Steel. Salt has been enormously important in the history of the world, and it’s from that perspective that the author takes us on a world tour over thousands of years. It’s a very engaging book with information delivered via wonderful stories. He also uses recipes from cookbooks going back to ancient China and Rome to give a feel for what the contemporary cuisine of the time was like. The US is both the largest producer and the largest consumer of salt, with more than 51% being used for de-icing roads. It’s a really fascinating book and I highly recommend it.