Salt: Can't live without it, or can we? Quiz

Answer: Salary

The English word "salary" is derived from the fact that Roman soldiers were paid in salt, or sometimes given money to buy salt, a valuable commodity during Roman times, particularly for the common man.

The word "soldier" also comes from the French word for salt "sel".

It also gave rise to the expression "worth one's salt", which means that someone is a good employee.

Interestingly, the word salacious means obscene, even slightly pornographic, which we sometimes refer to as "salty".

Answer: Gandhi

Under British Rule salt was controlled by state monopoly (namely the Imperialist power and not the Indian subjects) and was heavily taxed as a commodity. It was unlawful, therefore, for Indians to gather their own salt. In marching to the sea to harvest his handful of salt, Mahatma Gandhi staged a symbolic protest against the British.

This act catalyzed a large wave of public protest which forced the British Viceroy, Lord Irwin, to begin the negotiations which would eventually lead to Indian independence from the British Raj in 1948.

Answer: Shinto

In Shinto salt is considered to have cleansing powers, so small piles of salt are placed around wells and house doorways in Japan, where Shinto is the predominant national religion practiced by 80% of the population. Not only are Shinto Shrines important to Japanese religious life, but they are visited by international tourists who admire their beauty and tranquility.

Answer: Judas

Judas is shown with the salt spilled next to his right elbow. It is not clear whether this superstition existed before Da Vinci painted The Last Supper, urging us to recognize the omen in Judas not having thrown a pinch over his left shoulder, thus averting the work of the devil in his betraying Christ to the Romans with such catastrophic results.

On the other hand, since the Gospels tell us what Judas did for his thirty pieces of silver, the superstitious could well have taken the spilled salt, a valuable and pure commodity, as being symbolic of the devil's work that Judas was about to complete.

Answer: Sailors

In order to have the wounds from flogging felt more keenly, and consequently be more of a deterrent against mutinous behaviour, sailors often had to suffer extra pain literally by having salt rubbed into their wounds. Ouch!

Venerable sailors were and are still referred to as "old salts" or "salty sea-dogs". Incidentally during long and earlier voyages of discovery, most foods were preserved in salt, so that salt not only formed part of the diet of punishment, but also formed part of the diet of nourishing, albeit pretty dreadful dining.

Answer: Sodium Chloride

Salt is such an every-day commodity, with so many uses, that to call it by its formal chemical compound name seems to undermine its common associations. Pass the sodium chloride please?

Nitrates, such as sodium nitrate, are also used in preserving food, particularly processed meats such as bacon and salami. Sodium bicarbonate is good old baking soda, again, relieved of its more formal chemical label by virtue of its commonness. Sodium fluoride is, of course, found in toothpaste and at the dentist's to prevent tooth decay.

Answer: 34.2%

Everyone is aware that the high salt content of the Dead Sea is what gives it the great buoyancy which enables non-swimmers and swimmers alike to just float on the surface without any effort at all. Actually it is impossible not to float on the Dead Sea; it is that buoyant.

The Dead Sea is a tourist attraction for not only this phenomenon, but also because the salt content is purported to assist with arthritis and other diseases of the joints and muscles. Additionally the mud is fabled for making skin more smooth and healthy, hence some of those spa wraps with Dead Sea in the title.

Answer: Galangal

Galangal is a root, somewhat like ginger, which gives some Asian foods, particularly Thai, a spicy tangy kick that is unrelated to the flavour of salt.

Maldon is a mild salt, with large slow dissolving flakes which make it particularly good for sprinkling over meats or seafood for grilling, or chickens for roasting, rather than for throwing into a soup pot to add a salty taste that blends into the broth. Less of it is also required, which makes it better for those who are trying to restrict their sodium intake.

Kosher salt is obviously salt which is approved for consumption by Observant Jews, but which is also used as a milder, less sharp salt to replace the one we get from ordinary iodized table salt, the kind we use for sprinkling over food at the table, or for blending into prepared dishes such as stews or sauces.

Fleur de Sel is a hand gathered sea salt from Northern France, often grey or pink depending on the process and the mineral content of the water. As such is prized for its distinct flavour.

Answer: Alzheimer's

As our doctors and the media have told us time and time again, salt, in some users, causes high blood pressure, which incidentally can go on to cause or exacerbate cardiovascular disease and stroke. Much is being done by health advocacy groups to try and get retailers of "fast" foods and processed foods to cut down on the amount of salt contained in their products. Apparently, while home cooks and home food shoppers can minimize salt intake during preparation and by using more fresh fruits and vegetables, we sometimes undermine our good habits by opening up a can of soup or a jar of pasta sauce, both of which often contain more sodium than we should be consuming daily.

Answer: Russian

The fact that salt and bread are linked in this way to become the expression that connotes hospitality, shows how important this basic compound is not only to human dining and companionship, but how salt is essential to our culture, our religion, our social practices, our history and our health.