Before
industrialization, salt was extremely expensive and labor intensive to harvest mass
quantities of salt necessary for food preservation and seasoning. This made
salt an extremely valuable commodity. Entire economies were based on salt
production and trade.
In
Iron Age, the British evaporated salt by boiling seawater or brine from salt
springs in small clay pots over open fires. Roman salt making entailed boiling
the seawater in large lead lined pans. Salt was used as currency in ancient Rome,
and the roots of the words "soldier" and "salary" can be
traced to Latin words related to giving or receiving salt. During the Middle
Ages, salt was transported along roads built especially for that purpose. One
of the most famous of these roads is the Old Salt Route in Northern Germany,
which ran from the salt mines to shipping ports.
Salt
taxes and monopolies have led to wars and protests everywhere from China to
parts of Africa. Anger over the salt tax was one of the causes of the French
Revolution. In colonial India, only the British government could produce and
profit from the salt production conducted by Indians living on the coast. Gandhi
chose to protest this monopoly in March 1930 and marched for 23 days with his
followers. When he arrived on the coast, Gandhi violated the law by boiling a
chunk of salty mud. This march became known as the Salt March to Dandi, or the Salt Satyagraha. People
across India began making their own salt in protest, and the march became an
important milestone in the struggle for Indian independence.
Salt
production also played a significant role in early America. The Massachusetts
Bay Colony held the first patent to produce salt in the colonies and continued
to produce it for the next 200 years. The Erie Canal was opened primarily to
make salt transportation easier, and during the Civil War, the Union captured
significant Confederate salt works and created a temporary salt shortage in the
Confederate states. It continues to be important to the economies of many
states, including Ohio, Louisiana and Texas.
Research Source: How Stuff Works
Make
this easy pasta dish; you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Your
family will ask for more.
Spicy
Sausage with Pasta
Copyrighted
2013, Christine’s Pantry. All rights reserved.
Ingredients:
1
pound spicy sausage (I used hot and spicy brats)
1
onion, chopped
1
bell pepper, chopped
salt
and pepper to taste
1
tablespoon minced garlic
1
(8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1
(14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2
cups egg noodles, uncooked
Directions:
Cook
pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
In
skillet, over medium high heat, cook spicy sausage, onions and peppers.
Stirring onions and peppers and flipping sausage occasionally. Once sausage
cooked through and no longer pink, drain excess grease.
Stir
in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic. Stir in cooked pasta. Enjoy!
Christine, The quality of your photos has been greatly improved over the past year or so... Thanks for this recipe. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteHello David,
DeleteThank you so much for your kind words. I truly appreciate it.
Sounds good to me yum yum. Have a good week Diane
ReplyDelete