Rob

In an age of plug-in refrigeration, it's easy to forget just how vital salt was to the preservation of food in a pre-electricity world. Thankfully, Kurlansky explains it all. The author paints with a big brush here (history, economics, nutrition, engineering, chemistry, sociology), so if you download, prepare yourself for an epic ride through all things salt, and on every level. The recipes do get a bit tiresome, but Kurlansky always has a point, even if he seems to be going off on a tangent. In the end, he'll tell you a lot of things you didn't know, and some things you never suspected. Great structure, amazing research, excellent Scott Brick narration. I'm just waiting for the sequel on Pepper. If Kurlansky can bring life to a substance as staid as salt, just think of what he could do with something that has a little more kick to it.