BREAD AND SALT

Of all the blessings endowed upon man, bread and salt are specially revered as symbols of holiness. Sodium chloride has been known to man since the far distant past. Its history goes back more than 7,000 years. The ancient Greek poet Homer, author of the Iliad and Odyssey, described salt as a holy substance, i.e. the basis of all objects and events. The philosopher Plato said it was greatly appreciated by the gods. Salt had a special role in religious ceremonies, the signing of agreements between individuals and states, and in magic. Since these functions have been employed at all times and in all countries, they may be regarded as traditions common to all humanity. 

For Christians, salt is a symbol of longevity, stability and wisdom 

For example, the British could do without bread, but always brought salt to a new house. Fidelity and friendship have always been confirmed with salt, because it never changes. Even if it is dissolved in water, it always stays at the bottom of a glass in crystallized form after distillation, which is evidence of its stability. During christenings in the Catholic church, a pinch of salt is put in the baby's mouth. Indian soldiers took a salt oath before their commanders. In the Muslim world, because of its stability, it was used to affix agreements. 

The Jews have always viewed salt as a symbol of the unbreakable bond between the Almighty and Israel. In Islam, consumption of bread, itself a divine gift, together with salt signified protection; evidence of the unity of the Almighty and his subjects. In order to protect actors against dark forces, there was a tradition in traditional Japanese theatre to scatter some salt on the stage. Both Christians and Muslims believe in salt's ability to safeguard people from evil. There was even a custom of sprinkling salt on new-born babies to keep them from all evils. The custom of bathing new-born babies in salted water, or putting a pinch of salt under their tongue is much older than baptism. In many European countries, especially Holland, salt is sprinkled in a child's cradle.

 It is quite often associated with fertility. Centuries of observation have shown that fish living in salty water reproduce more than animals living on the earth. The rapid proliferation of rats on ships which transported salt led to the belief that their reproduction was largely due to the salt environment. On the Iberian Peninsula, the bride and groom go to the altar with salt in their left-hand pockets to avoid infertility. In some regions of France, salt is carried only by the bride or the groom. In Germany, salt is put in the bride's shoes. Ancient Greek and Roman thinkers, appreciating salt's efficacy, wrote that it was capable of replacing all food except for bread. They described salt as a divine gift. 

Holy books consider salt to be a symbol of loyalty, sanctity and the unity between Allah and the people he created. Ancient Teutons (tribes speaking a Germanic language) dipped a finger in salt when taking an oath. Arab and Turkic tribes signed agreements over pots filled with salt and then put a pinch of salt in the mouth. In Ethiopia salt is still a symbol of friendship: when two Ethiopian friends meet, they take a lump of salt out of their pocket and give it to each other to lick. A refusal means betrayal and the loss of a friend. 

In ancient Rome, guests were presented with salt as a sign of friendship 

The fact that life began in the oceans is common knowledge. Therefore, salt is the source of food for people, animals and plants. Salt is part of all human liquids (tears, sweat, gall, blood, plasma). The composition of human blood is very similar to that of sea water. Sea water includes all the key elements of the Mendeleev table (except for gases) - 84 elements and 200 chemical compounds. Entering the body in natural and pure form, salt is easily digested and has a positive effect. In macrobiotics (translated from Latin as "longevity technique"), salt is the most important element of nutrition.

There was "salt money" in Ethiopia. It was made of salt and weighed half a kilo. The expression "he adds salt to his food" is still popular in Africa, meaning that someone is very competent. Writing about the "salt money" used in China, the well-known Italian traveller Marco Polo described the process of its production. "Salty water is boiled in large tanks until it becomes a thick mass and is then divided into small pieces, subsequently stamped by the emperor. To make the money look like coins, it is burned in a furnace."

In the Middle Ages, taxes in all European cities were paid in salt. In ancient Rome the salt given in change for money was called Sol, which in Latin means the Sun. Small coins in Italy were called soldo and in France saler. Perhaps the word soldier originated from the word saler too. The English words salary and salad also derive from the Latin 'sal', because Romans liked very much to salt their greens.

In the ancient Greek language, salt was called 'gall'. The Germans had small coins called galler and eller. Some historians believe that the application of salt to food gave impetus to the development of civilization. The discovery of this method of preserving food facilitated the long-distance voyages during which new continents were discovered.  

Indispensible 

A book published in the USA, "101 ways of using salt", provides advice on how to use it to preserve the colour of greens, prevent the melting of ice-cream and heat emission from boiling water, remove rust and stains from clothes, put out burning oil, preserve the freshness of flowers and for medical purposes. There are extensive uses for salt in pharmacology, the production of fertilizer and agents to melt snow quickly, the production of soap, softening of water and the dying of fabrics. Salt is a necessity for all human beings and living things. It helps to regulate water and salt balance and soda-potassium ion exchange. Sensitive biological mechanisms monitor the concentration of sodium chloride in the blood and organs. The difference in the concentration of salt inside and outside a cell is the main mechanism by which nutritional substances enter the cell and waste products are removed from it. The varying of salt concentrations is used in the generation and transmission of nervous impulses by neurons. 

As is known, salt is a product of the reaction between acid and potassium. In the event of compounding a highly inflammable metal, sodium, and a deadly poisonous gas, chlorine, sodium chloride is obtained. It is the only mineral in the world which can be used in food. Chlorides are necessary for digestion and breathing. If it weren't possible to obtain sodium, which the organism can't produce on its own, it would be impossible to supply cells with nutritive substances and oxygen, or to transmit nervous impulses. The muscles, including those in the heart, would stop working.

An adult's body contains about 250 grams of salt, which is used up in different biological processes. Thus its replenishment is of vital importance. A person living in a hot climate and engaged in physical labour loses a lot of salt by sweating and needs to take in more. For this reason, food for slaves in ancient times was more salty. A person sweating normally receives the required volume of salt in meat. Members of the nomadic Masai tribe living in eastern Africa satisfy their need for salt by drinking the blood of a freshly killed animal. 

Chlorine, which is a constituent of salt, is the main material in the gastric juices. In the event of a shortage of salt in the body, it is made up by the breaking down of bone and muscle tissue, which contain a lot of sodium chloride. A chronic shortage of salt in the body usually has a fatal outcome.  

People engaged in cattle-breeding do not use pure salt. They satisfy their need for salt by consuming dairy products and sometimes raw meat. Those working in farming first ate food of vegetable origin which did not contain sodium chloride. They began to appreciate salt as an important product only after realizing its conservation qualities. The capacity of salt to add taste to tasteless products and to preserve their freshness has always drawn people's admiration. Salt has been both loved and feared because, while giving vital strength, it is also capable of killing - everything in salt marshes and salty water dies. 

Consisting of 99 per cent sodium chloride, salt is an indispensible product for human activity. If there is not enough salt in the body, brain activity weakens and a languor in movement is observed. An excess of salt is not good either. It leads to an increase in weight, poorer functioning of the joints, higher blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, deterioration in kidney function and calcium exchange. This may also lead to eye problems - increased intraocular pressure, cataracts and oedema of the eyelids. Salt hampers the removal of water from the body and it accumulates in fatty tissue. The ability to maintain a salt balance is a virtue because it is necessary for tissue and cell metabolism. The average man should consume 10 grams of salt a day. This includes the salt contained in products of animal origin. Therefore, 5 grams of salt is sufficient. Anyone who wants to lose weight by removing water from the body should reduce the volume of salt being consumed because there is a lot in the produce and canned food we eat. Most diet specialists believe that people receive a sufficient volume of salt in their food. The consumption of more salt (sometimes 30-40 grams) than is required for physiological processes leads to such diseases as arthritis, sclerosis, kidney stones, hypertension etc. It is also necessary to remember information about the correct consumption of salt. For example, salt should be added to meat broth 20 minutes before it is ready, while fish broth must be salted immediately after the removal of foam. Vegetable broths are salted five to seven minutes before they are ready. Since beans and peas don't boil well in salted water, they are salted five minutes before being removed from the stove. Fried potatoes should be salted immediately after cooking, but raw meat and fish before cooking.  

The average annual salt intake per person is about 5-6 kilos. This means that the world's total salt consumption is 7 million tons a year (and is slightly higher for chemical production). Salt is the main raw material in many sectors of the chemical industries. It is used in the production of caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, sodium metal, synthetic resins etc. 

In Naxcivan, there is the famous Duzdag (salt mountain) with an inexhaustible supply of rock-salt. Stone implements discovered in local mines show that salt was produced here back in the Stone Age. These implements and mineral samples from Duzdag are exhibited for visiting tourists. Duzdag, as well as the Nehram deposits, have large supplies of salt. There is also a unique sanatorium in Duzdag. It has special equipment to treat people for a number of specific diseases.