I don't know if it is a modern day trait or has been so forever, but we tend to pay least attention to the most common place subjects and objects around us, barely sparing it one thought, forget a second one. So, it is no surprise that we never think of salt much. We read a little about the Dandi March, the Salt Satyagraha, may be a few lines the policy to iodise the Salt to combat Goitre and Iodine Deficiencies. Or an occasional headline about high sodium content in French Fries and processed food from our supermarket aisles. But salt is way more interesting than that. In this book, Mark Kurlansky takes you through a winding journey of salt through the ages, through the evolution of the process of salt making and the modern day wars and diplomacy over salt. Salt has a history of thousands years of searching for sources of salt, coveting ownership over salt fields, battling over territories, hoarding and profiteering of salt, taxing the salt consumption when blinded by greed, and so much more. There are countless idioms about salt and friendship & loyalty in English. Why just English, it is so in plenty of other cultures. Loyalty & Friendship are sealed with salt because the essence of salt does change even when dissolved in a medium, say water. It can be dissolved in water and then reclaimed from it by evaporation without any ch ages in this nature. In both Islam and Judaism, salt finalises and seals the bargain because it is immutable. Indian troops (& Gabbar's goons