Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Salt summary
Mark Kurlansky
A World History
23 mins
Brief summary
Salt by Mark Kurlansky is a fascinating exploration of salt's impact on world history, economics, and culture. From its use as currency to its role in food preservation, this book explores the many ways this common mineral has shaped our world.
Topics
Table of Contents
Salt
Summary of 9 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 9
Your personal survival depends on salt; human civilization has been shaped by this simple mineral.
Sitting on nearly every table in the Western world is a shaker of table salt. An ingredient that heightens the flavor of food, salt is truly commonplace and simple. Or is it?
Table salt is actually made up of two volatile chemical compounds. The first is a silvery white metal called sodium, also known as natrium or “Na” on the periodic table. Sodium alone is so unstable that it bursts into flame when it comes in contact with water!
Salt’s second component is chlorine, or “Cl.” When you add chlorine to water, this poisonous gas turns into a dangerous acid!
But when you combine chlorine with sodium, you get NaCl or sodium chloride – a stable, edible compound that we know as humble table salt.
Well, salt isn’t so humble – sodium chloride is of vital importance to our health. If you don’t eat enough salt, you may suffer from headaches or muscle weakness, and even die.
Thanks to sodium, your heart keeps beating, your nerves can send signals to each other, and your cells can feed themselves. You need salt to stay alive, yet your body can’t produce it. Worse, you lose salt everyday – through sweating, for instance.
You might also be surprised to hear that salt has shaped civilizations.
This mineral was the first international trade good and was even used as money because it was considered so precious. It was salt that gave humans a way to preserve food from spoiling.
Salt has also held many different cultural roles. Ancient Egyptians believed salt created sexual desire, so priests refused to eat it. In Judaism and Islam, salt is thought to protect against evil spirits. A similar belief existed in ancient Japan, which is why theater stages would be sprinkled with salt before performances.
Want to see all full key ideas from Salt?
Key ideas in Salt
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Salt about?
Salt (2002) tells the fascinating story of this basic mineral, from its early uses in food preservation to its role as a precious commodity, driving trade and conquest. These blinks shed light on the political conflict sparked by society’s demand for salt as well as the environmental damage wrought by the salt industry.
Best quote from Salt
The body of an average adult contains 250 grams of salt.
—Mark Kurlansky
Who should read Salt?
- People interested in the history of salt and its role in trade, war and revolutions
- Readers fascinated by the unusual forces that shape history
Categories with Salt
Book summaries like Salt
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
29 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth