Pass the Salt and Pepper
Salt and pepper are the two most commonly used condiments in the Western world, and have been used for countless generations. Indeed, there are records of salt being gathered for both consumption and for preserving foods going back at least 6000 years BCE. Table salt is refined salt, 99% sodium chloride, and usually contains substances that make it free flowing, such as sodium silicoaluminate or magnesium carbonate. It is common practice, especially in areas of high humidity, to put a few grains of uncooked rice or half a dry cracker in salt cellars to absorb extra moisture when other agents are not enough. Salt has been so valuable that at times, troops in the Roman army were even paid in salt, which is the origin of the word salary. The word “salad” is derived from the practice of salting leaf vegetables in Roman times.
Pepper has been used as a spice in India since prehistoric times. It is native to India and has been known to Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE. Peppercorns were a much prized trade good, often referred to as “black gold” and used as a form of commodity money. The term “peppercorn rent” still exists today. The ancient history of black pepper is often interlinked with (and confused with) that of long pepper, the dried fruit of closely related Piper longum. The Romans knew of both and often referred to either as just “piper”.
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