Salt and Pepper

I do love going to the market and buying fruits and vegetables I have never heard of before.  Sometimes this was possible, because I was living in a new country.  Spending time in New Jersey makes it pretty easy as well, since there are so many ethnic groups around that I can find the produce of five continents in my neighborhood.  Most of these goodies are shipped in from overseas or grown in hothouses in these winter months.  When I think about the vast network that is required to deliver this to my door, I'm always a little overwhelmed (and maybe a bit perturbed) at the effort involved.  This then leads me to think of some of the simplest things, the most vital, and where they come from.  Two of the most universal ingredients in my cooking are slat and pepper.
    Salt is one of the essential materials of life.  Humans began extracting salt from natural springs as far back as 6000BC.  It has also seen use in a variety of the world's religions.  Salting is the oldest known method of preserving food.  Trade routes were formed because of it.  Wars were fought over it.  It was one of the causes of both the American and French Revolutions (well, the Salt Taxes).  Salt can be extracted from water (oceans or mineral springs) or mined from halite deposits.  Those near an ocean may construct evaporation ponds, which allow the Sun to do the grunt work.    Water from mineral streams can also be evaporated in vessels.  Otherwise, the salt must be mined.Salt deposits are known throughout the world (where seas and lakes have dried up).  Mineral springs are of course natural in the area of such deposits and the medicinal value of "taking the waters" has been much debated.  Salt mining was one of the most dangerous occupations available before industrialization, due to rapid dehydration and massive sodium intake (well, and cave-ins and assorted regular mine dangers).  Consequently, it was often done by prison or slave labor (I remember my father saying, "Off to the salt mines," in jest on his way to work). 

Salt Mine Wieliczka, Krakow, Poland

     Black pepper, in partnership with salt, served as the ubiquitous table condiment of my youth (and is much appreciated on eggs, thank you very much).  Black pepper is native to India and is cultivated today in various tropical regions.  Peppercorns were known in ancient Rome.  During the medieval period in Europe, pepper was a luxury item and at one point could be traded ounce for ounce with precious metals and were accepted as payments for a variety of debts.  Pepper (like other spices) was one of the primary goods sought by explorers in their travels and a monopoly in trade was held by the Italians until the 16th century (when it began to be produced in other regions).  Spices (along with herbs) also were thought to have medicinal properties (though of course use was limited by cost in Europe).  The importance as a trade good can be recognized in the establishment of the Pepperers Guild, formed (1180) in London, which was later incorporated into the Spicers' Guild. Those who worked on the ships handling the spice were often required to sew pockets shut and remove cuffs from their shirts.  Pepper was market to the poor in its ground form so it could be cut with a variety of other spices to increase the volume.  There is some debate about using pepper to cover the scent of spoiling meats, but its cost seems to make that prohibitive. 
    It's amazing to think what an important role these two spices have played in the history of the world.  The fact that we can take their presence on the dinner table for granted would make a medieval peasant goggle.  Sitting "Above the salt," (relative to the host) was a mark of favor when dining in a noble household.  Spices of all kinds were carefully secured within the home.  When people criticize the modern world, it always strikes me how much of it they take for granted.  Spices that are free today on every table, were once the most valuable of commodities.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt 
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/01/science/la-sci-sn-oldest-european-town-20121101
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_mining
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper
http://www.kew.org/plant-cultures/plants/black_pepper_history.html
http://www.coleandmason.com/history-of-pepper.aspx
http://www.lifescript.com/food/articles/t/the_storied_origins_of_black_pepper.aspx
http://blog.golbsalt.com/2012/06/25/peppercorns-piper-nigrum-their-place-in-history/