Resources - Salt Facts

did you know?

  • Every cell of your body contains salt - an adult human body contains about 250 grammes to maintain the normal volume of blood and digest food
  • Salt is used in manufacturing an estimated 14,000 products

world salt

  • Salt was used to preserve Egyptian mummies
  • In many cultures, salt plays a vital part in religious ritual, symbolising purity
  • Salt is a mineral that almost everyone in the world consumes
  • Until relatively recently, salt bars were the standard currency of Ethiopia
  • In old Japanese theatres, salt was sprinkled on to the stage before each performance to prevent evil spirits from casting a spell on the actors
  • In Arab countries, if you ate another man's salt, you could not harm him in any way whilst in his home, and he would not harm you
  • Salt is used to removed traces of water from aviation fuel after it is purified

salty sayings!

  • The word "salary" comes from the Roman times, when soldiers were given an allowance to buy salt
  • In Ancient Egypt, slaves were traded for salt, hence the expression: "not worth his salt"
  • "Salt of the earth", meaning a person of great goodness, is one of over 30 phrases involving salt used in the bible
  • If we are sceptical about a fact, we might "take it with a pinch of salt"