On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1212

ultimately from the rocks that erode into
them. It’s an essential nutrient, a chemical
thatourbodiescan’tdowithout.It’stheonly
natural source of one of our handful of basic
tastes,andwethereforeaddittomostofour
foods to fill out their flavor. Salt is also a
taste enhancer and taste modifier: it
strengthens the impression of aromas that
accompanyit,anditsuppressesthesensation
of bitterness. It’s one of the very few
ingredients that we keep in pure form at the
table,tobeaddedtoindividualtasteasweeat.
Inadditiontosaucesandsalads,somewhat
bitterleavesdressedtomakethemmore
palatable,anotherfoodnamedforsaltis
sausage,oneofthepreparationsinwhichsalt
ismorethanjustaflavoring.Thankstoits
basicchemicalnature,saltcanalterother
ingredientsinusefulways.Sodiumchloride
dissolvesinwaterintoseparatesingleatoms
thatcarryelectricalcharge—positively
chargedsodiumionsandnegativelycharged


chlorideions.Theseatomsaresmallerand
moremobilethananymolecule,andtherefore
readilypenetrateourfoods,wheretheyreact
inusefulwayswithproteinsandwithplant
cellwalls.Andbecauseaconcentrated
solutionofanykinddrawswateroutofliving
cellsbyosmosis—waterintheless

concentratedcellfluidmovesoutofthecell
torelievetheimbalance—thepresenceof
sufficientsaltinafooddiscouragesthe
growthofspoilagebacteriawhileallowing
harmlessflavor-producing(andsalt-tolerant)
bacteriatogrow.Itthuspreservesthefood
andimprovesitatthesametime.
Saltisaremarkableingredient.Nowonder
thatpeoplefromearliesttimeshavefoundit
indispensable,thatit’sembeddedineveryday
wordsandsayings(salary,fromtheRoman
practiceofpayingsoldiersinsalt;worthhis
salt;saltoftheearth),andthatithasbeenthe
occasionforgovernmentalmonopoliesand
taxesandpopularrevoltsagainstthem,from