Explores the role of salt in shaping history, discussing how one of the world's most sought-after commodities has influenced economics, science, politics, religion, and eating customs.

pt. 1. A discourse on salt, cadavers, and pungent sources. A mandate of salt -- Fish, fowl, and pharaohs -- Saltmen hard as codfish -- Salt's salad days -- Salting it away in the Adriatic -- Two ports and the prosciutto in between -- pt. 2. The glow of herring and the scent of conquest. Friday's salt -- A Nordic dream -- A well-salted hexagon -- The Hapsburg pickle -- The leaving of Liverpool -- American salt wars -- Salt and independence -- Liberté, egalité, tax breaks -- Preserving independence -- The war between the salts -- Red salt -- pt. 3. Sodium's perfect marriage. The odium of sodium -- The mythology of geology -- The soil never sets on ... -- Salt and the great soul -- Not looking back -- The last salt days of Zigong -- Ma, la, and Mao -- More salt than fish -- Big salt, little salt.