http://www.rachellaudan.com/2009/03/fire-water-and-salt-contd.html A Historian's Take on Food and Food Politics Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:28:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.rachellaudan.com/2009/03/fire-water-and-salt-contd.html/comment-page-1#comment-21699 rajagopal sukumar Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:14:25 +0000 http://www.rachellaudan.com/?p=983#comment-21699 Interesting post. You may want to read Mark Kurlansky's Salt - a fascinating book on the role of Salt in the history of the world. I think you will like it. Interesting post. You may want to read Mark Kurlansky’s Salt – a fascinating book on the role of Salt in the history of the world. I think you will like it.

]]> http://www.rachellaudan.com/2009/03/fire-water-and-salt-contd.html/comment-page-1#comment-18157 Kay Curtis Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:52:07 +0000 http://www.rachellaudan.com/?p=983#comment-18157 Salt in nature is never wasted. Years ago when open fires were still in favor I did a lot of back packing. To cook, (I was always the cook) a bucket was suspended by the bail on a triangle of forked sticks over an open fire and bed of coles. I never used much water. My wood gatherers would have mutinied. I always drained the nice salty water a few feet from the fire clearing. In the night various critters would vie for access to eat the salted dirt. One night some mountain sheep got tangled in the tent lines and brought several down so I learned not to dump it that close to the tents. As to the fire part of the equation, nobody but the cook was EVER allowed to touch, feed or stir the fire until the cooking was done. Too much fire and everything burned. Too little fire and the meal never arrived. The menu changed but every menu had fire, water, and salt. Salt in nature is never wasted. Years ago when open fires were still in favor I did a lot of back packing. To cook, (I was always the cook) a bucket was suspended by the bail on a triangle of forked sticks over an open fire and bed of coles. I never used much water. My wood gatherers would have mutinied. I always drained the nice salty water a few feet from the fire clearing. In the night various critters would vie for access to eat the salted dirt. One night some mountain sheep got tangled in the tent lines and brought several down so I learned not to dump it that close to the tents. As to the fire part of the equation, nobody but the cook was EVER allowed to touch, feed or stir the fire until the cooking was done. Too much fire and everything burned. Too little fire and the meal never arrived. The menu changed but every menu had fire, water, and salt.

]]>