We use and store salt in various ways: salt boxes, cellars, and shakers at home. Larger ways to store salt include bags, crocks, or bricks for commercial or industrial uses.
The use of salt by humans can be traced back over 6000 years. While many of us now try to limit our salt intake for health reasons, salt is a requirement for life. Not just human life, but all life on earth. In one form or another, we all need salt to live. Humans began using salt as a way to preserve and transport food. Along with other spices, it was also used as seasoning, as it continues to be today.
Throughout history, salt was considered a highly sought-after and expensive commodity. It was traded as currency and could be afforded by only the wealthiest of families. This scarcity led to the development of processing salt in large quantities, making it available to more people.
Moving forward in history, kitchens were often equipped with salt boxes. Most were made to hang on the wall and held enough of this precious mineral to preserve meats and vegetables to be used throughout the year.
As salt became more readily available and cheaper to produce, its use as an everyday seasoning expanded. Salt and pepper shakers could be found on every table. Now it’s a rare occasion to sit down at a restaurant and not find a salt and pepper shaker.
How we store and use salt today varies from large blocks known as salt licks for animals, used to enrich their diets with nutrients, to fancy salt shakers, boxes, and salt cellars. We all need a little salt.
There are collectors of salt and pepper sets across the world. One of the most sought-after styles is those made in the likeness of anthropomorphic creatures. Everything from fruits and vegetables to animals and inanimate objects has been made into salt and pepper sets. Salt boxes, salt cellars, and salt shakers are all quite collectible and there are myriad styles, shapes, and sizes to choose from.
Check out some of the cutest holiday salt and pepper shakers that would make great gifts in this post from Aunt Hatties Attic.
