Posted on: Nov 02, '08
Kuchch namkeen
Diwaali is over and done with but I failed to offer any sweets. Here is kuchch namkeen for belated Diwaali celebrations.
Salt is the only rock directly consumed by man. It corrodes but preserves, desiccates but is wrested from the water. It has fascinated man for thousands of years not only as a prized substance, but also as a generator of poetic and of mythic meaning. The contradiction it embodies intensifies its power and its links with experience of the sacred.
All 5.9 billion inhabitants of earth use salt everyday. Salt is essential for survival. The pre-historic man obtained salt from the meat of hunted animals. Salt was added to supplement the vegetable and cereal diet after development of agriculture. Over the past century the annual production of salt world-wide has increased from 10 million tonnes to over 200 million tonnes today.
In Biblical times, salt was used to seal an agreement or contract. Men wore a pouch of salt tied to their belt and when they made a promise to someone, each put a pinch of salt into the other’s pouch. If a man wanted to break his covenant for reasons that did not seem fair, the other could respond by telling him "Yes, if you can retrieve your grains and yours only from my pouch of salt". Salt was similarly used to seal a deal in Arabic countries, where it also signified safety and friendship. If you were offered and ate salt in someone's home it meant they would never harm you in any way and vice versa.
The Bible refers to the covenant of salt by which God gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons. The Law of Moses required that all cereal offerings contain salt.
Salts value lay in its power to preserve foods. The term "salt of the earth" meant that you were a valuable person. It was also used as currency in form of packets.
Participants at medieval feasts were seated in order of importance based on the location of the salt dishes. Distinguished guests dined at an elegant elevated banquet table "above the salt." Lesser lights sat "below" in progressively lower order.
An old Latin proverb stated "There is nothing more useful than the sun and salt" (Nil sole et sale utilius). Since it was essential for preserving food, spilling salt was a terrible waste that would surely bring bad luck.
In "The Last Supper", Leonardo da Vinci placed an overturned dish of salt in front of the scowling Judas Iscariot. Some believe that the superstition may have started with this painting.
The Roman empire built a road for transport of salt called the Via salaria. It exists to date.
The Druids used salt in their Stonehenge rituals because it was believed to represent a symbol of the life-giving fruits of the earth.
In old Japanese theatres, salt was sprinkled on the stage before each performance to prevent evil spirits from casting a spell on the actors and ruining the play.
Salt was also thought to provide sanctification. One of the four principal tenets of the Shinto religion was the guarantee of physical cleanliness before praying or approaching a shrine, which required lots of sprinkling with salt and then washing.
The clay of the Dohyo or sumo ring is considered a sacred spot and must be purified the day before each tournament by the head referee and a Shinto priest, who pour sake and salt in its center. It is still practiced in Sumo wrestling.
In some countries, it is customary to greet newlyweds with gifts of salt and bread to bring good luck instead of throwing confetti or rice.
Roman mothers rubbed salt on the lips of infants to protect them from illness and danger. Though no longer common, for hundreds of years Roman Catholic priests would place a pinch of salt on a baby's tongue during baptism and say, "Receive the salt of wisdom."
Salt was so valuable that caravans carried it across the Sahara to Eastern trading centers to exchange for gold, ivory, slaves and skins. Salt bars were the coin of the realm in Ethiopia for over a thousand years and cakes of salt stamped to show their value were also used as currency in countries from Borneo to Tibet.
Salt Totkaas
* Tossing a pinch of spilt salt is the antidode for ill luck by spilling salt.
* If you have a curse or hex on you by a gypsy then once they leave your home throw a pinch of salt in their direction to nullify the curse
* If you have a frequent unwanted visitor then simply throw a pinch of salt at them when they are in your house. They will not return.
* Fishermen never use the word as it is taboo while at sea however they sprinkle fishingnets with salt to ensure safe return
* If you want a lover to return then burn salt on seven consecutive mornings
* If you are a bride then sprinkle a pinch of salt onto your dress for a happy marriage.
* Never lend salt if you are outside the house, at a picnic etc., this will bring you bad luck
* Bathe newborn babies in salt and water to ward off witchcraft
* Dairymaids sprinkled a pinch of salt in their pails to stop any witch from curdling the milk
* Never offer another diner a salt celler that is open. It brings saorrow.
Indian context
Ayurveda maintains that consumption of salt aggravates the element of fire in one’s constitution. In some people, it can induce the attitudes of rigidity in outlook while in some others it can induce immediate need for sensual gratification, something we could understand as addiction. That’s the secret behind the popular "No one can eat just one" ditty….and explains the urge to continually dip into the bag for more salted peanuts or wafers.
The concept of “namak haraam” and “namak halaal” (both highly acclaimed movies) is well ensconced in our culture.
Salt has remained tax free from the time of the interim government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru.
Mahatma Gandhi's march to Dandi and the symbolic protest against the tax on salt was an important step in the Indian freedom struggle. No government in independent India taxed this commodity.
Salt taxes
Salt was taxed by governments from the ancient Chinese and Romans to late medieval Burgundy, where salt was taxed at more than 100% as it came from the salt-works.
The repeal of the salt tax was a major goal of the revolutionaries of 1789, but Napoléon restored it as soon as he became Emperor, to pay for his foreign wars: and it continued until 1945.
It is said that income from a salt pan in southern Spain largely financed Columbus' voyages. In the United States, the State of New York financed the Erie Canal with its salt tax!
Salt quotes (my selection)
“Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea.”
Pythagoras (580 BC - 500 BC)
“It takes four men to dress a salad: a wise man for the salt, a madman for the pepper, a miser for the vinegar, and a spendthrift for the oil.”
(Unknown)
"Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food."
William Hazlitt (1778-1830)
Ham: 40 days in salt, 40 days hanging, in 40 days eaten."
Joseph Delteil, French writer (1894-1978).
“Trust no one unless you have eaten much salt with him.”
Cicero (106-43 BC)
Salt tips
*If an egg breaks on the kitchen floor, sprinkle salt on the mess and leave it there for 20 minutes. You'll be able to wipe it off cleanly.
*Soothe a bee sting. Wet the sting right away, then cover it with salt.
*Eliminate a grease fire. Pour salt on top to smother it. (Never use water on a grease fire.)
*Clean up oven spills. If food boils over onto the oven floor, sprinkle salt on top to stop smoke and odor from forming. When the oven is cool, it'll be easy to brush away the spot.
*Kill poison ivy. Add three pounds of salt to a gallon of soapy water. Spray it onto leaves and stems.
*Test for rotten eggs. Put an egg in a cup of water to which you've added two teaspoons of salt. A fresh egg will sink, but one that's iffy will float.
*Repel fleas. Wash the doghouse with it.
*For cleaning a glass pot, fill it with a quarter-cup of table salt and a dozen ice cubes. Swish the mixture around, let it sit for half an hour, fill it with cold water and rinse.
*Stop suds from an overflowing washing machine. Sprinkle salt on the top.
*Clean artificial flowers. Put them in a bag of salt and shake the bag. Take a look at the color of the salt and you'll see what you've accomplished.
*Clean coffee and tea stains from china cups. Rub them with salt.
*Keep potatoes and apples from turning brown once they're sliced. Put them in salted cold water.
More information is available at http://www.saltinstitute.org.
In conclusion we have all types of tastes and flavours in this virtual world…..but who are the ones we could call the salt of this site.
Let us find it out ………….name 3 – 5 members who you consider to be the "Salt" in froppers pot pourri, so we that we all can honour and appreciate their special gifts.
Tags: salt society culture
very nice post 
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