The Salt Industry (Shire Library)

Since prehistoric times, salt has been an important commodity for mankind, essential for the preservation of such foods as meat, fish and dairy products, and a necessary ingredient for breadmaking. It is also widely used in various industrial processes such as tanning and in the chemical industry. Salt can be obtained by evaporation from sea water or inland from brine springs, and following the discovery of rock salt deposits it has also been mined. This book explains the various processes by which salt is obtained and traces the history of the industry in Britain.

Andrew and Annelise Fielding have been experimenting with historic processes of salt making since moving to Cheshire in 1989. Both are archaeologists.