Patricia Minnes on sat 20 jan 07
Just one little add on to the salt story. I grew up in Quebec many years ago
and do not remember any of the salt block grinding, but I do remember being
scolded often about salt which was in a cellar. With the small spoon or the
clean edge of a knife, it is placed onto the rim of a plate and NOT
sprinkled over the food, which way did I do it? I used to try to sprinkle
when my parents were not looking but usually got caught. It all seemed
important at the time.
Patsi Minnes
On 1/20/07, Dorie Mickelson wrote:
>
> From: stonepaws
>
> Subject: Re: Unusual functional pottery?
>
> What is a salt cellar?
>
> --- In clayart@yahoogroups.com, Lois Ruben Aronow wrote:
>
> > Ironically enough, I sell quite a few salt cellars
>
> ************************
>
> When I did my apprenticeship at the Greenfield Village Pottery Shop, we
> made
> a lot of salt cellars -- they were basically small dishes/bowls that were
> used to hold salt -- as historically, salt was a very precious and
> valuable
> commodity -- and salt was kept on the table in small but sometimes
> elaborate
> dishes known as salt cellars -- and just being able to afford salt was
> something of a status symbol. Where salt cellars were shared amongst a
> number of people at the dinner table, unless an individual spoon was not
> provided with the salt cellar, the proper way to take salt from the salt
> cellar was not with one's fingers but with the clean end of one's knife or
> fork (rather than the side that goes into one's mouth!).
>
> At the Greenfield Village Pottery Shop, we threw the salt cellars off the
> hump and made them in both redware clay and in a salt fired stoneware
> version, representing different time periods in early American
> history. My
> understanding is that beginning in the early 20th century, moisture
> absorbing agents started being added to salt, at which time salt cellars
> were quickly replaced by salt shakers.
>
> Following are some other interesting historical tidbits I found online
> about
> salt (sort of OT, but related)...Marco Polo reported that in Tibet cakes
> of
> salt were pressed with images of their ruler and used as currency. Salt
> bars
> were used as currency of exchange for more than 1000 years in Ethiopia and
> travelers report that some are still circulating among the nomads of the
> Danakil plains. In ancient Greece, slaves were traded for salt. Romans
> paid
> legionnaires to enable them to purchase salt - a salarium argentum - from
> which the word "salary" originates.
>
> Some other interesting facts about salt...before refrigeration, salt was
> the
> main ingredient used to preserve food, as it draws water out of bacteria,
> causing it to shrivel and die. The vast majority of meat and fish was
> salted
> and shipped. Even butter was heavily salted. Our diet today is much lower
> in
> salt than it was in the 20th century, but still North American per capita
> salt consumption is high, since a considerable amount of convenience food
> contains a lot of sodium chloride. In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, pilgrims are
> given salt tablets and urged to take them daily.
>
> There are some 14,000 commercial applications for salt ranging from use in
> pulp-and-paper production to explosives (who knew?). And then of course
> there is road salt (for which Canada is apparently the world's highest
> consumer). In Canada, salt was at one time sold in blocks, then ground at
> home, much like roasted coffee beans that are roasted just before grinding
> for brewing. Salt is essential to all life; it regulates fluid balance
> and
> is absolutely necessary for movement, nerve impulses, digestion and
> healing
> of wounds. All vertebrates have the same amount of salt in their blood (9
> grams per liter) which makes it four times more salty than sea water.
>
> Probably more than you ever wanted to know about salt, but for those of
> you
> making and selling salt cellars, perhaps something interesting to tell
> your
> customers ?
>
> Dorie Mickelson in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the trees are still covered
> with ice and I just threw a bunch of rock salt on our porch, which was
> also
> coated with ice!
>
> www.FreeSpiritCreations.com
>
>
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>
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>
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>
--
patsi.minnes@gmail.com
Dorie Mickelson on sat 20 jan 07
From: stonepaws
Subject: Re: Unusual functional pottery?
What is a salt cellar?
--- In clayart@yahoogroups.com, Lois Ruben Aronow wrote:
> Ironically enough, I sell quite a few salt cellars
************************
When I did my apprenticeship at the Greenfield Village Pottery Shop, we made
a lot of salt cellars -- they were basically small dishes/bowls that were
used to hold salt -- as historically, salt was a very precious and valuable
commodity -- and salt was kept on the table in small but sometimes elaborate
dishes known as salt cellars -- and just being able to afford salt was
something of a status symbol. Where salt cellars were shared amongst a
number of people at the dinner table, unless an individual spoon was not
provided with the salt cellar, the proper way to take salt from the salt
cellar was not with one's fingers but with the clean end of one's knife or
fork (rather than the side that goes into one's mouth!).
At the Greenfield Village Pottery Shop, we threw the salt cellars off the
hump and made them in both redware clay and in a salt fired stoneware
version, representing different time periods in early American history. My
understanding is that beginning in the early 20th century, moisture
absorbing agents started being added to salt, at which time salt cellars
were quickly replaced by salt shakers.
Following are some other interesting historical tidbits I found online about
salt (sort of OT, but related)...Marco Polo reported that in Tibet cakes of
salt were pressed with images of their ruler and used as currency. Salt bars
were used as currency of exchange for more than 1000 years in Ethiopia and
travelers report that some are still circulating among the nomads of the
Danakil plains. In ancient Greece, slaves were traded for salt. Romans paid
legionnaires to enable them to purchase salt - a salarium argentum - from
which the word "salary" originates.
Some other interesting facts about salt...before refrigeration, salt was the
main ingredient used to preserve food, as it draws water out of bacteria,
causing it to shrivel and die. The vast majority of meat and fish was salted
and shipped. Even butter was heavily salted. Our diet today is much lower in
salt than it was in the 20th century, but still North American per capita
salt consumption is high, since a considerable amount of convenience food
contains a lot of sodium chloride. In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, pilgrims are
given salt tablets and urged to take them daily.
There are some 14,000 commercial applications for salt ranging from use in
pulp-and-paper production to explosives (who knew?). And then of course
there is road salt (for which Canada is apparently the world's highest
consumer). In Canada, salt was at one time sold in blocks, then ground at
home, much like roasted coffee beans that are roasted just before grinding
for brewing. Salt is essential to all life; it regulates fluid balance and
is absolutely necessary for movement, nerve impulses, digestion and healing
of wounds. All vertebrates have the same amount of salt in their blood (9
grams per liter) which makes it four times more salty than sea water.
Probably more than you ever wanted to know about salt, but for those of you
making and selling salt cellars, perhaps something interesting to tell your
customers ?
Dorie Mickelson in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the trees are still covered
with ice and I just threw a bunch of rock salt on our porch, which was also
coated with ice!
www.FreeSpiritCreations.com
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