Taken for granted in modern times salt remains one of the most important natural minerals for human survival. Since we walked this earth we have searched out salt and for millennia the control of a salt source and its trade provided empires with power and wealth. Before refrigeration, salt was vital for preserving food, and making food taste better. Without salt to preserve meat or fish early travellers would not be able to carry this source of protein. Throughout history local people have developed some ingenious and sometimes bizarre ways of extracting salt. But as with many things with the development of mass production, many of these traditional salt-making methods began to disappear. Yet in remote regions throughout the world, on isolated islands, hidden in remote valleys or high up on mountainous plateaus, people still use the methods of old to collect this vital natural mineral.
