Salt

Our ancestors were incredibly resourceful during times of famine and limited resources. Before spices were universally traded many cultures found themselves making do with what they had. Parts of the world had access to the “finer” things such as salt and spices, while others who lived in scarcity at any given time had to get more creative. So creative in fact that researchers have found evidence from ceramics found in different parts of the world indicating spoons with rough surfaces. Oftentimes these rough spoons were found in areas known to have struggled historically with food scarcity. Carbon dating from these artifacts suggest these spoons had been made during times of war and economic instability relative to the region. With much experimentation and endless curiosity anthropologists found that… crazy as it sounds; rough surface spoons mimic the sensation of saltiness without adding any salt. What?!?! 

So as far back as 2000 BC certain cultures figured out a massive loophole in our brain to gut connections that could substitute what they didn’t have access to? 

Think about your ancestry…are you someone that needs to keep an eye on their sodium? Maybe somewhere in your lineage there was a time when your ancestors lived in a more abundant region. Maybe salt was readily available so there would be no need for those people to focus on what a clever substitute could be. Perhaps those populations were able to focus their energy on other ways of thriving such as the arts or philosophy. Or… maybe your ancestors hailed from a salt scarcity enveloped part of the world… where the sensation of the textural additive was sufficient as per the invention of rough surfaced spoons. It would be logical to theorize those cultures having strong traits of incredible innovation and possibly a different understanding of what their bodies could do. Furthermore, do these populations’ heritage today potentially have more people with a lower risk for sodium related heart disease or other health related hypertension issues?

Would this one interesting fact about salt and texture apply to everyone, of course not. It is however a great example of how everything is connected. The work you do on yourself requires a full arsenal of information…. the more you know, right? From the food you eat to the way you spend your free time or even thinking of the things you excel naturally in or struggle with; all the little things matter because maybe a tiny tweak in your routine would very literally change your life. It might be a tweak you had zero awareness to even look at or try out before you start the “work”. The “work” is about seeing yourself. Where you came from and where you want to go. 

Is it vital to know if your ancestors ate with a rough surfaced spoon or not in order to get there? No, not really. But does that little fact open up a really interesting door of possibilities in knowing something you didn’t know before and does it elicit some curiosity to dig deeper? Hopefully that is a solid yes. Seeing the big picture of possibilities offers us stronger insight into fascinating glimpses as to why we may be the way we are and more importantly it gives us more to work with when we ask ourselves these questions. 

So, next time someone asks you if you’re a sweet or salty kind of person… maybe you’ll be the one that can say “neither, my version of flavor is much more interesting based on my lineage… I can “sense” salt with my super special rough surfaced spoon… 

Talk about a priceless conversation starter (especially for those who struggle with social anxiety)… but that’s another topic for another day 😉