Citrus sea salt from the Aegean Neolea 100g

Neolea sea salt is harvested by hand in the Aegean Sea. Harvesting from the rocks keeps the salt pure and adds mineral nutrients.

This one is composed of fleur de sel, orange, lemon, grapefruit and mandarin.

By keeping the salt in its natural state, the flakes retain their original, irregular shape. This enhances both cooking and the dining experience.

What common point can there be between the goddess Aphrodite and the conservation of hams, a rose perfume and the feeding of cattle, the mummification of a body and gum paste? Salt, of which Pliny the Elder already assured that "it is essential to life". Its great usefulness has always led to the belief that it is a gift from the gods.

Among the ancients, salt appears above all as a powerful mediator. This appreciation is due to its divine character. The best illustrations of this have been given by Homer when he portrays Achilles and Patroclus sprinkling their skewers, or by Hesiod, according to whom Aphrodite was born from the salt resulting from the crystallization of the sperm of Ouranos. A mineral substance that has the power to dissolve in water and to reappear in the form of crystals (evaporation), salt enters into various rituals or practices that it sanctifies. The salt of the Covenant and the accompaniment of oblations among the Hebrews, table salt for oaths and libations among the Greeks, the preparation of mola salsa and the sacrifice to the lares among the Romans illustrate this role of mediator.
In addition, it contributes to sealing friendship as evidenced by a proverb quoted by Aristotle and Cicero and which will later have a French writer say: “To call yourself friends, you must have eaten a minot of salt. He humanizes society.
Through its cross-disciplinary approach, this volume offers an overview of salt in Antiquity, which stands out as a symbol of life in each of the cultures that contributed to forming the Roman Empire, and the diversity of its use gives these pages a special flavor.

BERNARD MOINIER, OLIVIER WELLER

Salt in Antiquity or Aphrodite's crystals