For most of us, salt is the cheapest commodity in the kitchen. We grab a shaker without a second thought, and a whole container barely makes a dent in our budget. This situation can make it hard to imagine that there was a time in history when salt was so valuable, it literally served as currency.

In fact, there is a widely held belief that the word “salary” itself is derived from the Latin word salarium, which translates roughly to “salt money” or a soldier’s allowance to buy salt. Centuries ago, during the height of the Roman Empire, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with this precious mineral, cementing its status as a vital commodity.

The main factor that kept the price sky-high was the difficulty of its production and transport. Salt had to be carefully mined from underground deposits or painstakingly evaporated from seawater in coastal salt pans. These processes were labor-intensive and weather-dependent.

It was only relatively recently, beginning with the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, that technological advancement, specifically, modern industrial mining and efficient transportation finally made salt production cheaper, easier, and scalable. This innovation increased the supply to the level we have today, transforming it from a priceless bartering tool into the affordable ingredient we know.

What a wonderful thing to be operational in a time when salt is so accessible and affordable! As you could have already guessed, salt is one of the big requirements for us at Newman’s. For almost all our line of snacks, we sprinkle a little bit of salt to balance out the flavor on our snacks.

We can only imagine what the price of Newman’s popcorn would be, if a 100-gram pack of salt was, say, 100 USD! We’re truly grateful for the modern technology that allows us to provide you with a perfectly flavored snack at a great price.

So, the next time you enjoy the satisfying crunch of our salted snacks, take a moment to appreciate this humble white crystal that is so essential in flavor enhancement and yet friendly in cost.