07/11/2024
On the western edge of Sicily, lies the salt flats of Trapani and Marsala. Here, for countless generations, families have harvested salt from the sea, drawing a natural treasure from the water’s depths.
Under the blazing sun, seawater fills shallow pools, then slowly fades, leaving behind mounds of salt glistening like pearls. With skilled hands, workers rake the salt into delicate pyramids, their craft unchanged since the days of the ancient Phoenicians.
Salt not only seasoned food, it was also used for long-term food preservation. And because it was such a valuable commodity in ancient times, salt was treated as a currency.
The word “salary” comes from the Latin “salarium,” which literally means “salt money.” If a soldier or a worker proved themselves true and dependable to their employer, it was said they were “worth their salt.”
