Salt

Salt

Salt, also known as table salt or rock salt (halite), is a crystalline mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of ionic salts. It is absolutely essential for animal life, but can be harmful to animals and plants in excess. Salt is one of the oldest, most ubiquitous food seasonings and salting is an important method of food preservation. The taste of salt (saltiness) is one of the basic human tastes.

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Famous quotes containing the word salt:

    But we are spirits of another sort.
    I with the morning’s love have oft made sport,
    And like a forester the groves may tread
    Even till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,
    Opening on Neptune with fair blessèd beams,
    Turns unto yellow gold his salt green streams.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    ... the darkness,
    Inviting to this house
    Air from a field, air from a salt grave ...
    Philip Larkin (1922–1986)

    You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
    Bible: New Testament, Matthew 5:13.