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Salt. From the Origins of Civilization to the Present Day

A new exhibition “Her Majesty Salt” from the Azov Historical, Archaeological and Paleontological Museum-Reserve began its run in the People’s House of the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve on November, 19, 2015.

The exhibition was interesting, surprising and creative. The visitors took part in a jury trial, where the defendant was…Salt and the subject under consideration was its harm and benefits in human life.

In the exhibition hall the guests were welcomed by T.Y. Turchin, Deputy Director of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov, I.V.Panchenko, a specialist of the Scientific Exhibition Department, and I.G.Afanasyeva, the author of the exhibition, Head of the Scientific-Methodical Department of the Azov Historical, Archaeological and Paleontological Museum-Reserve.

For several centuries salt had become not just a food product, but also a money equivalent, the cause of “salt riots” and military clashes, as well as the subject of numerous proverbs, signs and superstitions. Today salt is not used to pay wages or salaries and is not considered to be the most expensive product on table, but there are wide disputes about it by numerous adherents of healthy eating.

The exhibition displays different kinds of salt: from ordinary cooking salt and extra to rare kinds – black, or “Thursday” salt and Himalayan salt.

Himalayan Pink Salt is a product of ancient marine deposits of Jurassic times (more than 250 000 mln. years ago). Ancient civilizations used Himalayan salt to store fish and meat, and called it “white gold”.

In some families of Rus, housewives handed down the recipe of cooking “Thursday” salt from generation to generation. The process of preparation of such salt was long and labour-consuming. It was cooked and stored usually once a year before Easter, on Maundy Thursday, which gave the name to the salt. On baking, the “Thursday” salt is known to be enriched with iodine, potassium, calcium and zinc. At present, this kind of salt is manufactured according to old recipes in the Kostroma Region and can be found on sale.

At the exhibition the visitors will learn how the food was salted in ancient times, about the rites and customs of many peoples; they will hear different legends about salt, will learn about the ways of producing salt and its role in human life.

We welcome all the residents and guests of Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya to the exhibition “Her Majesty Salt”, which will run till February, 24, 2016.

Yelena Morozova
Galina Smirnova