Salt & Fire: A Brief History of Preservation
Before refrigeration, there was salt.
It wasn’t just something you sprinkled on your food—it was how you kept your food.
How you made meat last through winter. How you turned vegetables into pickles and fish into survival rations.
Salt wasn’t a seasoning. It was strategy.
And it’s played a central role in food—and power—for thousands of years.
Worth Your Salt: Currency, Culture & Control
Salt used to be so valuable that entire trade routes were built around it.
Cities rose from it. Wars were fought over it. Empires taxed it.
Ever heard “worth your salt”?
That came from the Roman army—where soldiers were sometimes paid in salt.
In fact, the word “salary” comes from salarium, the payment given for buying salt.
Salt was control. Salt was wealth. Salt was survival.
How Salt Preserves
Salt works by pulling moisture out of food—and out of the bacteria that try to spoil it.
No water, no microbial party.
That’s why it works so well with:
Meats (think cured hams and salted fish)
Cheeses
Pickled vegetables
And yes—hot sauce
When used right, salt keeps food stable, safe, and flavorful.
Salt + Fire: The Oldest Tools in the Kitchen
Together, salt and fire were the original preservers.
Salt dries. Fire smokes. Both protect.
Before refrigeration, people turned to flame—not just for flavor, but to keep food from going bad.
Think smoked fish, smoked sausages, and jerky—foods that could last for weeks or months without spoiling.
Salt pulls out moisture.
Fire adds heat and smoke, which deters bacteria and adds protection.
Even better? It tastes incredible.
Add acid and time, and you’ve got the foundation of almost every preserved food we still use today—from kimchi to soy sauce to a well-built bottle of hot sauce.
So What Does This Have to Do With Hot Sauce?
Most hot sauces today—ours included—still use salt as a key ingredient.
Not just for flavor, but for safety.
We use enough to help preserve the sauce without making it taste overly salty.
And when paired with acid and pasteurization, salt plays its part in helping our sauces stay fresh, safe, and shelf-stable—without needing artificial preservatives.
Salt’s role hasn’t changed much in the grand scheme.
We’ve just gotten better at balancing it.
Ancient, Modern, Essential
Salt isn’t just an ingredient—it’s one of the oldest technologies in human history.
And it’s still doing the job. Quietly. Reliably.
So the next time you pour hot sauce on your eggs, your tacos, or your cocktail—remember:
you’re tasting something old, something true, and something built to last.
