This Podcast Will Kill You

Ep 194 Salt Part 1: The Seasoning

November 25, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Salt, or sodium chloride, was historically a critical commodity that shaped human settlement, trade, and even led to political unrest and revolution due to taxation and control. 
  • Salt's primary historical 'superpower' was its ability to act as an early preservative, allowing for the storage and transportation of food, thus reducing seasonal dependence. 
  • Human consumption of salt has drastically shifted over time, moving from minimal intake in Paleolithic times to extremely high levels during periods reliant on salt for preservation, before declining again with the advent of refrigeration. 
  • The hosts of "This Podcast Will Kill You" concluded the episode by thanking their patrons and offering a final sign-off: "wash your hands, you filthy animals." 
  • Cal Penn and Ed Helms promoted their new podcast, "Iarsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club," which discusses audiobooks from Audible. 
  • The transcript includes advertisements for Lego Star Wars sets (specifically Django Fett's Starship) and promotions for the Hulu Original Series "All's Fair." 

Segments

Ancient Fish Sauce Garum Recipe
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(00:01:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Garum, a popular ancient Roman condiment, was produced by fermenting salted fish intestines and small fish in the sun to create a liquid filtrate called liquamen.
  • Summary: The recipe for garum involves salting fish intestines and small fish, allowing them to ferment in the sun until reduced. The liquid portion, liquamen, is then strained out using a basket, leaving behind the refuse called allak. An alternative method involves boiling the mixture until reduced, testing the brine’s saltiness with a floating egg, and filtering the cooled liquid until clear.
Hosts Introduce Salt Topic
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(00:05:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts of This Podcast Will Kill You are dedicating two episodes to salt, with the first focusing on historical aspects and the second on health.
  • Summary: The hosts confirm the two-part series on salt, noting that the first installment will cover historical context, usage, and lore. The second episode, hosted by Erin Alvin Updike, will focus broadly on salt and human health. The segment also includes the introduction of the ‘Quarantini time’ cocktail, the Salty Dog.
Biological Need and Historical Salt Storage
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(00:13:35)
  • Key Takeaway: The average human body contains about 250 grams of salt (sodium chloride), which is essential for life and must be replenished through consumption to replace losses from sweating or urination.
  • Summary: Salt is essential for balancing bodily fluids, and extreme loss risks shutting down the body, though modern humans generally consume far more than needed to replenish losses. Early humans obtained salt primarily from wild game meat and blood, shifting sources as agriculture developed. Livestock domestication may have been encouraged by wild animals being drawn to the salt content in human urine.
Salt Licks and Early Human Settlement
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(00:19:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Natural salt licks attracted herbivores, and archaeological evidence confirms early human habitation at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site due to its salt source.
  • Summary: Herbivores supplement their low-salt diets (from grasses) with natural salt licks, while carnivores get sufficient salt from consuming prey. Animals are still drawn to salt today, evidenced by mountain goats licking salt off cars in Colorado. Early human settlements were often located near natural salt sources like springs or underground deposits, motivating the development of extraction technology around 3000 BCE in ancient China.
Salt as a Preservative and Commodity
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(00:24:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Salt’s ability to draw moisture out of cells made it one of humanity’s earliest and most crucial preservatives, fundamentally changing trade and food security.
  • Summary: By preventing microbial growth, salt allowed perishable goods like fish to be preserved, extending the seller’s market reach beyond the local area and providing sustenance during lean seasons. This utility fueled commercial opportunities, leading to wealthy cities controlling salt production and trade, such as Venice, which called salt the ’true foundation of our state.'
Cultural Significance and Etymology
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(00:34:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Historically, salt symbolized purity, loyalty, and hospitality, leading to phrases like ‘salt of the earth’ and customs like placing salt on the table first.
  • Summary: Salt held deep religious and symbolic importance, linked to concepts like immortality and fertility, and was used in rituals to ward off evil, explaining why spilling it was considered a bad omen. Etymologically, words like ‘salami’ and ‘salad’ derive from the concept of being salted, and the word ‘salary’ originates from the allowance given to Roman soldiers to purchase salt.
Salt Extraction and Monopolies
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(00:41:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Salt was extracted via mining rock salt or boiling/evaporating water, and control over its production and transport led to immense wealth and political power, exemplified by Chinese and Venetian monopolies.
  • Summary: Salt production was labor-intensive, often involving prisoners in deep, hot mines, and required significant fuel for boiling water, leading to deforestation. The Chinese government established the first salt monopoly around 2000 BCE, taxing production and imports, a strategy later mirrored by Venice. Strict salt taxes, like the French gabelle, were so oppressive they contributed to revolutionary sentiment.
The Beginning of the Salt Wars
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(00:55:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The perception of salt shifted in the late 1800s when researchers first hypothesized that high salt intake caused hypertension, initiating the ‘salt wars’ debate.
  • Summary: Prior to the late 19th century, avoiding salt was considered detrimental to health, but early research in 1899 suggested salt increased plasma volume, and by 1904, a hypothesis directly linking high salt intake to hypertension began the scientific conflict. This debate was complicated by mixed study results and industry influence, contrasting sharply with ancient Chinese texts that also warned about salt hardening the pulse.
Patron Thanks and Sign-off
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(01:02:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts expressed gratitude to their patrons for their support before concluding the episode.
  • Summary: The hosts thanked patrons for their support, stating it means the world to them. The segment concluded with the hosts instructing listeners to wash their hands. This marks the end of the main content for “Ep 194 Salt Part 1: The Seasoning.”
Iarsay Audiobook Club Promotion
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(01:03:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Cal Penn and Ed Helms launched a new podcast, “Iarsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club,” focusing on discussing recent Audible audiobooks.
  • Summary: Cal Penn and Ed Helms invited listeners to join their new podcast, “Iarsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.” Each week, they interview iHeart podcast hosts and special guests about the latest audiobooks from Audible. Listeners can find “Iarsay” on the iHeart radio app.
Lego Star Wars Advertisement
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(01:03:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Lego offers detailed Star Wars sets, including Django Fett’s Starship with features like stud shooters and rotating wings, alongside an Ultimate Collector Series version for adult fans.
  • Summary: The advertisement highlighted the appeal of Lego and Star Wars collaboration, specifically featuring Django Fett’s Starship for kids, which includes four stud shooters and a seismic charge-dropping function. Adult fans can build the large-scale, detailed Django Fett’s Fire Spray-class starship from the Ultimate Collector series for display. These Star Wars Lego sets are available for purchase on Lego.com or in retail stores.
Legal Drama Promotion
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(01:04:59)
  • Key Takeaway: A new legal drama executive produced by Ryan Murphy, focusing on women representing women, is streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus.
  • Summary: The promotion introduced a fiery new legal drama executive produced by Ryan Murphy, emphasizing the theme of women representing women. The series encourages viewers to watch the show and stand up confidently. The Hulu Original Series, “All’s Fair,” is currently streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.