I like to share stuff I find out about and you are the luckiest one to be reading this right now.  I just found out about where the saying “Not worth his salt” came from.  Actually, I had never given the statement any thought.  And I have used it a time or two.

It actually came from ancient Roman times.  Salt was considered a very important item in their lives.  I’m sure much as it does to us today.  They didn’t have a very large supply of it on hand and so it was costly as well.  It really made the food taste a whole lot better than food without it.  And, as an added bonus, food could be preserved by dissolving salt in water and soaking meat in the brine.

Remember, they didn’t have refrigerators in those days.  Heck, they didn’t even have electricity back then.  Can you imagine?

So, the soldiers often times would take part of their pay in salt.

We all know that all soldiers are upstanding, honest, brave, loyal etc., etc. and they all work very hard and strive to do all they can 100% of the time to serve their kings and the people of their country….right?

Well, there must have been at least one of those old time soldiers that didn’t give all that one might think they should and so the paymaster of the time made the comment (and I’m sure it was muttered lowly under his breath to his assistant at the time) “This soldier is not worth his salt, let alone monetary pay”!

There you have it!  Am I worth my salt for telling you this?

Bears Butt

April 2012