Quiz Time: All About Salt

Did you know our English word “salary” comes from “salt”?  At one point in history, Romans were often paid in salt, so the Latin word “salarium” refers to this practice… at least according to Pliny the Elder, though accounts differ.

What we do know is that we each need about a teaspoon of salt per day to survive. Our ancestors arose from the salty sea, after all, so that need is wired into us.  Biologically, salt is important for a host of osmotic, transmissive, and neurological purposes.  But today’s quiz is more geographical.

First, to warm you up, what the fuck is this?

It’s not what you think. Believe it or not, these are so-called “penis fish” or Urechis Unicinctus, a kind of Korean “spoon worm”. Is it salty? I dunno. I’m not gonna taste it.

1. First up, salt is not useful without water. So which three countries have the most fresh groundwater, by volume, in the world?

2. Which three countries produce the most commercial salt, by mass?

3. According to the WHO, which country eats the most salt per capita?

4. According to a CMAJ study, which country out of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, France, and New Zealand has the least salt in its fast food?

5. From which country comes the world’s most expensive salt?

ANSWERS
1. Russia, China, USA
2. USA, China, India
3. Kazakhstan
4. UK
5. Denmark