c. 3000 BCE Salt works support urban provisioning Ancient states organize salt production to preserve food for trade, labor forces, and storage. c. 1200 BCE Salted fish enters Mediterranean commerce Preserved fish becomes a practical long-distance commodity in ancient maritime trade. c. 500 BCE Chinese texts record food preservation methods Classical Chinese traditions discuss preserving foods with salting and fermentation. c. 500 BCE Roman salting underpins military and urban supply Salted pork, fish sauces, and preserved rations become routine in Roman provisioning. c. 500 BCE Islamic trade networks move preserved foods Salted and dried provisions travel with expanding commercial systems across Afro-Eurasia. c. 500 BCE Northern fisheries depend on curing Dry-salting and related methods support larger commercial fisheries in northern Europe. c. 500 BCE Salted cod becomes a staple commodity Preserved cod supports fasting diets, urban markets, and long-distance exchange. c. 500 BCE Oceanic voyages rely on salted provisions European maritime expansion depends heavily on salted meat, fish, and shipboard storage techniques. c. 500 BCE Salt taxes sharpen political conflict Because preserved food and salt are daily necessities, salt taxation becomes a recurrent source of grievance. 1770 Caribbean and Atlantic curing industries expand Slave plantations, naval fleets, and cod trades deepen the economic role of salted provisions. 1795 The French state offers a prize for preservation Concern with feeding armies and navies stimulates systematic experimentation beyond traditional salting alone. 1810 Appertization and the tin can challenge salt's monopoly Canning introduces a rival preservation system that can keep food longer with different tastes and textures. c. 1830 Rail transport broadens fresh food access Faster transport gradually reduces exclusive dependence on heavily salted foods near major cities. c. 1860 Scientific food chemistry reframes salting Industrial societies increasingly analyze preservation in terms of microbes, moisture, and chemistry. 1876 Mechanical refrigeration changes preservation Artificial refrigeration begins to shift food storage away from salt as the default preservative. c. 1920 Packaged table salt becomes domesticated and invisible Iodized, branded table salt turns an old strategic resource into an ordinary pantry staple. c. 1940 Frozen food lowers dependence on heavy curing Home freezing and cold chains further reduce salt's central role in everyday preservation. c. 1980 Public health campaigns target sodium intake Modern medicine recasts salt from vital preservative toward dietary risk in processed foods. c. 2010 Artisanal curing revives traditional salting Chefs and food historians restore interest in pickling, curing, and heritage salt production within a refrigeration age.