Can't believe Salt provides food

[InFlux5]

Now I have been playing since Civ 1, and I know the game isn't meant to simulate reality. "It's just a game." Et cetera.

But why would salt add to the food of a tile? Salt is a luxury that adds flavor, not calories. I'm pretty sure you can't live on salt.

Does this bug anyone else?

 

[Musketeer935]

Salt is a preservative. The presence of salt could greatly reduce the amount of meat wasted.

 

[neoaspilet11]

and salt was a commodity in ancient times. for example many dynasties in China from Han to Song dynasties (200 BC to 1000 AD) monopolized salt industries as a way for the goverment to generate money.

agreed. salt as preservative was common before fridge was invented.

 

[Lokos451]

You may not be able to live on salt, but you cannot live without it either. Ease of access would help you preserve things, and satisfy that basic need...helping to diversify a diet indirectly.

Beyond that, well, it's a game. It's better if they do things for balance reasons instead of flavor ones.
Hehe...I made a funny.

 

[Teproc]

Salt is a preservative. The presence of salt could greatly reduce the amount of meat wasted.

This. It doesn't produce food, but it prevents a lot of wasting, so it completely makes sense that it would provide food in Civ.

 

[Illinus]

By similar logic, one would think spices would generate a food as well; simply as a food enhancer.

 

[Mr. Grieves]

Giving food a cinnamon rub doesn't really preserve it though.

 

[headcase]

Salt preserves food, so it's justified (if a little powerful for gameplay).

If they get around to making every resource have a bonus effect (like marble's ancient\classical wonder bonus), salt should increase the range of sea routes from the city.

 

[PhilBowles]

Giving food a cinnamon rub doesn't really preserve it though.

Spices were as highly-valued as they were in part because they were used to disguise the taste of food that had gone off, so yes there would be some justification for giving then a food output.

 

[Barghaest]

This. It doesn't produce food, but it prevents a lot of wasting, so it completely makes sense that it would provide food in Civ.

Very similar to how a Granary works. Granaries don't provide food, the provide a place to store grain out of the elements to reduce spoilage, making more grain per harvest usable which translates into Civ V as extra food for growth.

Salt is the same in this regard.

 

[Talcove]

Spices were as highly-valued as they were in part because they were used to disguise the taste of food that had gone off, so yes there would be some justification for giving then a food output.

Rotten food is still rotten food, even if it is a bit spicier.

 

[FinsT]

Now I have been playing since Civ 1, and I know the game isn't meant to simulate reality. "It's just a game." Et cetera.

But why would salt add to the food of a tile? Salt is a luxury that adds flavor, not calories. I'm pretty sure you can't live on salt.

Does this bug anyone else?

Doesn't bug me at all. Yes, you can't live on salt. But, can you live on sugar (alone)? Nope. Can you live on meat (alone)? For a while, may be, but you'll wither and die - on a meat-ONLY diet - extremely fast. Most importantly, can you live without salt (means, NO salt whatsoever, including no salt being integral part of other foods)? Nope. You'll die in a matter of weeks to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia#Signs_and_symptoms .

Good news are, many natural foods have substantial levels of salt "on its own". Bad news are, in quite many areas of the world, it's overall low salt levels. Mineral salt played important role for mammals for millions of years, as it does today - not just for humans, but also for other mammals. Even for elephants: some are known to specifically go into caves to eat salt ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PS77oxWur4 , for example).

Cheers.

 

[chazzycat]

Spices were as highly-valued as they were in part because they were used to disguise the taste of food that had gone off, so yes there would be some justification for giving then a food output.

I think this is one of those anecdotes that sounds logical, but isn't really true. According to wikipedia at least, historians do not put much stock in that line of reasoning. It was probably just valuable because it made food taste better in general.

 

[Quineloe]

Rotten food is still rotten food, even if it is a bit spicier.

Rotten food isn't the same thing as food that's over the expiration date by a day and gets thrown away. Many types of food first taste worse, then become actually inedible.

As for spices, I may be mistaken but isn't the reason for excessive use of spices in humid areas that it kills off many bacteria in the food and therefore makes it safer to eat?

If spices gained +1 food as well, I wouldn't really mind that. Plantation luxuries are inferior to mining luxuries anyways.

 

[SYKOJAK]

Speaking from someone who does some of his own food preservation, that is where Salt truly comes into its own.
A lot of recipes might include salt for taste purposes. However, salt is still very important to the canning industry even today. Not to mention various dehydrating techniques that use salt and a main ingredient to help that process
of food preservation. Reguardless of what method one might use, food preservation is just as important in temperate to cold climates as it is to hunt/gather/grow/raise livestock. I am sure that those folks who have lived in warm to arid climates also developed the means to preserve food for longer periods of time.

 

[JanghanHong]

By similar logic, one would think spices would generate a food as well; simply as a food enhancer.

plantations give food already.

and spices don't just mask the food, many pungent chemicals are there to kill bacteria and fungi for the plant, so it sanitizes the food as well. hell, Indian curry was probably developed to eat meat that rotted away so fast in humid climites.

 

[Moriarte]

I think this is one of those anecdotes that sounds logical, but isn't really true. According to wikipedia at least, historians do not put much stock in that line of reasoning. It was probably just valuable because it made food taste better in general.

In hot climate countries adding spices have deep roots in local tradition, as ingredients, which prevent certain organism malfunctions, providing vitamins, minerals, etc. Taste is a bonus.

 

[bbbt]

Salt is a preservative. The presence of salt could greatly reduce the amount of meat wasted.

Hmm - maybe salt's food bonus should expire with refrigeration

 

[Quineloe]

plantations give food already.

and spices don't just mask the food, many pungent chemicals are there to kill bacteria and fungi for the plant, so it sanitizes the food as well. hell, Indian curry was probably developed to eat meat that rotted away so fast in humid climites.

no, plantations start with +1 gold until you research fertilizer.

Then even silk and cotton plantations provide more food -_-

 

[Callonia]

Salted Pretzels, now that's one delicious food that won't exist long without existence of salt. Salted pretzels for me is alone enough reason to justify the food bonus of Salt. And that is without getting in long discussion of why salt deserves the food bonus.