Beatrice Hopkinson wrote:

Lampreys were abundant where we lived in England which was at Droitwich, in Worcestershire - an ancient salt town.
Its where I first got interested in salt!

Have you read Mark Kurlansky's _Salt: A World History_? He believes that salt, cod and the Basques were more or less the motors of the development of western civilisation, and has written a book on each of these. He writes so passionately that you believe his claims, for a while. And there is much curious information.