Salt was an essential ingredient for food processing in the ancient world. Without modern refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat, fish, and other types of food, which was especially important in the hot desert climate of the Middle East. Salt was also used as a basic spice to make various foods more tasty.
Given its importance, salt was an expensive commodity in the ancient world. So valuable was salt that soldiers were often paid in salt for their military service. In fact, the English word "salary" comes from the Latin word for salt. Even today, we might say that someone is "worth his salt," meaning that they have truly earned their wages.
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Photo Credit: Via Dolorosa, First Station, in Jerusalem by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.