A table overlooking the sea, with a cold drink accompanied by olives, crisps, nuts, perhaps a tin of sardines or fried fish and chips. Even if you aren’t particularly hungry, the seaside atmosphere seems to demand this kind of savoury, salty food. Is it just force of habit, a physiological need, or does the sea somehow awaken a craving for salt?

The prime suspect is sweat. At the beach, we walk, swim, play and sunbathe, and although the breeze may mask it, we lose water and electrolytes in the process. These include sodium, which is essential for maintaining fluid balance, transmitting nerve impulses, and enabling muscle function.

When the body detects a significant loss of this nutrient, it can trigger mechanisms that encourage us to find salt. This does not mean that every craving for crisps is an urgent signal from the body though. Most people do not arrive at the beach with an actual sodium deficiency and, in fact, in Western societies we tend to consume more salt than we should. However, heat, exercise, heavy sweating, prolonged exposure to the sun and alcohol consumption can make salty food go down better.

The body responds to salt not only as a nutrient, but also as a sensory experience whose appeal varies according to one’s physiological state. Cravings thus arise from the interplay between need, learning, pleasure and the environment.

Thirst also plays a part. Salty foods stimulate the desire to drink, and by the........

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