What is the author's style in Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky?

The perspective of Salt is a "salt's eye view of history,' where the narrative of the book follows the use of and the search for salt rather than a traditional linear historical narrative that follows the events of world powers or the actions of kings. The author presents the story from the point of view, whenever possible, of the people at the time that he is discussing. There are many samples from period cookbooks giving recipes of salt related dishes or explaining the particular purpose or importance of a given dish at a given time.