When and why did salt and black pepper become de rigueur complimentary condiments for all restaurants (and most homes)?

by TheJucheisLoose

My understanding is that salt was, at one time, rather dear. How did it go from this to the single most common seasoning in the West?

jschooltiger

This question gets asked here fairly often -- while not discouraging further answers, this part of the FAQ may be of some interest.