Why is saliva important to digestion?

The digestive process begins with the chewing of the food and bringing it down through the esophagus to the stomach for further churning. The reason as to why saliva is important to digestion is because it will help soften the food and make it moist. Once the food becomes moist, the saliva aids in clumping up the food creating a food bolus. Once the food becomes a bolus, it will have an easier time going down to the stomach.