Is salt a seasoning?

Salt is an ingredient that people use every day. But not everyone knows exactly how it should be classified. Some people refer to salt as a spice only because it is always accompanied by black pepper, one of the most popular spices. But what is salt?

Is salt a seasoning? Yes, salt is a seasoning. A seasoning is a substance that is added to food when it is already cooked. Since it is used to adjust the flavor of cooked foods, it falls into the category of condiments along with substances such as ketchup and mustard. 

This article explains why salt is a seasoning and not a spice like many people think.

Is salt a seasoning or a spice?

First of all, salt is used to flavor food. People use it in small amounts to enhance the sweet, sour, and umami notes in foods.

In addition to being used as a flavor enhancer, salt is one of the most popular food preservatives. Salt dries food by drawing water out of the cells of the products to which it is added. It slows down the growth and reproduction processes of bacteria and food lasts much longer.

Salt is also an essential addition to any dining table. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a restaurant table without a pair of salt shakers. One of these salt shakers contains salt and the other ground black pepper.

We all know that black pepper is a spice. But what is salt? Is it also a spice or is salt a seasoning? To find out if salt is a seasoning or not, we have to first learn what is a seasoning and what is a spice.

What is a seasoning?

The word seasoning has different definitions. For one thing, a seasoning is a substance that is added to food when it is ready and served.

By some definitions, condiments include not only substances such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, but also salt.

Considering the definition of the word, it is natural to think of salt as a condiment, since we always have it on the table for people to adjust the dish to their salty preferences.

Although salt can be considered a seasoning today, it wouldn’t be if the word hadn’t changed its original meaning. Originally, the term seasoning meant a pickled or preserved food.

Now, however, as we have already mentioned, it is used to refer to any food enhancer. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a simple one like salt or a complicated substance like fruit chutney and pesto sauce.

The term seasoning is also used interchangeably with the word seasoning. This is a general term that refers to salt, spices, and herbs.

Seasoning is applied to anything we use in food preparation to intensify and enhance the natural flavor of the ingredients. So certainly salt can also be called seasoning.

Why is salt not a seasoning?

Thus, salt is a condiment and seasoning. But many people wonder if salt can also be considered a spice. If you are wondering the same thing, you should know that salt is not a spice.

It is very easy to explain why salt is not a spice. In culinary terms, the word spice refers to the seeds, roots, and other dry parts of plants, except the leaves, which are called herbs.

Some examples of spices are vanilla (the grain that comes from the vines of tropical orchids), cinnamon (the bark of a tree), cloves (the bud of a dried flower), etc. Spices are used to season and flavor food.

Although there is a set of spices used in almost every cuisine, every culture has at least a few spices that are unique to its culinary traditions.

Salt is not a seasoning of vegetable origin. Therefore, it is not a spice. Salt is an organic mineral composed of sodium chloride.

There are different types of salt. Some of the most popular types of salt used in cooking and baking are table salt, kosher salt, and sea salt. All of them are differentiated by the size of the grain and the level of salinity.