Where exactly did the kitchen term “a pinch of salt” come from?
I grew up in the old farmhouse kitchen helping my grandmother cook. Well, at least I called myself helping.
She kept an antique round table smack dab in the middle of the rather small space. It seemed that when we were baking, it was always covered with a dusting of flour.
Nanny lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s, so eating was a top priority. She might wear raggedy old dresses and have shoes with holes in the soles, but we were going to eat well!
The 30s were hard times. I have a letter written by my great-grandmother who lived in the Mississippi Delta at the time. She had written to my grandfather, begging him to come get her and her husband–or else…”we are going to starve to death.” Literally!!!! My grandfather–her son–lived in the Mississippi hill country, and he and Nanny drove a mule and wagon to the Delta to bring his parents home to the hills. They did’t starve.
When I was a child, Nanny was always going to have something sweet baked…chocolate pies, egg custards, blackberry cobblers, tea cakes…the list seems endless.
While cleaning out kitchen drawers in the old farmhouse this week, I found her teacake recipe written on the back of an old calendar–January 1989. I recognized her handwriting immediately, and seeing it tugged at my heartstrings. I was grown by 1989, so I know she was thinking of me when she wrote this down.
We were cooking together from 1965 to 1975 when I married. I was only 17 years old when I moved to Charleston, SC with my husband. He was stationed there aboard the nuclear submarine Parchee. I was her only grandchild, and now having 2 granddaughters of my own, I know how much Nanny must have missed me. She would smile knowing they had
the opportunity to grow up on the old family farm. As a matter of fact,
my granddaughters are the 8th generation to grow up in our little creek bottom.
I spend a lot of time thinking about her and her cooking lessons in that old kitchen. Looking back on it now, Nanny had all of the recipes that she used memorized, for I never saw her pull out a cookbook or a recipe card. She just got out her bowls and ingredients and we started baking.
One morning while baking her CATHEAD BISCUITS, I remember asking her how much shortening (Crisco) she put, because she had not measured it. She had just reached in the can (Yes, it came in real tin cans back then!) and come out with a handful that she dabbed into a bowlful of flour. She said, “Oh honey, you want a lump about as big as an egg.”
And then I started thinking about her telling me to add a “pinch of salt.” I have heard this all of my life, but when I looked back through the oldest cookbooks that I could find, I could not find a one that said add, “a pinch of salt.” Soooo….. that must be like adding a dab of shortening the size of an egg?
But haven’t you heard of adding a pinch of salt to something? Where did that saying come from?
I also found Nanny’s antique salt cellar at the old farmhouse this week. I guess that’s what started my “pinch of salt” contemplations. Back in the old days when these salt cellars were in use, there were no salt and pepper shakers.
So easy to reach in and get a pinch of salt! And if old folks didn’t really measure anything…well, that must be the origin of the kitchen term. You taste what you are cooking. If it is not salty enough…you add another pinch!
And I find that as I get older, I cannot SEE the salt as it comes out of the salt shaker, and I frequently get things too salty. With the salt cellar, I can FEEL it.
The first salt shaker was manufactured in 1858, but it took over 60 years for it to come into common use. Let’s see…that would be about 1920! Nanny was born in 1900, so this salt cellar would have been common in the kitchens she grew up in.
And wow! Guess who invented the salt shaker! John Mason–the Mason Jar man! Cool!
When I found Nanny’s old salt cellar, I was thrilled! Not just because it reminded me of her, but because I wanted to USE it! My salt shaker promptly found its way to the trashcan! Have you noticed that you cannot get salt out of those tiny holes? And forget Kosher salt! We use Kosher salt on everything now. Regular salt just has NO flavor to me. I wonder what else is in there besides salt? Is there really any salt at all?
If you are struggling with salt and pepper shakers too, I am going to post several links for you. Pinch pots are the modern salt cellars. They don’t have the same aesthetic antique quality, but hey, they do have lids!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means, if you click on a link on my blog and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. THANK YOU for helping me start a college fund for Bella!
Here is a dual SALT AND PEPPER PINCH POT (solid marble)
Here is a dual PINCH POT made of bamboo. I love bamboo. It is so eco friendly!
You may prefer a SINGLE POT for SALT only. (Bamboo)
Here are TWO MARBLE CELLARS (one for salt and one for pepper).
So, how much exactly is a pinch of salt if you were to measure it? Well, according to Google, a pinch is 1/16 of a teaspoon. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a measuring spoon that small!
But then there’s this…I have tiny fingers compared to most women. Is my pinch equal to their pinch? I guess Nanny was right. There really is no need to measure ingredients exactly. I never have. When I post old family recipes here like the CATHEAD BISCUITS, I measure for those people who are terrified to cook unless they have an exact amount to fall back on. And hey! That’s totally understandable! With the cost of groceries today, you sure don’t want to have a recipe fail!
I kept looking. Couldn’t stand it! I could not stop until I found a recipe that called for a “pinch of salt.” I finally found this recipe for butter on a site called OLD STURBRIDGE HISTORICAL RECIPES. (click their link for the whole recipe and other historical recipes)
BUTTER–Ingredients & Tools
1 quart of heavy cream
A pinch of salt (optional)
Jar or other sealed container
Marble/ Stone (something small but solid to agitate the heavy cream)
Bowl
Spoon or spatula
water
If you have handwritten recipes that call for “a pinch of salt,” or old cookbooks with this term, please feel free to post as a comment! I would love to see them.
Visit us again at Cozy Kitchen Wood Stove for recipes and other tips for vintage cooking, gardening, and just good ole country living!
And don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the page and SUBSCRIBE to our BLOG! We try to post recipes and tips weekly!
Cozy Kitchen Wood Stove 