# Salt for Gentiles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669 "2009-03-07T19:49:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/41 "2009-03-08T18:41:07Z")
You know-take a pich of salt, and dissolve it in Lake Michigan. Take a spoonfull of Lake Michigan water-and you hav…“Homeopathic” salt! Would it be kosher? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/42 "2009-03-08T18:56:06Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > You know-take a pich of salt, and dissolve it in Lake Michigan. Take a spoonfull of Lake Michigan water-and you hav..“Homeopathic” salt! > Would it be kosher? Not with all those catfish swimming around in there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/43 "2009-03-08T21:42:24Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > Not even remotely funny, **DocCathode**. You know better than to use that line. Please stick to the quips about your kosher salt shaker. > > For good measure, I suggest you recite _Al Het_ twice through. Yeah, I suppose joking about the blood libel is in poor taste. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/44 "2009-03-08T21:49:02Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > If someone is being obtuse, it would be that someone who thinks anyone knows what Kashering would possibly mean. You’ve got me (Modern Conservadox), **Alessan** (IIRC Israeli secular IIRC) and **Scuba Ben** (Modern Conservadox leaning to Orthodox) in this thread. If you don’t know what kashering means, and don’t feel like Googling it, you could obviously ask one of us. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/45 "2009-03-08T21:58:38Z")
As a bit of a hijack: has anybody else seen the ad for what amounts to a nose douche? Basically, a netti pot solution? The funny part of the commercial is that the substance is advertised as “purified sea water”. Yeah, that would be called "_salt water"_, numbnuts, and you can make it in your kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/46 "2009-03-08T22:42:52Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > You’ve got me (Modern Conservadox), **Alessan** (IIRC Israeli secular IIRC) and **Scuba Ben** (Modern Conservadox leaning to Orthodox) in this thread. If you don’t know what kashering means, and don’t feel like Googling it, you could obviously ask one of us. I was accused of being deliberately obtuse, and “we _know_ it should be called kashering salt.” All I meant was “who’s 'we?” Also, what percent of people who buy kosher salt use it for kashering, much less _knowing_ what the word is? Of course I can google easily. Safari has this neato function where you just click on a work or phrase to highlight it, hit shift-command-L and it automatically googles it in a new window. I use it all the time. I use a butcher knife all the time. It’s my favorite. Never used it for butchering. No one needs to certify it as a butcher knife. People use kosher salt for… um… uh… well most people don’t use it for koshering or kashering but it still needs a rabbi’s sign off to get certified. It’s like branding it with a religious stamp of approval. Why can’t everyone else do that without being accused of anti-semitism? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/47 "2009-03-08T22:55:41Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > …but it still needs a rabbi’s sign off to get certified. I don’t believe that is true. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/48 "2009-03-08T23:26:11Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I don’t believe that is true. Well, anyone and everyone feel free to jump in and educate me. I’m genuinely interested. I spent a few minutes googling kosher certification and kosher salt certification. I ran across a company making sea salt that obtained kosher certification and that linked to the site that certified it and it’s done by [rabbis.](http://www.kosher.org/) Other kosher certification sites I ran across either use rabbis or [“rabbinic coordinators.”](http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/basics/steps) I don’t know what that means. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/49 "2009-03-08T23:28:32Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I don’t believe that is true. I am surprised: “Hence, packaged sugar can be used without a hekhsher. The same is true with coffee, tea, salt, frozen vegetables, dried fruits, and honey, provided no other ingredient has been added.” -Klein, Issac. A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice.1979, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. ( **AND** bought in the Israeli Book Shop, Brookline. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/50 "2009-03-08T23:32:24Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Well, anyone and everyone feel free to jump in and educate me. I’m genuinely interested. > > I spent a few minutes googling kosher certification and kosher salt certification. I ran across a company making sea salt that obtained kosher certification and that linked to the site that certified it and it’s done by [rabbis.](http://www.kosher.org/) Other kosher certification sites I ran across either use rabbis or [“rabbinic coordinators.”](http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/basics/steps) I don’t know what that means. I don’t doubt there is kosher salt that is blessed. All I am saying is, I don’t believe it is required. With very few exceptions, all salt is kosher (small k), and does not need to be blessed. But it doesn’t work as well in koshering meat as Kosher (big k) salt. AFAIK, anyone can market large grain salt as Kosher, no rabbi required. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/51 "2009-03-08T23:44:20Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I don’t doubt there is kosher salt that is blessed. All I am saying is, I don’t believe it is required. With very few exceptions, all salt is kosher (small k), and does not need to be blessed. But it doesn’t work as well in koshering meat as Kosher (big k) salt. AFAIK, anyone can market large grain salt as Kosher, no rabbi required. Well, now I can fight your ignorance. 🙂 It’s a myth that kosher certification involves blessing anything. It’s really just more inspection of production and food handling facilities. But it’s done by a rabbi, and based on religious scripture, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/52 "2009-03-08T23:57:09Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > But it’s done by a rabbi, and based on religious scripture, it seems. The inspecting and supervision is carried out by a _moshgiah_, who is usually (but not necessarily) also a rabbi. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/53 "2009-03-09T00:02:06Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > But it’s done by a rabbi, and based on religious scripture, it seems. If you can find a requirement for the production of Kosher salt to be subject to rabbinical inspection, consider my ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/54 "2009-03-09T00:22:55Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > The last time I bought a box of kosher salt, it had a recipe on the back for salt crusted shrimp. I always thought that was such an inopportune decision. How did they settle on shell fish? > > “Yeah, Bob, we just need a recipe for the back of this kosher salt box. Any recipe you want, as long as it has salt in it. That should be pretty much every recipe ever created. Go wild.” > > “Gotta go with a shrimp recipe, then!” > > \*\* I realize that it’s not actually kosher or particularly intended to be used by people who keep kosher, I just find it amusing \*\* This might actually have been intentional marketing. I figure folks who purchase the salt because they keep kosher have their kosher salt purchasing already figured out. Someone who doesn’t keep kosher might need more persuading to buy a box of it. “Hey, what else can I use this for?” And salt-crusted shrimp sound pretty tasty. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/55 "2009-03-09T00:46:05Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > If you can find a requirement for the production of Kosher salt to be subject to rabbinical inspection, consider my ignorance fought. I already found a salt company that got it’s kosher cert via rabbi. The ignorance fought was the idea it involves blessing, yes? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/56 "2009-03-09T01:14:21Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > The ignorance fought was the idea it involves blessing, yes? I thought it was, “Is salt used to kasher meat required to be certified Kosher.” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/57 "2009-03-09T01:25:43Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought it was, “Is salt used to kasher meat required to be certified Kosher.” 😕 Nope. That particular bit was: > [@](#): > > I don’t doubt there is kosher salt that is blessed. All I am saying is, I don’t believe it is required. With very few exceptions, all salt is kosher (small k), and does not need to be blessed. No blessing here thanks. Move along, move along. 🙂 I have no idea if you can market kosher salt without it being certified. Discerning consumers will no doubt look for their certification label o’ choice. There seem to be quite a few. I wonder what would happen if I marketed my delicious cream of pork soup as kosher? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/58 "2009-03-09T01:30:54Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I wonder what would happen if I marketed my delicious cream of pork soup as kosher? Not a ting. OTTOMH Good N Plenty uses an insect glaze and is marked kosher. However, the instant you use the trademarked certification symbol of a kashrut organization, you will be sued for trademark infringement. That’s why GNP’s are marked “kosher” but lack any certification mark. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/59 "2009-03-09T01:37:56Z")
> [@](#): > > “The fact is, it helps Christians and Christian charities,” he said. “This is about keeping Christianity in front of the public so that it doesn’t die. I want to keep Christianity on the table, in the household, however I can do it.” I wasn’t aware that Christianity was in any danger of dying off… He goes on to say he wants to bring out Christian bagels. W.T.F.? Surely we have reached the End Times. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669/60 "2009-03-09T01:41:43Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I wasn’t aware that Christianity was in any danger of dying off… Then you’re obviously not listening to enough AM radio. > [@](#): > > He goes on to say he wants to bring out Christian bagels. W.T.F.? Surely we have reached the End Times. :eek: Well, that is the plan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salt-for-gentiles/488669.md?page=4)