# What makes salt kosher... or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783 "2010-10-01T22:43:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/1 "2010-10-01T22:43:11Z")
I assume it means no cows were involved in collecting it… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/2 "2010-10-01T22:52:07Z")
All salt is kosher. Kosher salt is used for koshering (i.e., making meat kosher); it’s larger grain makes is better for the task. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/3 "2010-10-01T22:56:58Z")
Salt, in itself, is always kosher. “Kosher Salt” is really “koshering salt”; salt used to make meat kosher. In order to make meat kosher, it can’t have any blood. One of the ways you make sure there’s no more blood in the meat is a process called _melihah_. Basically, to do that, you soak the meat in water, then coat it in salt to draw the blood out. Then you wash the salt off the meat. Kosher salt has big flat grains, which makes it dissolve in water slower and makes it easier to draw the blood out. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/4 "2010-10-01T23:03:52Z")
This thread may be useful: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575434&](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575434&) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/5 "2010-10-02T01:59:16Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I assume it means no cows were involved in collecting it… In addition to what others said - why cows? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/6 "2010-10-02T03:08:57Z")
Cows are kosher, too. But cheeseburgers are not. Oy vey. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/7 "2010-10-02T03:17:05Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Cows are kosher, too. But cheeseburgers are not. Oy vey. Bacon cheeseburgers doubly so. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/8 "2010-10-02T18:13:06Z")
> [@Electronic\_Chaos](#): > > > [@friedo](#): > > > > Cows are kosher, too. But cheeseburgers are not. Oy vey. > > Bacon cheeseburgers doubly so. And bacon cheeseburgers stuffed with crabmeat… mmmm, I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/9 "2010-10-02T18:14:52Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > And bacon cheeseburgers stuffed with crabmeat… mmmm, I’m hungry. Obviously an _unorthodox_ hunger. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/10 "2010-10-02T23:29:31Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > > [@Electronic\_Chaos](#): > > > > Bacon cheeseburgers doubly so. > > And bacon cheeseburgers stuffed with crabmeat… And topped with a chicken-fried owl cutlet. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-salt-kosher-or-not/555783/11 "2010-10-02T23:41:23Z")
Thanks for the answers… and jokes. 😃