From flake salt and fleur de sel to potassium salt, curing salt and smoke flavor: a plain-language reference to the words printed on salt boxes, ingredient panels and restaurant menus.
Salt vocabulary mixes chemistry, crystal shape, place, process and marketing in the same aisle. Sea salt names a source. Flake salt names a shape. Smoked salt names a transformation. Kosher salt names a kitchen format, not a religious certification. This glossary separates those ideas so the words on a box become useful again.
Salt itself
| Term | What it means |
|---|
| Salt | In ordinary food use, crystalline sodium chloride. Other mineral salts exist, but a package labelled simply salt normally means sodium chloride. |
| Sodium | One element in sodium chloride. Sodium and salt are related but not identical: one gram of salt contains roughly 400 milligrams of sodium. |
| Chloride | The other major ion in sodium chloride. It is not chlorine bleach. |
| Sea salt | Salt produced from seawater or another saline water source. The name alone does not establish country, saltwork, grain, purity or method. |
| Rock salt | Salt mined from underground deposits left by ancient bodies of water. Culinary rock salt must still be food grade. |
| Table salt | Fine, uniform salt designed for measuring and shakers. It may be iodized and may contain anticaking agents. |
| Food-grade salt | Salt meeting applicable composition and contaminant requirements for food use. It is a specification, not a flavor ranking. |
Crystal shape and grain
| Term | What it means |
|---|
| Fine salt | Small grains that dissolve and disperse quickly. Useful in doughs, sauces and everyday cooking. |
| Coarse salt | Larger crystals suited to grinders, grilling and applications where slower dissolution or hand distribution helps. |
| Flake salt | Thin, brittle crystals with low bulk density and high surface area. Usually used for finishing. |
| Finishing salt | Salt added after cooking so its texture and localized bursts of salinity remain perceptible. |
| Cooking salt | A practical description for salt intended to dissolve into food rather than remain on its surface. |
| Kosher salt | A coarse kitchen salt associated with koshering meat. Brands differ greatly in density; the term does not by itself mean kosher-certified. |
| Fleur de sel | Delicate surface crystals traditionally skimmed from crystallizing brine. It is a production term with regional traditions, not a universal protected name. |
| Sel gris | Grey, moist salt associated with contact with clay-lined Atlantic salt ponds. Color and moisture come from the process and ground. |
Processing and additions
| Term | What it means |
|---|
| Refined salt | Salt purified and standardized to remove moisture and other material and produce consistent sodium chloride crystals. |
| Unrefined salt | A loose market term for salt that has undergone less purification. It does not guarantee a specific method or health advantage. |
| Washed salt | Salt rinsed, often with saturated brine, to remove surface impurities without dissolving the whole crystal. |
| Iodized salt | Salt fortified with iodine, commonly using potassium iodide or iodate, as a public-health measure. |
| Fortified salt | Salt used to deliver a micronutrient such as iodine or, in regulated programs, iron or other nutrients. |
| Anticaking agent | An ingredient added in small amounts to help salt flow in humidity. Its presence should be declared in the ingredient statement. |
| Smoked salt | Salt exposed to smoke or formulated with smoke flavor. The label or producer should distinguish those methods. |
| Smoke flavor | A flavoring made from captured and processed smoke components. It is not the same process as placing salt in a smokehouse. |
| Infused salt | Salt carrying flavor from an added ingredient or extract. The term does not specify whether the addition occurred in brine or after crystallization. |
| Seasoning salt | Salt preblended with herbs, spices, acids, sugar or other flavoring ingredients. |
| Herb salt | Salt mixed or processed with herbs. The ratio and method vary widely. |
Lower-sodium language
| Term | What it means |
|---|
| Salt substitute | A product replacing some or all sodium chloride, most commonly with potassium chloride. |
| Potassium chloride | A mineral salt that tastes salty but can become bitter or metallic at higher replacement levels. |
| Potassium salt | An alternate ingredient name FDA permits for potassium chloride under enforcement discretion. |
| Lite salt or half salt | A retail name usually used for a sodium-chloride and potassium-chloride mixture. The exact ratio is on the label. |
| Reduced sodium | In the United States, at least 25 percent less sodium than an appropriate reference food. |
| Light in sodium | At least 50 percent less sodium than the reference amount under U.S. claim rules. |
| Low sodium | Generally no more than 140 milligrams per serving under U.S. rules; this is not the same as reduced sodium. |
| Sodium free | Generally less than 5 milligrams per serving under U.S. rules. A sodium-free substitute may contain substantial potassium. |
Preservation and curing
| Term | What it means |
|---|
| Pickling salt | Fine salt without additives that can cloud brine. It is selected for purity and dissolution, not a distinct chemical salt. |
| Brine | Water containing dissolved salt. Strength matters in fermentation and preservation. |
| Curing salt | A measured premix containing salt plus nitrite or nitrate for controlled meat curing. It is not table salt. |
| Prague Powder No. 1 | A curing mix generally used for shorter cures and cooked products; U.S. products commonly contain 6.25 percent sodium nitrite. Follow the exact label and tested process. |
| Prague Powder No. 2 | A different curing mix containing nitrite and nitrate for particular longer cures. It is not interchangeable with No. 1. |
| Pink curing salt | Curing salt dyed for identification. It must never be confused with Himalayan pink culinary salt. |
Origin and marketing terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|
| Producer | The operator that actually makes or harvests the base salt. |
| Brand or packer | A company that may source salt, specify it, blend it and package it without operating the original saltwork. |
| Country of origin | The country attributed to the product under applicable labeling rules. It may differ from the brand's home or packing location. |
| PDO or PGI | European protected-origin systems tying a registered name to a defined place and specification. They document a method; they do not rank every salt. |
| Organic salt | A misleading shorthand when applied to the mineral itself. Organic certification can apply to agricultural additions and compliant handling, not turn sodium chloride into an agricultural crop. |
| Natural | A broad marketing word, not a complete production specification. Ask what was added and what process was used. |
| Terroir | A borrowed term for how source water, climate, ground and production shape a salt. It should not be used as a substitute for evidence. |
Use the noun that answers the question
If you need to know how a salt behaves, look for the grain: fine, coarse or flake. If you need to know what you are eating, read the ingredients: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, iodine, smoke flavor, herbs. If you care where it came from, find the country and producing saltwork. No single romantic word can answer all three.
For longer explanations, start with seasoning salt, lower-sodium substitutes, smoked salt, curing salt or the photographed products in the Salt Guide.
