Individual Salt

The Fostoria American Individual Salt dish is a sweet little piece.  After retrieving the seasoning from a master salt dish (a much larger receptacle), the dinner host would typically fill these Individual Salt dishes and place them at each place setting.  These small glass vessels are sometimes referred to as a salt dip, open salt or salt dish.

The Individual Salts are the smallest salt servers in the Fostoria American pattern.  A larger Table Salt Dip was made around 1925, and it is an extremely rare piece to find.  According to custom, these larger Table Salt receptacles would sit on the table – and from there the salt would be retrieved into the smaller Individual Salt dishes (which are only about 1″ high).

Based on their look and size, some people erroneously think the Individual Salts are petite Ash Trays.

There are little Salt Spoons one can buy to use with the Individual Salts, and it proves to be a tidy and elegant way to serve the seasoning.  Many people today aren’t even aware salt used to be served this way.  I think it is a precious tradition, and worthy of continuing.

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