It’s one of the great culinary pairings of all time. There’s tomato and basil. Bacon and eggs. Pizza and beer.

And then there are two condiments that bring out the flavors in all of these and more: Salt and pepper, found together in shakers at nearly every table you see.

Once, only for the rich…

It wasn’t until the 17th century that salt and pepper found their respective mate at the kitchen table. Before that, salt was kept in a small bowl called a salt cellar and used with a small spoon. Native to India, black peppercorns were usually ground up in grinders at the table. Both seasonings were expensive to import before the 1600s, so the consumption of both was considered to be a symbol of wealth, especially in Europe, where they became more popular with time. Asian countries, meanwhile, used their own condiments to generate salty and peppery flavors – namely, soy sauce and crushed red pepper (Interestingly enough, Vietnam is the world’s top producer of black pepper today). We have a French chef, Francois Pierre LaVarenne, royal chef to King Louis XIV, to thank for first thinking to pair salt and pepper (the king had a reputation as a picky eater, and LaVarenne found that adding salt and pepper to his food made those dishes acceptable to the monarch).

“The pairing was a smash hit because pepper was the only spice that complemented salt and didn’t dominate the taste,” according to a 2021 article on All Recipes’ website.

…Now for all

Salt and pepper prices dropped dramatically during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century as the cost to ship the seasonings lowered. Now, the spices weren’t only for the rich and affluent – they became affordable for the everyday family.

Salt and pepper shakers themselves were invented during the Victorian era, created by the same inventor of the Mason Jar, American tinsmith John Mason. In 1858, he designed small jars with screw-top lids that featured holes in the top, so diners would be able to shake their seasonings right onto their food.

“Mason’s salt shaker was a container with a tin cap that had several holes punched through the top; however, his shaker was short-lived,” writes Lindsey Schier of The Des Moines County Historical Society. “Salt absorbs moisture and has a tendency to clump. This meant it did not flow freely out of the holes in Mason’s shaker.”

Even in those early years during the late 19th century and well into the 20th, salt and pepper shakers came in a variety of designs, making them highly collectible.

“In the 19th century, Staffordshire Potteries produced salt-and-pepper shakers as parts of cruet sets. Many of these were novelty characters with pink cheeks and big hats,” according to Collectors Weekly. “In the 1900s, with the advent of movies, shakers with character heads in the shapes of stars like Laurel and Hardy were popular—later, Staffordshire firms made more respectful sets bearing the stern images of famous cricket players either bowling or up to bat.”

Trinkets to buy when traveling

In the early 20th century, The Morton Salt Co. added magnesium carbonate, an anti-caking agent, to the salt they marketed and sold. This made the popular seasonings easily shakable.

“Morton’s addition led to the use of salt shakers, but they did not really take off in popularity until the 1920s for a reason you might not expect,” Schier writes. “The rise in the automobile played a role in the increased sales of salt shakers and made them collectible items. Travel, whether for work or leisure, increased with the introduction of the automobile. With this increase came a rise in the souvenir industry.”

Now, the small, colorful, ceramic items were even more collectible. Due to their size, they didn’t cost much to ship as well. Schier writes that during the 1920s and ‘30s, Japan produced the greatest number of units – until the Second World War, of course. After the end of the war, makers of salt and pepper shakers began to branch out from ceramics and make the collectibles from other materials.

Surprisingly enough, there are even uses for these trinkets beyond merely acting as vessels for these two common seasonings. They can act as miniature vases, seed dispensers, or even pin cushions.

Whatever your reason for collecting them or whatever your use, such collections show no signs of waning popularity.

“Some people are crazy about salt and pepper shakers,” notes the blog It’s All Our Vault. “I can sort of see why: they’re tiny and usually pretty inexpensive. They make great gifts to give and receive. And they come in a million sizes and shapes. You can collect these things for your entire life and still not have a complete collection.”