bay salt
Preserved but no longer current.
Coarse-grained salt, formerly obtained by slow evaporation of sea-water and used for curing meat, etc. Perhaps so called because 01 iginally imported from the shores of the Bay of Biscay. "Bay," in this case, does not signify the colour.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bay salt” mean?
Coarse-grained salt, formerly obtained by slow evaporation of sea-water and used for curing meat, etc. Perhaps so called because 01 iginally imported from the shores of the Bay of Biscay. "Bay," in this case, does not signify the colour.
Is “bay salt” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.