The Mystery Spice Shaker That Once Shared Tables With Salt And Pepper

Setting the table in the 21st century is like running through a checklist. Plates, glassware, flatware — check, check, check. Maybe you add a neatly folded napkin, and ensure a butter dish and a pair of salt and pepper shakers are within reach. In centuries past, though, table settings looked a little different. Perhaps more extravagant, with a few extra items thrown in for both flair and function. And alongside the salt and pepper, there used to be a third shaker that took its place at the table — a relic that has since disappeared from our dinner parties and dining scene altogether.

So, what was held in and sprinkled out of this third shaker? It's largely a mystery that has kept people guessing. There are many different theories floating around, but one explanation tends to pop up time and time again, and it's even backed by a smidge of historical evidence. The most widely accepted answer is (drumroll please), mustard powder.

You see, five-piece cruet sets used to be the norm at the dinner table, typically featuring two bottles for oil and vinegar, along with three smaller, shakeable containers. And research from The Gale Review shows that time and time again, in newspaper articles and advertisements from the late 1800s and early 1900s, mustard is consistently listed after salt and pepper as the final seasoning in the set.

Mustard may seem like an interesting choice to us now, but it could have served a dual function. It could be sprinkled over foods like meat or vegetables for an extra dash of tangy flavor. Or, it could have been mixed with water or vinegar right at the table to create a kind of DIY mustard sauce, ready to be slathered onto any part of the meal.

It seems like a reasonable guess. But not everyone is convinced that the third shaker was reserved for mustard. On Reddit, aiming to shake out the truth, sugar is another popular answer. Some people recalled having salt, pepper, and sugar shakers growing up, and one even recalled accidentally dumping sugar on their meal on multiple occasions. Paprika was thrown out as another option, seeing as that is a common spice used in other countries like Hungary and Turkey. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and even red pepper flakes have been proposed as other possibilities, too. One theory broached by Science Forums is that it could have been for dehydrated vinegar powder.

We may never know what was truly held in that third container. It could have been different for different households, for all we know. It's not the kind of note you'd find in a history book. But what we do know is that whatever it was, it's been demoted to a standard spot in the cupboard, while salt and pepper continue their reign as the tableside dynamic duo.