Salt and pepper shakers

Salt and pepper shakers can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, glass, metal, and ceramic.

[4][5] The Great Depression of the 1930s boosted the popularity of salt and pepper shakers as global ceramics producers concentrated on inexpensive items.

[5] Except in the most casual dining establishments, they are usually provided as a matched set, sometimes distinguishable only by the number of holes on the top of the shaker.

As a result of this diversity of design, collecting salt and pepper shakers is a hobby.

In the United States where excessive salt is considered unhealthy, salt is stored in the shaker with the fewer holes, but in parts of Europe where pepper was historically a rare spice, this is reversed.