Bread and salt as a traditional greeting is shared with some non-Slavic nations—
Lithuanians,
Latvians (both Baltic),
Romanians (Romance) as well as
Karelians,
Estonians,
Hungarians (Finno-Ugric)—all of which are culturally and historically close to their Slavic neighbours.
Albania Bread, salt, and heart () is a traditional
Albanian way of honoring guests, it dates back from the
Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, chapter 18 - para. 608: "The Guest shall be welcomed with Bread, salt and heart". Heart in the context is related with hospitality, the concept is based on giving the most expensive thing of that time which was salt to the awaited guest. Nowadays it is not commonly practiced in daily life. n tradition of bread and salt, 1874.|170x170px
East Slavs When important, respected, or admired guests arrive, they are presented with a
loaf of
bread (usually a
korovai) placed on a
rushnyk (
embroidered ritual cloth). A salt holder or a
salt cellar is placed on top of the bread loaf or secured in a hole on the top of the loaf. On official occasions, the "bread and salt" is usually presented by young women dressed in national costumes (e.g.,
sarafan and
kokoshnik). The tradition gave rise to the Russian word that expresses a person's hospitality: (literally: "bready-salty"). In general, the word "bread" is associated in
Russian culture with hospitality, with bread being the most respected food, whereas salt is associated with long friendship, as expressed in a Russian
saying "to eat a
pood of salt (together with someone)". Also historically the
Russian Empire had a high
salt tax that made salt a very expensive and prized commodity (see also the
Moscow uprising of 1648). There also is a traditional Russian greeting "" (). The phrase is to be uttered by an arriving guest as an expression of good wish towards the host's household. It was often used by beggars as an implicit hint to be fed, therefore a mocking rhymed response is known: "Khleb da sol!" — "Yem da svoy!" (
Хлеб да соль —
ем да свой! "Bread and salt!" — "I am eating and it is my own!"). In Russian weddings, it is a traditional custom for the bride and groom to be greeted after the ceremony by family, usually the matriarch, with bread and salt in an embroidered cloth. This confers good health and fortune unto the newlyweds. In the
Russian Orthodox Church, it is customary to greet the
bishop at the steps of the church when he arrives for a pastoral visit to a church or
monastery with bread and salt. File:RIAN archive 118950 M. Fradkov, S. Sidorsky.jpg|Russian Prime Minister
Mikhail Fradkov and his Belarussian counterpart
Sergei Sidorsky (from right to left) at the opening of a Russian national exposition underway in Minsk as part of the first Russian-Belarussian economic forum File:Biden Kyiv Bread.jpg|
Vice President Joe Biden dips a piece of bread in salt as part of a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival in
Kyiv,
Ukraine, July 20, 2009. File:US Navy 060703-N-2468S-001 Vice Adm. Jonathan Greenert, commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, takes part in a cultural exchange ceremony during a routine port visit to Vladivostok, Russia.jpg|
US Naval officer Jonathan Greenert takes part in a bread and salt ceremony after arriving in
Vladivostok, Russia, July 3, 2006. File:Southgate bread and salt.jpg|Football team manager
Gareth Southgate and football player
Harry Kane taking part in a bread and salt ceremony after arriving in
Saint Petersburg, Russia, 13 June 2018
Bulgaria in
Botevgrad,
Bulgaria.
Todor Zhivkov is welcomed with bread and salt. Bread and salt () is a traditional Bulgarian custom expressing hospitality, showing that the guest is welcomed. The bread and salt is commonly presented to guests by a woman. Bulgarians usually make a certain type of bread for this occasion called
pogacha, which is flat, fancy, and decorated. Regular bread is not usually used, although it may have been historically, but
pogacha is much more common in this custom. Usually, guests are presented with the
pogacha, and the guest is supposed to take a small piece, dip into the salt and eat it. This custom is common for official visits regardless of whether the guest is foreign or Bulgarian. One notable example of this custom is when the Russians came to liberate Bulgaria from the Ottomans at the end of the 19th century. A common scene from that period was of a Bulgarian village woman welcoming Russian soldiers with bread and salt as a sign of gratitude.
Poland In Poland, welcoming with bread and salt ("") is often associated with the traditional hospitality ("''
") of the Polish nobility (szlachta''), who prided themselves on their hospitality. A 17th-century
Polish poet,
Wespazjan Kochowski, wrote in 1674: "O good bread, when it is given to guests with salt and good will!" Another poet who mentioned the custom was
Wacław Potocki. The custom was, however, not limited to the nobility, as Polish people of all classes observed this tradition, reflected in old Polish
proverbs. Nowadays, the tradition is mainly observed on wedding days, when newlyweds are greeted with bread and salt by their parents on returning from the church
wedding.
North Macedonia In the
North Macedonia, this tradition still is practiced occasionally as a custom expressing hospitality. A certain type of bread, similar to that in Bulgaria and also by the same name—
pogača (from ) is prepared. The notable Macedonian and ex-
Yugoslav ethno-jazz-rock group of the world music guitarist
Vlatko Stefanovski had the name "
Leb i Sol", which means "bread and salt" and speaks itself about this term of hospitality as something basic and traditional.
Romania and Moldova As in the neighbouring Slavic countries, bread and salt is a traditional Romanian custom expressing hospitality, showing that the guest is welcomed. In Transylvania bread and salt are served to protect against weather demons.
Serbia Bread and salt () is a traditional welcoming of guests, being customary to offer it before anything else, with bread having an important place in Serbian tradition, used in rituals. The traditional bread,
pogača, is a symbol of family unity and goodness, and salt prosperity and security for the guest. It is part of the state protocol, in use since the
Principality of Serbia, often used when welcoming foreign representatives.
Slovakia and Czechia The long-tradition of the
Slovakia and the
Czech Republic as
Slavic countries is to welcome important visits with bread and salt. An example is the welcome of
Pope Francis in Bratislava 2021 by president
Zuzana Čaputová.
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania In Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, bread and salt were traditionally given as a symbol of blessing for a new home. This tradition continues today and instead of white bread, dark fiber-rich rye bread is often used. The tradition is still kept alive in
Eastern Karelia and in
Ingria by the minor
Baltic Finnic peoples.
Hungary In Hungary, bread, as a basic food that symbolizes and ensures the well-being, abundance, and fertility of the family, is usually used at the beginning of something, when it is characteristic to magically ensure future goals. It is a common folk custom to bring bread and salt to a new house, which ensures or symbolizes the well-being of the household.
Germany Bread and salt are given away for different reasons: • to the wedding for a lasting alliance between spouses • to move into a house to wish prosperity and fertility In northern Germany bread and salt are traditionally put into the
diaper of a newborn.
Greece In Greece, the phrase "bread and salt" is used to describe a strong friendship bond. When it is said that you have eaten bread and salt with someone, means that you have a lot of shared experiences, and particularly went through hardships together (as bread and salt is considered a food of extreme poverty).
Turkish culture According to some Turkic legends, the bread and salt were discovered by the grandsons of
Japheth, the ancestor of the Turks in medieval Islam. In the
Turkish language, sometimes salt is used as a synonym for the words sugar and flavour. Saying "they added salt to their words" means "they say sweet words." Newborns are bathed in salt water to prevent them from smelling. Salt was believed to remove the
evil eye and there is a salt saint in Turkish folklore called
Tuz Baba. Bread is considered sacred and is highly respected. Together, salt and bread create the concept of
tuz-ekmek hakkı, "salt-bread right" in which if two or more people eat bread and salt together, they become friends, and there is an alliance between them. The concept was widely popular in
Ottoman literature and
Turkish folk literature. There are various folkloric beliefs related to salt and bread, most often affecting children; to make the birth easier, bread, salt and a knife are placed next to the mother. In
Samsun, it is believed that if two mothers who have given birth 40 days ago meet on the street, their children will not be able to walk. To prevent this, one of the mothers must give salt and bread to another mother who has a daughter. In Turkish folklore, there is a demon called
Albastı, which harms postpartum mothers. In
Adana, mothers walk around with a bag containing salt, bread and a nail until the
postpartum period ends the 40th day after giving birth. Bread and salt are also used for
rainmaking. When it rains heavily, parents give to their firstborn child bread in one hand and salt in the other hand. Then the child says, "Until this salt melts, let the rain stop". In
Muş, it is believed that a girl who eats salted bread during
Hıdırellez and does not drink water before going to bed will dream of her soulmate. Salt and bread are used in love magic too.
Arab culture Arab culture also has a concept of "bread and salt" ( or ), not in the context of welcoming, but as an expression of alliance by eating together, symbolizing the rapprochement between two persons. Eating bread and salt with a friend is considered to create a moral obligation which requires gratitude. This attitude is also expressed by Arab phrases such as "there are bread and salt between us" ( or ), and "salt between them" () which are terms of alliance.
Jewish culture A similar practice also exists among Jews in the
Diaspora and in Israel. After the ceremony of
kiddush, a piece of
challah is dipped in salt and eaten. The challah is a staple food eaten on special occasions, like holidays and weddings, as well as every
shabbat. Bread and salt were also used in the past at welcoming ceremonies, given to respected persons.
Iranian culture In
Iranian culture, when a guest is welcomed into the home, it is said that they have eaten bread and salt, which this leads to loyalty of the guest.
In space With the advent of the
Soviet space program, this tradition has spread into space, where appropriately small packages of bread and salt are used nowadays. Bread and salt are also used to welcome cosmonauts returning to Earth. ==In fiction==