Soolaseid

Soolaseid is Estonian, functioning as the partitive plural form of the adjective soolane, meaning salty or salted. It is used to describe nouns in the partitive case that have or are characterized by saltiness. In practice it appears in phrases such as soolaseid toite (salty foods) or soolaseid maitseid (salty flavors). The form highlights the attribute of saltiness rather than a specific object.

Etymology and grammar notes: soolane is formed from sool (salt) with the common Estonian adjectival ending -ane. The partitive plural form soolaseid is used with nouns in partitive, for example soolaseid toite or soolaseid maitseid. Estonian adjectives agree with the noun they modify in number and case, and soolane follows standard patterns for declined adjectives.

Usage and context: soolaseid is most common in culinary, nutritional, and descriptive contexts where saltiness is a defining characteristic. It can describe tastes, dishes, ingredients, or products that emphasize salt. In everyday language, it often appears alongside other flavor descriptors, such as soolase maitsega (having a salty taste) or in discussions about salt preservation and cuisine traditions—examples include soolased tooted like soolaseid kala ja suupisteid (salty products such as salted fish and salty snacks).

See also: soolane, soolamine, soolatud kala, soolane maitse.

Note that the term is descriptive rather than a standalone cultural or historical concept.