Other and salicylate: 82 foods rated

Most apple salicylate sits in the skin, so a peeled purée is markedly lower than the whole fruit — but commercial purées are often made skin-on, which is why this sits at moderate.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods
• Malakar S, Gibson PR, Barrett JS & Muir JG, J Food Compos Anal 57 (2017), 31-39 - salicylic acid measured by GC-MS in 112 common foods

The cocoa is what carries the salicylate, so the level moves with the cocoa percentage rather than with the sugar or the milk.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Cocoa is the part of a chocolate that carries salicylate, and cocoa mass is the least diluted form of it a recipe uses. The review behind this axis publishes no content for any single food and reports a five-hundredfold spread in the published intake estimates, so the level is a placing rather than a measurement.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Crushed roasted cocoa beans with nothing added, so they carry cocoa's salicylate undiluted by sugar or milk. Eaten as a topping, which keeps portions small.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Removing the milk does nothing on this axis — the salicylate is in the cocoa, and dairy-free bars often have a higher cocoa percentage, not a lower one.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Dark chocolate carries more salicylate than milk chocolate for a simple reason: more cocoa per bar. The percentage on the label tracks the load closely.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Oats are low in salicylate, but granola is rarely just oats — dried fruit, nuts, honey and cinnamon are all moderate to high, and a bowl combines several of them.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Hummus gets little salicylate from the chickpeas; the lemon juice, garlic and often paprika or cumin on top are what bring it to this level. A plain, unspiced version is markedly lower.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Ketchup is concentrated tomato plus vinegar and spices, and all three carry salicylate. It is used in repeated small squeezes rather than one serving, which is what makes the daily total climb.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Pesto stacks basil, garlic, pine nuts and often lemon — four moderate salicylate sources blended into one condiment, which is why it lands above any of its parts.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Sorbet is concentrated fruit with the fibre removed, so a scoop represents more fruit than it looks like. The base fruit decides the salicylate.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

The salicylate of a soy sauce comes from the long ferment rather than from any added spice, and no measurement separates soy sauce from tamari here - the two carry the same level for that reason. It is poured by the spoonful, so the portion stays modest unless the sauce is the dish rather than the seasoning.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Tamari is brewed without wheat, but the wheat is not what carries salicylate here - the long ferment is, and tamari is fermented at least as long as ordinary soy sauce. Nothing measures the two apart, so they sit at the same level rather than at a difference nobody has shown.

Tomato concentrate is tomato with the water taken out, so it carries more salicylate per gram than the fresh fruit, not less. It sits with the sauce and the powder, and below sun-dried tomato, which is dried further still.

• Wood A et al., Mol Nutr Food Res 55 Suppl. 1 (2011) S7-S14, for the share of dietary salicylate that comes from tomato-based sauces

Dehydrated tomato is the most concentrated tomato format there is — a teaspoon carries the salicylate of several fresh fruits. It hides in soup mixes and seasoning blends.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Reducing tomatoes into sauce boils off water and concentrates the salicylate, so a portion of sauce carries more than the fresh tomatoes it took to make it.

• Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods

Almonds are the highest-salicylate nut, so this sits at the top of the low range rather than comfortably inside it. Portion matters more than the rating suggests.

Almond cream is diluted almond, so its salicylate is much lower than the nut's. As with almond milk, the percentage of almond is what decides it.

Almond yogurt is mostly water and thickeners with a small almond fraction, which keeps its salicylate well below the almonds' own.

Beef broth gets no salicylate from the meat; the bay leaf, pepper and herbs in the stock are what contribute. A plain broth is genuinely low.

Beetroot itself is high in salicylate, but the powder is dosed by the scoop and diluted. Taken daily as a sports supplement, the total is worth counting.

A bouillon cube is concentrated stock, so the salicylate of whatever herbs and yeast extract it contains is concentrated too. A cube is small, which is what keeps it here.

Chicken broth is low in salicylate if the aromatics are kept simple. Most of what a broth contributes on this axis comes from the herbs and pepper, not the bird.

Chocolate chips are usually made with a lower cocoa percentage than eating chocolate, and used in small quantities - both keep their salicylate at the bottom of the chocolate range.

Whole ground coconut, so more concentrated than coconut oil but still low — coconut simply is not a big salicylate source.

Coconut is mild in salicylate and the yogurt is mostly water and culture. Added fruit purée is what would change the picture.

Soy is low and fermentation does not add salicylate. Chilli-fermented versions are a different product on this axis.

Peeled potato is the lowest thing there is in salicylate; skin-on fries are not. The frying oil and any seasoning are the other variables.

Hazelnuts are high in salicylate but a spread is mostly sugar and oil — typically a low percentage of nut, which is what brings it down here.

Less cocoa than dark chocolate means less salicylate — the milk and sugar dilute the only ingredient that carries it.

Fermented soy, low on this axis — miso is notable for amines rather than salicylate. Barley and rice misos are equivalent here.

Fermented soybeans with nothing added, so the salicylate stays as low as the bean. The sauce sachet supplied with it may not be.

Plant-based ice cream: the base — oat, coconut or soy — is low in salicylate. Fruit, chocolate and flavourings decide the actual level, so it varies by flavour more than by brand.

Tahini is ground sesame, and low in salicylate like the seed. It is used generously in dips, but the level does not rise with the portion the way a spice would.

Vegetable broth gets little salicylate from the vegetables, but commercial stock is heavily herbed and often carries yeast extract - that is where the level comes from.