The Chef Whose Seasoning Technique Became Art
Salt Bae is Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, whose flamboyant salt-sprinkling technique—arm extended, salt cascading down his forearm onto meat—became one of 2017’s biggest viral sensations. A single Instagram video transformed him from Istanbul butcher to global celebrity chef with a restaurant empire.
The Video (January 7, 2017)
On January 7, 2017, Gökçe posted an Instagram video of himself preparing Ottoman steak. The sequence: slicing meat with sunglasses on, sensually handling the steak, then sprinkling salt down his forearm in a smooth, theatrical gesture while making a satisfied face.
The 36-second video’s combination of culinary skill, absurd confidence, and that specific salt move hit perfect meme chemistry. Within days, it had millions of views. Within weeks, celebrities and athletes were imitating the salt move.
Viral Explosion (January-March 2017)
Salt Bae became global phenomenon:
- Celebrity visits: Leonardo DiCaprio, DJ Khaled, French Montana visiting his Istanbul restaurant
- Athlete imitations: FIFA players, NBA stars doing the salt move after scoring
- Memes: Photoshopping Salt Bae sprinkling salt on everything (wounds, haters, drama)
- Tutorial videos: Millions attempting to replicate the technique
The move transcended cooking—“sprinkling salt” became metaphor for adding final touch to anything, for showing off, for being extra.
Restaurant Empire & Controversy (2017-2023)
Gökçe leveraged viral fame into Nusr-Et steakhouse chain across Dubai, Miami, New York, London, Istanbul. But success brought backlash:
- Absurd prices: $1,000+ gold-wrapped steaks, $50 burgers
- Quality vs. hype: Critics noted food didn’t match prices, paying for meme experience
- FIFA World Cup incident (2022): Gökçe harassed Messi for photos after Argentina’s win, touching trophy (only winners/heads of state allowed), generating massive criticism
- Labor complaints: Staff treatment allegations, wage disputes
From Meme to Cringe (2019-2023)
By 2019-2020, Salt Bae had passed from meme to mainstream to cringe:
- The move that seemed cool in 2017 now seemed tryhard
- Prices seen as exploitation of meme status
- FIFA incident turned public opinion negative
- “Salt Bae” became insult for someone past their relevance
The arc demonstrated meme fame’s dangers—riding viral moment to commercial empire, then becoming parody of yourself. Salt Bae went from “iconic” to “problematic” to “please stop.”
Sources:
- Eater: “The Rise and Fall of Salt Bae” (2019)
- The Guardian: “Salt Bae harassing Messi was the final straw” (2022)
- Vice: “Salt Bae’s restaurants are comically overpriced” (2021)