Structural mineral of bone, also required for muscle and nerve signalling.
Every figure here is per 100 g of the food, not per serving. That makes foods comparable to each other, but it is not how anyone eats: 100 g of a dried spice and 100 g of a leafy green are very different portions, so a high position in this list does not tell you what a meal contributes.
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
% DV compares the per-100 g amount with the FDA Daily Value of 1300 mg for adults and children aged 4 and over. It is a labelling reference, not a personal target.
24 entries with a measured calcium value, highest first.
Salvia officinalis
The grey-green leaf of Salvia officinalis, used fresh or dried and traditionally paired with fatty meats. The USDA entry is per…
127% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Origanum vulgare
The dried leaf of Origanum vulgare, dominated by the phenols carvacrol and thymol. The USDA entry is per 100 g of dried leaf,…
123% of the Daily Value per 100 g
A hard cheese aged a year or more, during which enzymes break down protein into free amino acids and the crystalline tyrosine…
91% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Cinnamomum cassia / Cinnamomum verum
Dried inner bark from several Cinnamomum species. Almost all supermarket cinnamon is cassia, which contains far more coumarin…
77% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Sesamum indicum
Small oil-rich seeds used whole, toasted, or ground into tahini across the Middle East, Africa and East Asia. The USDA reference…
75% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Cuminum cyminum
The dried seed of Cuminum cyminum, used whole or ground across South Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking. The USDA…
72% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Coriandrum sativum
The dried fruit of Coriandrum sativum, the same plant whose leaves are sold as cilantro, though the seed tastes citrusy and warm…
55% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Syzygium aromaticum
The dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, one of the most aromatic spices in common use. The USDA entry is per 100 g of…
49% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Salvia hispanica
Tiny seeds from a Mexican member of the mint family that form a thick gel when hydrated, because of soluble mucilage in the seed…
49% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Piper nigrum
The dried unripe fruit of the Piper nigrum vine, used whole or ground. The USDA entry is per 100 g of ground pepper, whereas a…
34% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Thymus vulgaris
A small-leaved Mediterranean subshrub used fresh or dried, and one of the few herbs that stands up to long cooking. Its…
31% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Elettaria cardamomum
The dried seed pods of Elettaria cardamomum, used whole or as ground seed in baking, curries and coffee. The USDA entry is per…
29% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Sardina pilchardus
Small schooling fish canned whole with their soft, edible bones intact. Being short-lived plankton feeders low in the food chain,…
29% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Salvia rosmarinus
A woody Mediterranean shrub whose needle-like leaves are used fresh or dried. Rosemary extract is also used industrially as a…
24% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Glycine max
The legume behind tofu, soy milk, tempeh and miso, eaten either as mature dry beans or as edamame, the immature green pod…
21% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Prunus dulcis
The edible seed of a stone fruit closely related to the peach, eaten raw, roasted or ground into flour and butter. The USDA…
21% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Linum usitatissimum
The seed of the flax plant, sold whole, ground or pressed for oil, and the densest common dietary source of plant lignans. The…
20% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Brassica oleracea var. sabellica
A loose-leaved cabbage that does not form a head, eaten raw in salads or cooked. Like other Brassica oleracea vegetables it…
20% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Mentha × piperita
A natural hybrid of watermint and spearmint, grown for its high menthol content and used fresh, dried or as an essential oil. The…
19% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Engraulis encrasicolus
Tiny oily fish usually sold salt-cured and packed in oil, where months of curing dissolves the flesh into an intensely savoury…
18% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Capsicum annuum
Ground dried Capsicum annuum peppers, ranging from sweet to hot and sometimes smoked over oak. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the…
18% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Whole soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis var. natto, which produces the sticky polyglutamic acid strands and pungent aroma…
17% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Anethum graveolens
The feathery leaf of Anethum graveolens, used fresh with fish, cucumber and cultured dairy; the seed is a separate spice with a…
16% of the Daily Value per 100 g
Myristica fragrans
The seed kernel of Myristica fragrans; mace is the lacy red aril around the same seed. The USDA entry is per 100 g of ground…
14% of the Daily Value per 100 g