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The history and traditions of the Sečovlje salt pans – Italian Cuisine

The history and traditions of the Sečovlje salt pans


The salt flats are always places of great charm. But in the case of those Sicciole even more, because here is a phenomenon unique in the world, a magic. Yet the salt pans are places of fundamental importance for many other reasons, cultural, economic and not least environmental. Their existence, in fact, is a guarantee of an ecosystem on which an incredible biodiversity of flora and fauna is based. Just think that more than 300 different species have been sighted in the Sečovlje Salinas alone! In short, it is essential that these places continue to exist, as a millennial affair that binds man to salt.

Man and salt

The salt flats are the perfect union between man and nature. In fact, these are natural areas where human intervention has not invaded or altered the landscape too much, but has limited itself to modeling it with the construction of embankments, canals and basins; for this very often they are found near the mouths of rivers, which carrying sediments downstream form alluvial plains, ideal for their creation. Furthermore, it is true that the work of the salt workers continues to be fundamental and to make the difference for the production of an artisanal and quality salt; but it is also true that, as often still happens in nature, fortunately, salt could not be produced without the right microclimate, in which there is the temperature and the ideal quantity of sun and wind necessary to evaporate the water of sea ​​and thicken the salt. In short, salt is an element intrinsically linked to the life and history of man, so much so that it was the first object of exchange, white gold for which wars were fought, trade routes opened.
And in Piran it continues to be important, both from an economic and a cultural point of view: here this more than 100-year-old production has significantly impacted the daily life of the inhabitants, who almost all have at least one relative in the family. "But now almost no one wants to do this job, much less young people." And how do you become a salt worker? "We come here and we begin", they reply, demonstrating how ancient this work is and anthropologically linked to the nature of man.

Salt production in the Mediterranean

In the Mediterranean there are about 170 salt flats of different types, distributed in about 18 countries. Of these, only about half are active, while the others have been abandoned. Out of a world salt production of around 240 million tons, 7 million come from the Mediterranean and 5,500 from the Sečovlje salt pans, which have an area of ​​about 750 hectares. These salt pans are strongly linked to those of Cervia, also because it could not be otherwise given that they are both facing the Adriatic, just over 400 kilometers away; in fact, they have also made a film together on what unites their production and in general on the importance of salt. In this regard, albeit one in Italy and the other in Slovenia, it is nice to think of them as a continuum on the Adriatic coast, which goes from Puglia with its salt flats of Margherita di Savoia, to Cervia, up to the Po Delta, passing through the Venetian lagoon of Venice, then to that of Grado and Marano, up to Sicciole, the northernmost salt flats in the Mediterranean. Because if we felt and saw a little more of this common Mediterranean belonging, this overlooking the same sea, we would realize that in the end boundaries are always more in people's heads than in reality. What matters is to enhance places such as the salt pans where salt is still collected by hand, trying to avoid what happened in Piran in 1968, when there was an abandonment due to a flood and the increase in the purchase of salts. less expensive industrials. Instead, keeping the salt flats alive is essential for various reasons, including, as anticipated, the protection of biodiversity: of plants, birds, flamingos, of some varieties of bees that are found only here, as well as of the whole world that is in shallow water, such as crabs, larvae and algae, like the magical one that makes Slovenian salt marshes unique in the world.

The magic of petola

The origin of this story is not well known, namely who was the first to bring the petola from the island of Pag, in Croatia. Yet what is happening today is a unique phenomenon. This magical alga, in fact, composed of cyanobacteria and other elements such as gypsum, carbonates, clay, acts as a natural filter between the salt and the sea mud present on the bottom of the basin, preventing them from mixing with each other. In this way, the Piran salt is collected already white, while elsewhere, to have the same result, it is washed, thus losing some of its characteristics. Furthermore, petola also acts as a biological filter, as it prevents some ions, such as those of iron or manganese, from binding to the salt. Thus, as early as the fourteenth century, this algae began to be artificially cultivated in the crystallization tanks, until 1904, when the production was modernized by the Austrians, who united several crystallization basins in a larger one in the center of the salt pans, surrounded by other basins with water at different levels of salinity. But how is the salt then collected?

How the salt harvest takes place

The salt workers say that salt is made in winter. Indeed, before harvesting and production itself, it usually goes from June to September, there is a very important maintenance work to be done: from the management of wooden tanks and locks, to the lining of the bottoms with marine mud and so on. In short, the previous months are fundamental in determining what the final result will be. For this reason, it usually starts already between February and March, when there are ideal conditions for the establishment of the petola and to top up the waters in the basins in order to facilitate the development of the alga until June; then with the progressive condensation of the water and the accumulation of minerals, the salt workers must pay close attention to the continuous cleaning of the tanks and inflow channels by extracting the necessary mud. Once the water has reached the right density, in the case of the Sečovlje salt pans, the salt workers enter directly with the clogs inside the tanks (which is rare, it hardly happens elsewhere!) e they still collect all the salt by hand with the help of the gavero, wooden tool, forming the mounds we are used to seeing (and photographing). When the salt finishes draining, it is loaded with the shovel on the trolley and transported to the dryer across the tracks, to then be processed and sold. All the salt produced here comes out with the brand Piranske Soline, or Saline di Pirano (also try the chocolates with salt flakes!). And think that most, about 70%, is sold in Slovenia and nowhere else. But if you want to learn more about this wonderful world of the Sečovlje Salt Pans, there is also an interactive museum, located in the former quarters of the salt workers' families. And then just a few steps away, there are also the only Thalasso Spa in Europe.

The thermal spa and wellness center in the middle of the salt flats

In the middle of the salt flats there are the Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida, which blend and blend perfectly with the houses of the salt workers. Thalassotherapy, from the Greek thalassa (sea) and thérapeia (treatment) is based on the curative action of the marine climate which in this case, thanks to the evaporation of sea water, is further loaded with aerosols. Inside the spa you can also do various treatments, such as massages or beauty packs, all with natural products from the surrounding salt marshes, such as sea mud or the salt itself. Then there are various pools of different sizes with mother water or pools with Kneipp path; in short, a truly perfect place to relax in the peace and silence of the salt flats, where at most you are disturbed by passing flamingos, seagulls or cormorants. Finally, there is also a refreshment point where you can have a snack and try some dishes from the salt workers' cuisine.

The kitchen of the salt workers

The cuisine in the salt pans is nothing more than what was cooked in the past in the houses of the salt workers. The community of Italians present in Piran, together with the Sea Museum, the Strunjan Nature Park and the Sečovlje Salt Pans, had developed a project on the cuisine of the salt workers. This involved the analysis, presentation and preparation of typical dishes that were part of life and work in the salt pans, with the aim of making known and enhancing this heritage that is still so alive. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown period, everything was limited to a virtual presentation, but the research work done certainly is not lost. The scheduled appointments should have focused mainly on three products: homemade bread, which was prepared in the oven inside the salt pans, in Lera and Fontanigge (one of those where the production of salt was abandoned in the 60s) ; some artichoke-based dishes, which according to testimonies all had in the garden; and finally the classic bigoli, yet another demonstration of the strong Venetian influence of the years of domination of the Serenissima. In the latter case, on 20 June, they managed to organize the preparation of homemade pasta right in the salt pans, then seasoned with both a vegetarian version of tomato sauce and with the umbolo, in the absence of luganighe, or a la pork cutlet, marinated in wine with garlic and bay leaf, a typical Istrian specialty. In this way, it was possible to see how they cooked in the houses of the salt pans where, as a salt worker recalls, there was "a brick fire, a fireplace with a chain to hang the cauldron and a small oven with a grill to cook sweet charcoal. . And then next to it, in a corner, there was a large jar, a basin for washing and on top of an old mirror corroded by salt … ".
Do we really want this world to dissolve completely?

Nickel-free pans: which pans to use? – Italian Cuisine

Nickel-free pans: which pans to use?


Nickel allergy also passes from the pots: here is a small guide for a safe purchase, to navigate between materials and symbols

THE'nickel allergy it is increasingly common, and sufferers know how complicated it is to manage. In fact, to reduce the absorption of this metal, it is not enough to be careful about feeding, avoiding many ingredients. It is also necessary to rewrite some habits: so often the allergist himself advises to replace all the pots. The nickel contained in the most common types of pots can in fact pass to foods and from there reach those who are allergic. But what are the suitable pans?

Pans without nickel: safe materials

Shard, aluminum, glass, terracotta, porcelain they definitely do not contain nickel. Enamel is safe when applied to aluminum. Things get complicated when it comes to stainless steel, but the quality manager Tescoma, who explains: «L’18/0 and 18 / C steel they are nickel-free and therefore have no problems; on the contrary, 18/10 and 18/8 steel, which are the most common, contain Nickel . To distinguish steel when not marked, on the net we often speak of a "magnet test"But, as often happens with information retrieved from the web, it is not completely reliable:" It is no hoax. With the magnet test in fact it can be deduced with certainty if a pot contains Nickel, in this case in fact the magnet will not stick. Unfortunately, however, we cannot be 100% certain that if the magnet sticks, the pot is completely nickel-free . In short, the only thing we can be sure of is that, if the magnet does not stick to the old pots we have in the pantry, these contain nickel: if we are allergic, we better get rid of it.

Finally the pans nonstick, who often doubt who is allergic: suitable or not? «They are all suitable for those who are allergic to nickel – explains the quality manager Tescoma – but only with regards to food allergy. Unfortunately, however, they are not fully safe for those who have contact allergy problems: handles, screws and rivets many times contain Nickel .

Small guide to buying pots without nickel

There are no registered or official symbols or words or abbreviations that are used by the entire market: «every company is creating its own symbols. We too at Tescoma on our online sales site insert one, a circle with the writing inside nickel free. Clear and immediate. Searching for the symbols or the wording "without nickel" is therefore the first directive of a safe purchase. But that's not enough. The advice is to buy «aluminum cookware with non-stick coating and plastic handles. One of our lines that meets these needs is SmartCLICK: it has a non-stick coating and the bottom is often suitable for induction cooking; also you can detach the handle (in plastic) to put it back reducing its bulk and to use it even in the oven .

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