PIRAN SALT (PIRANSKA SOL) with protected designation of origin (PDO) is produced according to an approved traditional procedure, according to an almost 700-year-old tradition and only with traditional tools. The basic process is natural crystallisation on salt-fields, where salt is collected on a bio-sediment base of a few millimetres thickness called PETOLA, composed of minerals and micro-organisms.
The harvest only depends on the forces of nature - of the sun, wind, sea, and the assiduous work of the salt pan workers. The salt from the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park is light, rich in minerals of the sea, and of an exceptional taste that provides dishes with extra culinary exceptionalness. In 2005, the company successfully completed the certification process carried out by Bureau Veritas, the authorised certification house of the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food, for a top-notch product with a long tradition – PIRAN SALT with the denomination of origin. In 2014, the European Commission entered Piran Salt into the Register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications, which is the highest level of protection within the framework of the European scheme of farming produce and food protection. With this, PIRAN SALT (PIRANSKA SOL) with protected designation of origin (PDO) was set on an equal footing with the world-renowned products, such as champagne, Parma ham, Parmesan cheese and also Istrian olive oil.
Foodstuffs that bear the geographical designation of origin are closely associated with the area of designation. Two conditions must be met to qualify for designation of origin: firstly, all processes of production, processing and preparation for the market must take place within the geographical area designated on the product, and secondly, the product must possess properties that result from natural or human factors of the designated geographical environment. This means that the product must be distinguished from related products by special features of production or composition, that the prescribed rules of production must be observed and that the product must be subjected to strict controls on the part of the certification authority.
PIRAN SALT with protected designation of origin is ungrounded, unrefined and of exceptional taste, enhanced by the 'mother water' captured in crystals. It is precisely due to its crystalline form that the Piran salt has a specific flavour – not explicitly salty, as with other kinds, but remarkably rich and distinct. On average, its mineral composition is richer than that of refined salt and is suitable for all types of natural food. Modern cuisine is becoming increasingly fond of the original form of salt – crystal, which is as old as salt-making itself. It will suit dishes where the processing does not extinguish the original flavour but rather adds to it a scent of the area of its origin.