Piranske Soline Piran Salt with Protected Designation of Origin hand harvested fine table salt unrefined iodised 175g 5-9 oz

In 2014, the European Commission entered Piranska sol (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 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. On the Slovenian coast, where the River Dragonja flows out into the Adriatic Sea, the Piran Salt Pans were formed more than 700 years ago. These are the only salt pans still in operation in this part of the Adriatic, and they maintain the traditional process of making salt by hand. Here, using the traditional method of salt harvesting typical of the Mediterranean, the saltmakers obtain mineral-rich sea salt just as they have always done. The Piran Salt Pans have been preserved as a typical salt pan ecosystem of international importance for nature protection. This ecosystem evolved through the long action of humans, and is populated by rare fauna and salt-tolerant plant species. It is made up of a mosaic of varyingly saline fields, wetlands, canals and reed beds, as well as halophyte meadows.