L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano C e r v i a , t h e a n c i e n t c i t y a l o n g I t a l y ' s A d r i a t i c coastline was once called Ficolce, and as legend has it, the name derived from Ficol, the mighty Etruscan leader who was eager to overthrow the tyranny of Ravenna. Its thousand year history has always been connected to the production of salt, making it a critical pillar of the Byzantine era. But salt didn't just put this city on the map in antiquity, as the only method for food preser- vation its commercial impor- tance was parallel only to gold and has continued to be at the forefront of the city's economy. In fact, in all of Italy the sale of salt was regulated the same way that tobacco was, with ven- dor's requiring a license to sell this precious commodity. This is why outside of many "tabac- chini", the licensed cigarette vendor's throughout Italy, you'll often see a "Sali e Tabacchi" sign (who knew!). Knowing this really made me reevaluate salt the next time I went grocery shopping! You may be wondering what i s s o s p e c i a l a b o u t C e r v i a ' s "Sweet Salt" or what it means for a salt to be sweet at all. The n a m e i s a b i t o f a m i s n o m e r because indeed this salt is salty, the difference lies in its purity. Dried in a completely natural process, it maintains 2% humidi- ty and a high concentration of elements like zinc, copper, iron and magnesium. This same nat- ural process means that other less soluble elements such as sul- fates, potassium and magnesium chloride are NOT PRESENT, so you don't get that bitter aftertaste left in your mouth. In other words, it is almost impossible to over-salt a dish when you use Cervia's sweet salt, and you'll never find undis- solved salt in your salad. Many of Italy's best Chef's exclusively use "Il Sale Dolce di Cervia", a n d f o r m a n y i t r e m a i n s t h e secret ingredient that separates a mediocre cook from an excep- tional one. Like many of Italy's specialty food products, now is the time to enjoy this salt, because we are heading into the end of an era. This vast area around Cervia is the only geographic location in the world where the conditions of water, soil, air and tempera- ture are perfect for the creation of this pure salt. This area of Emilia Romagna was amalga- mated in 1959 and is now under t h e d i r e c t i o n o f t h e S o c i e t à Parco della Salina di Cervia, where the 827 hectares of land now use modern technology and an industrialized production to produce 50,000 tons of pure salt annually. Now let me introduce you to " L a S a l l i n a C a m i l l o n e " , t h e ONLY salt marsh that remains Italy's White Gold: The "Sweet" Salt of Cervia where the traditional and com- pletely manual method of salt extraction is still used. Here you'll find volunteers that har- vest Cervia's sweet salt daily the same way it has been gathered since antiquity. In hundreds ( p r o b a b l y o v e r a t h o u s a n d ) years, the process has remained practically unchanged, and this artisanal method produces the most pure and delicious sweet salt in the world. Speaking to the passionate volunteers (almost all retirees), you realize this is the end of an era because there are no longer people interested in learning the manual method and continuing the daily extraction which is labor intensive. With the little government funding they receive going directly to operating costs, this unpaid profession is sure to become a thing of the past. The volunteers of " Camillone" are the men and women who grew up on these salt plains, they were here helping their parents and grandparents work when they were children and they them- selves worked here as adults. They have salt in their veins as they say. The salt that they produce, an impressive 1,000 tons annually, is the highest quality "sweet salt" available in the world and is also protected and recognized by the Slow Food Association. Those interested in purchasing the com- mercially available Sale Dolce di Cervia can find it online or in specialty stores, however the purest salt produced by the last traditional salt marsh is only a v a i l a b l e f o r p u r c h a s e o n - site...for just a few euros, a great deal if you ask me! V i s i t s c a n b e a r r a n g e d i n I t a l i a n a n d E n g l i s h t o t h e Camillone Salt Marsh through- out the year and I highly recom- mend it to anyone visiting Cervia and the Romagna region of Italy. The Salina di Camillone does not exist for tourism alone, it is a r e a l , f u n c t i o n i n g s a l t m a r s h intended to keep the traditions of the area alive and although the extraction occurs daily if condi- tions are not optimal (too much rain etc), then the salt is not gathered, so it is best to call before your visit if you are inter- ested in seeing them work. From June 15th to September 15th you can JOIN THE SALT WORKERS at 4:30 pm daily and accompany them out into the marshes to gather the sweet salt. Please wear comfortable cloth- ing, this is recommended for small groups and people who are over 15 years old. You must call 3 3 8 9 5 0 7 7 4 1 t o b o o k a n d a donation to the association and volunteers is recommended. Walking out onto the plains you feel as though you are step- ping back in time into a living museum. In fact, the same peo- ple that you meet on your tour are the faces you will find in M U S A , t h e S a l t M u s e u m o f Cervia, housed in the original Salt storage and processing fac- tory built in the 1600s in Cervia's beautiful port area. In the museum these volun- teers have already been immor- talized for their contribution to the industry, and in a strange w a y i t i s c l e a r t h a t s o o n t h e purest and most artisanal form of Cervia's sweet salt will no longer exist and only the mass produced c o m m e r c i a l p r o d u c t w i l l b e available. In Emilia Romagna where I live, every specialty shop sells Cervia's Sweet Salt. Sadly, it becomes harder and harder to f i n d t h e f u r t h e r a w a y f r o m Cervia you go. Thankfully, spe- cialty grocery stores in North America have made an effort to import some of Italy's most pres- tigious products including il Sale Dolce. Now that you know about Italy's "white gold" why not impress your friends the next time you have them over to din- ner with perfectly salted dishes. The only problem in using this salt is that once you've tried it, you never go back! Angela Nardiello is an expat Canadian currently living and working in Modena, Italy with her husband and son. She is a freelance travel and fashion writer and her lifestyle blog REASONS TO DRESS shares real life in Italy. ANGELA NARDIELLO Cervia (Ra), Romagna, the old saline of etruscan origin and some of the tools for harvesting salt. Copyright : Mario Bonotto LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE The MUSA, the Salt Museum of Cervia

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