Salt Pans Cuisine 2024 – The Present Day Salt-makers and their Marenda
On Wednesday 26 June 2024, the second event of this year's edition of the culinary heritage project “The Salt Pans Cuisine” took place at the Museum of Salt-making at Fontanigge in the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park.
In 2024, the European Heritage Days are dedicated to the heritage of cultural routes, networks and connections. The fifth edition of the Salt Pans Cuisine project is focused on the study, presentation and preparation of dishes related to the culture of living and working in the salt pans.
The event started with the opening greetings by the organisers from the Maritime Museum "Sergej Mašera" Piran, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia and the Self-Governing Community of Italian Nationality Piran with the Community of Italians "Giuseppe Tartini" Piran: Ajda Purger, Matjaž Kljun and Giorgina Rebol.
The participants then viewed the museum’s collection and the demonstration of traditional games by the ethnographic group “La Famea dei salineri”. The children were able to experiment with printing of various materials found in nature on paper. These creations were then retouched with painting.
Maja Bjelica, Ph.D., researcher at the Science and Research Centre Koper and saltpan worker from the Muzofil Association, moderated a talk on modern day salt-making with three saltpan’s workers from the Lera saltpans. They discussed the meaning of salt-making, the tasks they find the hardest to perform and their favourite tasks.
Gathered over good company, food and drink, the event was concluded by tasting the saltpans marenda (a meal similar to brunch). The traditional meal was prepared by Mrs. Anita Dessardo and its contemporary version by Maja Bjelica, Ph.D.
Although the weather forecast was initially discouraging, the weather spared us and we were able to spend a wonderful evening filled with stimulating conversations, good food and drinks, all in the magical environment of the Sečovlje saltpans.
The next meeting at the Museum of Salt-making at Fontanigge in the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park will be on 24 July 2024 at 6 pm – kindly invited!
The Salt Pans Cuisine 2024 is organised by:
the Maritime Museum "Sergej Mašera" Piran, the Self-Governing Community of Italian Nationality Piran with the Community of Italians "Giuseppe Tartini" Piran, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, the manager of the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park - Soline d.o.o., the Ethnographic Group “La Famea dei salineri”, the Parish of Sečovlje, the Science and Research Centre Koper, the Muzofil Association, the Slovenian Conservation Society, and others.
