Trapani PGI Salt and Slow Food Presidium

Trapani sea salt comes from the “cultivation” and collection of salt from the salt pans scattered along the western coast of Sicily, in the area between the municipalities of Trapani, Paceco and Marsala.

The only ingredients that constitute the production factors of this white gold are the sea, the sun, the wind, and the genius of man who with patience and effort brings to light this precious gem of the sea. Precisely for the processing and for its organoleptic properties, the salt of Trapani has obtained numerous quality recognitions over time. They depend on the geographical origin but also on the expert extraction method that remains unchanged over the centuries, far from chemical modifications and guardian of the history and civilization of a territory.

Let's find out together how to distinguish the whole product, and the artisanal one, from other sea salts.

What is whole and artisanal sea salt

Trapani Salt is a sea salt extracted directly from the salt pans. Thanks to this extraction method, the salt retains numerous nutritional qualities:

• it maintains the iodine present in the sea;
• it is a very tasty salt, so a small quantity of product is needed to obtain results on the palate equal to those of other salts on the market;
• human health certainly benefits from this, through the acquisition of precious nutrients without the negative effects of excess salt in foods.

For all these properties, it is classified as a salt high quality for food consumption.

There are names on the market that help us distinguish different types of salts based on the processing they undergo (or do not undergo) during the period that transforms the water tanks into salt tanks into salt pans.

Integral sea salt, for example, is called this because it does not undergo chemical procedures of additions or bleaching during production. The salt can only be washed with the water from the salt pan, and the collected sea salt is extracted pure and dried (in the sun or in low-temperature ovens) without the addition of chemical additives or preservatives that alter the organoleptic properties.

Precisely because of the absence of chemical elements added to the salt, Trapani salt naturally preserves iodine, magnesium, potassium and other beneficial microelements.

Integral and artisanal sea salt, on the other hand, adds the manual element to production. While whole salt can undergo mechanized processes in some production phases (mechanical harvesting, traditional washing), artisanal salt returns to being the "salt of the past".

The harvesting in the tanks is done by hand by the salt workers, and often the salt is not washed. It is a product that retains more humidity and has a more opaque appearance. Manual harvesting and other artisanal procedures mean that this salt is very difficult to produce, and therefore much rarer to find on the market.

For these reasons, there are now few producers (like the Culcasi family) who continue the tradition of artisanal whole sea salt. Due to its rarity, artisanal whole salt is part of a program to protect agri-food products on Italian and international markets to preserve their uniqueness and better inform consumers.

Trapani PGI sea salt

The climatic and morphological characteristics of the territory of Trapani, Paceco and Marsala have been recognized as fundamental elements for the formation of the organoleptic properties of the sea salt produced in this area. Thanks to exposure to the winds, the sun and the warm climate typical of the area, Trapani salt acquires value from the place where it is born.

For this reason, Trapani salt has become part of the PGI denominations recognized at European level as Trapani Sea Salt PGI.

Trapani PGI Salt is a whole salt (therefore it can undergo mechanized procedures during production, such as the harvesting and grinding phases), of quality and rich in microelements beneficial to health.

Trapani artisanal salt Slow Food Presidium

Unlike Trapani PGI Sea Salt (which is a purely whole salt), Trapani artisanal whole salt has been awarded the Slow Food recognition. Since 2003, the Slow Food Foundation has been promoting programs to preserve agri-food biodiversity and help local producers maintain food processing processes that would otherwise risk disappearing due to industrialization.

Precisely because of the complexity of artisanal salt production, Slow Food has awarded Saline Culcasi the Presidium of the Foundation, recognizing this exceptional product as having a correct local supply chain, high production quality and great cultural value.