All you need to know about the salt marshes of Île de Ré

A typical product of the coastal regions, salt is no exception to the rule on the Ile de Ré. The island is covered by nearly 400 hectares of salt marshes and these are an integral part of the history, traditions and landscapes of the island. Today, the world's largest producers have nothing to envy the island of Ré, but its salt production is no less negligible.
 
Discover salt production on the island of Ré during your stay and learn all the secrets of a culture that is centuries old.

 

 

The history of the salt marshes began in the 12th century, but their real exploitation began in the 15th century.
Indeed, in the Middle Ages, the Ile de Ré was in reality a succession of islets, the largest of which are those that shelter Ars-en-Ré and Loix today. As the clay deposits brought in by the tide, the different islets became attached to each other and formed the island as we know it today.
 
At that time, levees were built to protect the area from the high tides. Quickly, we realize that it is possible to do something with the saltwater that accumulates and that is how the marshes are born. 
 
Salt production developed over the centuries until the 19th century, when it reached its peak. The salt marshes then cover 18% of the island's surface and 30,000 tons of salt are produced every year. 
 
Thereafter, production declined due to the draining of the marshes due to lack of maintenance and competition from industrial production. It gradually resumed with the establishment of a saunière cooperative in the 1940s and today, 90 saunders work in the summer to produce up to 10,000 tons of salt each year.

 

The functioning of these large bodies of saltwater divided into basins may seem obscure to the uninitiated. Here is a quick explanation of how salt marshes work.
 
The purpose of the different basins is to promote the natural evaporation of seawater along the hydraulic circuit. At the end, we obtain water saturated with salt, which crystallizes. This is when it can be harvested.
 
Thus, salt harvests are largely dependent on the weather: the slightest shower can ruin an entire harvest. They, therefore, take place mainly between June and September, when the weather is at its mildest.

 

Because of the particular character of its environment, the salt marsh shelters a very specific ecosystem, which likes to live between land and sea.
 
The salt marshes are home to more than 300 species of birds, which find their happiness to feed on the spot, as there are several small crustaceans, fry, worms and molluscs. Among the best known, you can admire egrets, shelducks, white stilts and blue mirror gorges. 
 
The glasswort is probably the best-known representative of the salt marsh fauna. It is a fat plant, which is eaten as a condiment or vegetable, cooked or in salads. You can find it on the market, in jars.

 

At the time when salt marshes are developing on the island of Ré, salt is very much in demand. This "white gold" is subject to a tax, the "gabelle": indeed, it is considered a basic necessity since it was used to feed livestock and preserve food. 
 
Thus, the transport of the production is not easy, as all the trade routes are complicated because of the gabelle. The production is essentially sent to the Southwest where the state monopoly on salt has been bought back, thus reducing the price of taxes. Production also goes to Northern Europe: Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.
 
The salt is transported by sea, in vessels called "lighters", and then transported by river. At the end of the 19th century, in 1898, a railroad was built in order to transport salt more easily across France.
 

 
Your purchases can be made on the island's markets or directly from the sauniers on the salt marshes. Count 1.5€ / kg of coarse salt, 16€ / kg of fleur de sel and 18€ / kg of flavoured salt.

 

Curious? Visit the salt marsh ecomuseum to find out a little more about the history of salt farming, the know-how, tools and techniques of salt makers. Admission costs €5.5 per person.
 
For a gourmet visit, go to the Port des Salines. You will be offered salicorns, seafood and caramel. Something to feast on!
 
 
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