‘Flor de sal de Tavira’ is now a product with a protected origin according to the latest list from Brussels.
The production of salt and ‘flor de sal’ is limited to three parishes in Tavira which now have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status after a request submitted to the European Commission in 2011 has now been granted.
The salt and ‘flor de sal de Tavira’ is hand-harvested sea salt from the salt pans of the Ria Fomosa national park, limited to three parishes in the county Tavira .
According to the request the salt from the Tavira areas is "obtained by manual harvesting from the natural process of evaporation of water from the Atlantic Ocean which circulates in a system of ponds where the final crystallization occurs."
The document also stated that the salt is unrefined, not washed after harvest and without additives. The production is limited to the salt marshes located in the Tavira parishes of Santa Lucia, Santiago and Santa Maria.
The Tavira salt has different levels of minerals to other salts and is more fragile, dissolving into very small lightweight crystals much in demand from chefs and home cooks as “its use in the kitchen can transform the flavor of food and food preparation to give a unique and refined taste."
