The salt and the monks

A legend says that the Romans could have been the firts instigators in the establishment of the production of sea salt on the Ile de Ré, or at least on the Atlantic coast. In fact, the salt was not only a preservative agent but a mean of payment. The french word for pay, "salaire" is coming from the romanword "salarium", meaning payment in salt.

The salt and the trade

In fact, the first salt-marshes have been created by Cistercian Monks at the beginning of the 12th century. At this time, the Monks was the masters of the northen part of teh Ile de Ré. The great majority of the salt-marshes has been taken from the sea using the polder method, by creating breakwaters to have some clayey ground under the high water level. 3 705 acres of salt marshes have been reclaimed on the sea, representing 18% of the total surface of the island.

The salt and the Ré's inhabitants

Between the 15th and the 20th century, more than a third part of the inhabitants of the island have worked in the salt. Those who was not producing directly sea salt, the lords (the owners of the saltmarshes), the seamen (the island is actually on the salt maritime road), the traders were living on the salt. Today, people are "saunier" from generation to generation. Half of the "Esprit du Sel" team, has ancestors that have been once "sauniers".

The salt and his former tax

This peculiar process has been on the point of disappearance a few years ago, when the industrial salt has swamped the market. The price was lower, and the quantities produced higher. So looking at the decline of this essential activity, Mich?le and Jean-Michel PELIN, in 1975 has decided to engage themselves in safeguard and in the promotion of this first quality sea salt. Though the creation of the "House of salt" and further the Cie "Esprit du Sel", they have been for the last 25 years promoting and giving a new value to this salt. They created some new original products as grey sea salt with herbs or pepper, mustard an mayonese with seaweeds and "fleur de sel", caramels toffees with pineau from charentes and "fleur de sel" and so on.