Salt Farming, Tejakula
When visiting the North of Bali during dry season, something not to be missed is the local production of sea salt. Salt Farming is just one of several cottage industries in the area of Tejakula, with the final product being an exquisite salt that’s being exported to fine dining restaurants around the world.
Over the course of the last few months, I had the chance to document the salt farming process, speak with the salt farmers and of course, taste the final product.
The journey of the sea water that will later be exported to fine dining restaurants in Japan, Europe and America in the form of delicious sea salt, actually starts with mud. A lot of mud. Because sea salt in its pure form does not have a lot of nutrients, the farmers will first collect nutrient dense mud from the local river banks and spread it out in various prepared lots on the beach. Over the course of several weeks, the farmers will then place the rich mud into a cone made from bamboo and filter the sea water until it reaches the desired level of nutrient density.
After this crucial stage, the sea water gets filled into manually carved out palm trees that have been meticulously prepared for the previous few months. Each palm tree lasts for a cycle of around 7 years before it needs to be replaced. During the day, the sea water slowly evaporates and the coarse salt remains. On a sunny day, when the water evaporates quickly, salt can be taken almost daily. But on cloudy days, it can take two or three days until the salt crystallises and can be taken out of the palm trees.
After the salt has crystallised it goes to a small sorting facility. Here, local women work under the light of a bright desk lamp to sift through the salt and sort the crystals according to their size and shape - using nothing but a pair of tweezers and their meticulous eye sight!
Once the season has passed and the rains are returning back to Bali, the coconut trees get neatly stacked until the next year’s dry season begins again around April - May, and the whole process of farming sea salt begins again.
It is truly amazing how the knowledge of natural sea salt farming has been passed on from generation to generation in this very special part of Bali. If you’re coming to visit the Island of the Gods, make sure to visit the Amrita Salt Farm Villas to observe the journey of the salt from the ocean to the table youself.