The Opening of the Nin Saltworks Shop in Zadar

Produced by the sea, sun and wind  

The sea salt from Nin has a much more complex and interesting story from the one we are daily used to.  Salt follows the development of human kind from its beginnings and it is omnipresent in our lives, so much so that hardly anyone will see any interesting sensation in salt. This is the case until it reaches Nin or until it encounters one of the many attractive salt-based products - the delicate flower of salt, spices and cosmetic products, delicacies whose value is given more precisely by Nin salt, souvenirs…

Sea salt is not produced by a machine or by man, but by the sea, sun and wind. It has been 1,500 years that human hands in Nin have been collecting non-refined, completely natural sea salt formed by crystallization in the summer period, on 50 hectares of spacious shallow fields. Nin sea salt, unlike mineral salt, does not go through the refining process.

Once harvested, the manual collection of crystallized salt that lasts from late spring to early autumn, the salt remains in its completely natural form. The first salt thus collected  from the sea surface is the cleanest flower of salt and differs from the salt of later harvests with its subtle, "non-cutting" taste. Such salt is most desirable in gastronomy.

Flower of salt from the sea surface

The flower of salt has an important role in regulating digestion and muscle work, and it reduces anxiety and alleviates women’s discomforts… It is actually one of the oldest natural medications used in detoxing the body.  That is why the flower of Nin salt has a special, prominent place in all groups of the wide range of salt. And there are several such groups. First place is taken by seasoned salt where aromatic additives such as chili, Mediterranean fragrant herbs, pepper, truffles or capers are added to the flower of salt. 

The Nin Salt Pans company has also designed a whole range of cosmetic products such as fragrant, relaxing bath salts, toothpaste, perfumes for children, women and men, soaps and shower gels, hair shampoos, even butter with bath salts… A range of delicatessen products was created in cooperation with a chain of small producers, and these are salted olive oil, chocolate, lollipops and energy bars, smokvenjak (and old Croatian cake made of dry figs), truffles, cheese, salted fish… All always with the flower of salt. 

Souvenirs, gift packages and products for children round up this big salty story making a visit to the souvenir shop in Nin or Zadar more than ordinary shopping. That is a real, small adventure, a journey through the world of salt.  

All the secrets from the Nin Salt Pans

A visit of the Nin Salt Pans premises is also a unique experience due to the salt ponds, packaging, large warehouses and the arranged Museum of Salt. There is also a nature park with medicinal mud, in which the delicious plant salicornia (saloniša) grows in the shallow sea - sea asparagus, which is home to saltwater crayfish and black-browed fish, and where in the spring pairs of protected kingfishers arrive from Africa to lay their eggs, have their young and fly south again in the fall… This is the reason for the frequent visits to the Salt Pans by groups of tourists, school children from all over Croatia, youngsters from kindergarten and many others.

Salt has been collected in Nin since the Middle Ages, but the production was renewed only in 1954. Generations of Nin inhabitants have been working in the salt ponds, during the summer heat, and more on the entre rich history and tradition can be found in the comprehensive Museum of Salt.  

Therefore, our warm recommendation to all the visitors of Zadar is to dive into this interesting story of salt, making no difference whether the choice is Nin or Zadar. And not to forget: the human body requires five to six grams of salt daily (one teaspoon) for healthy and normal functioning. Do not exaggerate in your salt intake but do not avoid it neither!

Find out more on Nin Saltworks here.