Gilda Saraiva

It was only when her grandparents began showing signs of fatigue from a lifetime of hard work that Gilda Saraiva truly woke up to the craft. Until then, the salt pans had mostly been a backdrop for childhood memories, long summers spent playing with her cousins. “We were just there to enjoy the space, splash around in the water, have fun. That was their job, not ours. And besides, my grandfather was so strict, we weren’t even allowed near the salt,” she recalls. “I followed a typical path: went to school, studied arts, then architecture.”

But the idea that her grandparents might be about to give up one of their two salt pans? That was unthinkable. “Another abandoned salina when there were already so many? No way.” Twenty years later, Gilda is now, alongside her mother, the producer behind the brand Amor Com Sal Q.B. and runs the Salt Museum Center (Núcleo Museológico do Sal) in Figueira da Foz. “Once I fell in love with salt, I ended up dedicating myself much more to this,” she says.

Today, it’s her mother, Maria de Lurdes Bertão, who works hands-on in the salina, while Gilda focuses mainly on education and promoting the tradition. From her grandfather, who had inherited the trade from his own parents, Gilda learned how to read the tides and moon cycles, when to open the gates, and how to care for each compartment of the salina, where seawater slowly transforms into salt crystals. “He was my master,” she says proudly. “A lot of people think it’s just about pouring in water and the salt magically appears. But it’s not like that at all, there’s a whole skill set involved. And even with my background, I had no idea. It’s been a real learning process.”

She explains: “Our salt comes from the sea, it’s sea salt, but it’s produced using traditional techniques, fully artisanal. It goes straight from the salt pan to your plate.” It’s also richer in nutrients, “because it absorbs everything the sea has to offer.” Gilda talks about calcium, magnesium, iodine, potassium, and even living microorganisms. “Our salt isn’t just sodium chloride,” she emphasizes. And the local environment plays a big role too: “In Figueira da Foz, because of the climate and frequent fog, the crystals don’t form as quickly. There’s less sun, lower temperatures,” she says, also noting the black clay base and the lower salinity of the water. The result? “A crystal that dissolves much more easily, it’s more soluble, and it has a much milder flavor.”

“I often compare our salt to a fine cheese or a good wine — depending on where it’s produced, it will have its own unique flavor and characteristics. With our product, it’s like bringing the ocean into your food.”

Innovation came naturally. “We started harvesting flor de sal, something my grandparents never did, and we also began growing organic aromatic herbs around the salt pans.” Those herbs are now used to create unique blends with the salt. “We wanted to feel the salina as a whole,” she explains, before leaving a clear message: “People need to understand that by choosing this product, they’re helping preserve an ecosystem, a craft, and a cultural identity.” “People do make the difference.”

The salt that Gilda and her mother produce is available for purchase at the salt pans themselves, at the Engenheiro Silva Municipal Market, and in a few local shops and can also be shipped upon request.