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Tein-Masin (Salt Production)
Tein Masin is an ancestral legacy that is inherited from generation to generation until today practiced in general by coastal population. Salt production can still be found in some coastal communities along the north coast of Timor-Leste from the municipality of bobonaro to the municipality of Lautem. With emphasis on the administrative post of Atabae-Bobonaro, Loes and Tibar-Liquica municipality, Manatatu municipality, and Laga in Baucau municipality.

#salt #food #food processing

Timor

Tein-Masin (Salt Production)
Tein Masin is an ancestral legacy that is inherited from generation to generation until today practiced in general by coastal population. Salt production can still be found in some coastal communities along the north coast of Timor-Leste from the municipality of bobonaro to the municipality of Lautem. With emphasis on the administrative post of Atabae-Bobonaro, Loes and Tibar-Liquica municipality, Manatatu municipality, and Laga in Baucau municipality.

#salt #food #food processing

Timor

Ambil (salt)
"Salt" is an essential ingredient for many kinds of foods and helps keep the human body strong and healthy. Not only that, salt is also used in many other ways, in everyday life, in the food and cosmetics industry, and in spiritual ceremony. To this day, Cambodia does not have to worry about finding salt ores, as there are coastal provinces that can produce enough salt to supply the country's consumption. In the past, the people who live along the seaside traditionally made salt by extracting seawater and boiling it into salt, and that production was only for family use, not for sale. Then, in 1941-1942, a Cambodian named Poch deforested Ang Kol area (now in Phnom Leav commune, Kampong Trach district, Kampot province) to produce salt. At that time, he brought a Chinese man named Cheng from Bassac district (Kampuchea Krom) who knew how to make salt to help. Later, other businessmen came to do this business, so the salt production became more and more widespread until it reached the factory for processing salt. Some people in that area can grow rice and harvest salt because rice planting and salt production are done in different seasons. Rice is grown in rainy season and salt is produced in the dry season. The salt evaporation fields are generally inactive after the New Year. The way to cultivate salt fields is that they first need a fairly large amount of land near the sea, because they have to drain salt water into a large dam called“Srae Hal” or salt evaporation field. After that, they have fields that are built with dams next to each other, continuing inside the mainland. The salinity of the salt is calculated by measuring the salinity with a thermometer. The water in the dry field has a salinity of only "level 2". Then the water is left to "sleep" overnight in the dry field and then drained into the next field, where the salinity level rises to 5 degrees. "If the salinity level reaches "level 2" no plants can grow, not even sea fish can survive, and the bottom of the field is unusually hot. The water at this point is only around 4cm deep. The next day, it was drained to another field, when the salinity level reached "10". This was done until the end of the field, where the salinity level had risen to “level 25”, and a lump of salt appeared. The last field is called "cooked field," and the salt that is formed is called “Grow”. The work here is called “cultivating salt”. They have to hurry to "collect" and put it in storage every day, otherwise, the salt will freeze. When it is around 8cm high and the salt will harden like a rock. The hotter the day, the faster the water evaporates, and the faster the salt grows. The water is very hot, can reach 45 degrees. When collecting salt every day, sometimes it rains. If it rains a little or moderately, it does not cause any major problems, but if it rains too much, fresh water is drained through a canal. Drainage is not difficult because fresh water is lighter than salt water, so fresh water is on the surface. On the other hand, if fresh water is not drained, it will cause moss to grow suddenly. That is why the first thing to do is to clean the canals and clean all the fields so that there is no moss and then compress the soil. The salt depot must be built from plants such as wood or bamboo, etc. If metal is used, it will be rusty.

Cambodia

Jeyeom(Traditional Salt Making)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea With no salt mines available in the country, seawater has long been the only source of salt in Korea. There were two principle traditional methods of salt production. Jayeom, or "boiled salt," was obtained by securing brine with a high concentration of salt from mudflats and boiling it down to salt crystals. The jayeom method, the oldest surviving records of which date back to the Goryeo Dynasty, was applied throughout the Joseon era. Cheonilyeon, or "solar salt," was introduced to Korea in 1907 and has been practiced until today. It refers to salt produced by simply evaporating seawater in the sun and wind. These two traditional Korean methods of salt manufacturing are distinct for their production in mudflats. Korean sea salt produced from mudflats, or cheonilyeom, accounts for a whopping 86 percent of the global production of mudflat sea salt. Salt in Korea has developed distinctive associations with traditional beliefs due to its use as protection against fire or evil spirits. Further studies of the labor structure and manufacturing methods of traditional salt are expected to boost our understanding of the culture of Korean fishing villages and the ecology of Korean mudflats. The salt-producing mudflats along the western coast of the Korean Peninsula are also renowned for their views at sunset. * As traditional salt making is not confined to any particular region or individual, no holders or holder groups have been recognized for this element.

#salt #mud flat #food production #traditional knowledge

South Korea

Jeyeom(Traditional Salt Making)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea With no salt mines available in the country, seawater has long been the only source of salt in Korea. There were two principle traditional methods of salt production. Jayeom, or "boiled salt," was obtained by securing brine with a high concentration of salt from mudflats and boiling it down to salt crystals. The jayeom method, the oldest surviving records of which date back to the Goryeo Dynasty, was applied throughout the Joseon era. Cheonilyeon, or "solar salt," was introduced to Korea in 1907 and has been practiced until today. It refers to salt produced by simply evaporating seawater in the sun and wind. These two traditional Korean methods of salt manufacturing are distinct for their production in mudflats. Korean sea salt produced from mudflats, or cheonilyeom, accounts for a whopping 86 percent of the global production of mudflat sea salt. Salt in Korea has developed distinctive associations with traditional beliefs due to its use as protection against fire or evil spirits. Further studies of the labor structure and manufacturing methods of traditional salt are expected to boost our understanding of the culture of Korean fishing villages and the ecology of Korean mudflats. The salt-producing mudflats along the western coast of the Korean Peninsula are also renowned for their views at sunset. * As traditional salt making is not confined to any particular region or individual, no holders or holder groups have been recognized for this element.

#salt #mud flat #food production #traditional knowledge

South Korea

Tein-Masin (Salt-Production)
Filtered water, stored in buckets and pots, is poured into the container for cooking

#salt production

Timor

Tein-Masin (Salt-Production)
In a container over the fire, the filtered water is boiling

#salt production

Timor

Tein-Masin (Salt Production)
Along the coastal regions of Timor-Leste, especially in areas where seawater meets fertile land, communities have preserved a unique tradition known as Tein-Masin—the age-old practice of salt making. More than just a method for producing seasoning, this practice reflects generations of local knowledge, environmental adaptation, and cultural ritual.\n\nThe process begins with the careful selection of salty earth, which is usually dug from the beach or coastal swamps. This salt-rich soil is placed into large woven baskets or wooden containers and then carefully filtered using fresh water collected from nearby springs. The resulting brine is collected in clay pots or metal vessels and then boiled over a wood fire for hours—sometimes days—until only fine salt crystals remain.\n\nSalt production is typically carried out by women and elders who have mastered the delicate timing and techniques required for successful extraction. Every step—from gathering the earth to managing the fire’s intensity—demands attention, patience, and experience. It is common to see family members working together, with children helping to fetch water or gather firewood, making it both a household activity and a community effort.\n\nBefore the salt-making begins, it is customary to conduct a ritual led by a lia-nain (traditional spiritual leader) or elder. An animal, often a chicken, is sacrificed and its blood is offered to local spirits as a request for protection and success. This ritual underscores the belief that nature’s resources must be treated with respect, and that balance between human needs and the environment must be maintained.\n\nSalt produced through Tein-Masin is more than a culinary product—it is a symbol of cultural resilience and a vital part of local economies. It is exchanged in traditional markets, used in rituals, and stored as a valuable household good. In times of hardship or isolation, it has even served as a form of currency.\n\nToday, while industrial salt is widely available, many communities still choose to practice Tein-Masin, valuing not only the quality of the hand-made salt but also the cultural meaning embedded in its production. Yet, challenges remain: the practice is labor-intensive and yields are modest, and younger generations are increasingly drawn away by urban migration and modern lifestyles.\n\nPreserving Tein-Masin means more than protecting a traditional technique—it means safeguarding a way of life shaped by harmony with nature, intergenerational collaboration, and deep spiritual connection to the land and sea.

#tein masin #salt production

Timor 2024

traditional ink

salt production