Glossary

Technique of obtaining salt by natural evaporation of sea water. 

General maintenance of the “fares", carried out every 10 years by shovel. 

From “boutoir”, a tool with the same shape as the "las”, but smaller, used for work in the spring and by women  

Small and solid, used to remake the bridges in the spring 

Solution saturated with salt. The sea contains around 35g of salt per litre whereas brine can contain 250 to 260 g/l depending on temperature conditions. 

The channel which brings sea water into the salt marshes.

Small channel which enables water to be distributed to the oeillets. 

Complete rebuilding of the bed and bridges of the oeillets, carried out every 20 to 30 years. 

Small prism-shaped pottery vessels, which are designed to collect salt obtained from brine evaporation over a fire. 

Term used by people outside the profession, which is synonymous with “marais” (marsh) used by the salt workers; this is the final pond from which the water doesn’t leave, and where the harvest takes place. These rectangular ponds (7m by 10m), are on a human scale to enable harvesting by hand to take place, of around fifty kilos of salt crystallised during the day. Their number varies depending on the size of the salt works, but they represent around 10%. The greatest care is taken in their preparation. The middle must be very level (we talk about “galoche” or upper part), whilst the edge is a trough of 1-2 cm by 1.5m, to ensure the required volume of water for harvest.  

Mounds of earth which are an integral part of the salt works and enable them to be marked out, also sometimes used as a road to transport the salt.

- Fairly rough, large ponds, designed to increase concentration to a high enough level to remove algae (“limu”) and crustaceans (“bigots”) - the salt worker’s enemies. This area is not mandatory, but very practical, and it appeared fairly late in the history of the salt marshes. It can typically represent 10% of the salt works. 

- Smaller ponds, and thus more adapted to the meticulous maintenance along the bends, enabling a regular flow of a fine film of water (1cm). They are as level as possible, with the exception of a small ditch (fossé) along the dykes or bridges (carrière). These are the most efficient ponds for the concentration of sea water. Their surface often increases the further away from the sea they are, and they represent 30 to 40% of the salt works.

Technique of obtaining salt by artificial evaporation of concentrated salt water. 

Technique to scrape off only the upper level of salt before it becomes too hard. Technique used in very productive salt marshes due to their climate, but not in the Batz or Guérande basins, where salt is collected every day. 

Light with a very long handle, used to collect the flower of salt