25/08/2022
“Aħna minn tal-Pajka imma kulħadd jafni bħala Żaren tal-Melħ. Il-familja tiegħi ilha fuq 200 sena taħdem il-melħ hawn fiż-Żonqor. Jien għandi 85 sena u għadni niġi hawn kuljum għall-melħ. Ilni niġi hawn ma’ ommi minn meta kelli 10 snin. Konna niġu kuljum bil-mixi miż-Żejtun. Konna ndumu siegħa u nofs ġejjin. Missieri ma tantx kien jinteressah mill-ġbir tal-melħ għax hu kien jaħdem fir-raba'. Kien jiġi biss biex il-melħ jittella' u jinġarr minn hawn għaż-Żejtun, fuq il-bagħal. Dak iż-żmien kollox bl-idejn konna naħdmu, nimlew barmil, barmil, bl-ilma baħar. Biex jiġi melħ l-ilma irid joqgħod ħmistax ġol-għadajjar.
Meta tagħmel ix-xita bil-ħamrija, ikollna naħslu l-għadajjar imbagħad f'Mejju nibdew intuh l-ilma baħar. L-ewwel jagħmel il-ħmira tal-melħ. U wara ħamest ijiem niġbruh u mbagħad ingeddsuh. Wara nitfgħu ġo kamra u nlestuh għall-bejgħ. Kif inlesti l-ġabra nagħmel il-forma tas-salib fuq il-melħ.
Mas-sebħ niġi hawn. Qabel kien hemm ħuti jgħinuni imma issa mietu. Illum jgħinuni ftit l-erbat itfal tiegħi. Dax-xogħol fih ħafna tbatija u trid il-ħin għalih. Niġi hawn inħossni tajjeb. Sakemm nibqa' f'saħħti, nibqa' niġi. Jien inħobb il-baħar imma ma nafx ngħum!
Il-melħ jidħol f'kollox. Anki jaħslu saqajhom bih biex jiġu iktar lixxi.
Jekk in-nies iridu japprezzaw u jkompli jkollhom il-melħ Malti jridu jibżgħu għas-salini. Kull nhar ta' Erbgħa mmur bil-karru s-suq taż-Żejtun inbigħ il-melħ.
Ħaġa moħġaga: ‘Jitwieled minn ommu imma jekk jiltaqa' ma' ommu jmut’ - Il-melħ!” – Żaren
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"We are tal-Pajka but everyone knows me as Zaren tal-Melh (lit. Zaren of the salt). My family has been collecting salt here from Zonqor for over 200 years. I am 85 years old and I still come here to collect salt every day. I have been coming here with my mother from the age of 10. We used to walk every day from Zejtun. It used to take us an hour and a half. My father was not really interested in salt collection because he used to work in the fields. He used to come here solely to gather and transport it from here to Zejtun, on a mule. At the time everything was done by hand and we used to fill each bucket one by one with seawater. In order for the water to evaporate it must be left in the basins for a fortnight.
When there is blood rain we need to wash the basins and then in May we start filling up with seawater. It then starts to crystallize and after five days we collect it and gather it in heaps. It is then stored in a room and prepared for sale. As soon as all the salt is collected I imprint the sign of the cross on the heap.
I am here at dawn. My siblings used to help me but they have all passed away now. My four children sometimes come to help. This work is very laborious and time-consuming. I feel good when I come here. As long as I am able to I shall keep coming. I love the sea but do not know how to swim!
Salt is found in everything. It can even be used to wash feet to make them more smooth.
If people appreciate and want to continue having access to Maltese salt they need to care for the salt pans. I go with my cart to the Zejtun market every Wednesday to sell salt.
A little riddle: "It is born of its mother but if it encounters its mother it dies" - Salt!" - Zaren
