Poro ruru
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Poro ruru is a rare Oyashimane artisanal sea salt from the Shauku Archipelago made from filtering seawater through ashes. A variant of the salt is also known as abe shippo on the island of Citaisir. It is made similarly to poro ruru but is boiled with coconut milk.
 | |
| Type | Condiment |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  Oyashima,  Burgundie |
| Region or state | Shauku Archipelago |
| Associated cuisine | Oyashimane cuisine |
| |
Both of them are part of the unique traditional methods of producing sea salt for culinary use among the peoples of the Shauku Archipelago. They differ in taste from salt obtained through traditional drying beds or modern methods. Poro ruru has a sharp taste with smoky and fruity undertones, while abe shippo has an innate savory flavor. They are characteristically finely textured with small granules. They are consumed by grating a light dusting over food.
The tradition of making poro ruru and abe shippo is nearly extinct due to the difficulty and length of time it takes to manufacture them, as well as competition with modern imported salts.
Names
Poro ruru literally means "large salt" or "whole salt" in the Shauku language.
Similar salt-making traditions also exist on the island of Citaisir, abe shippo literally means "fire salt" in the Shauku language.
Production
The method of production varies slightly between poro ruru and abe shippo. Both methods can only be done for six months of the year, from December to May, due to the fluctuations in seawater salinity during the rainy seasons.
Poro ruru
Poro ruru is made by soaking coconut husks for several months in special pits continually filled with seawater during the tides. They are then cut into small pieces and dried for a few days. They are burned in a pile until reduced completely to ash. This takes about a week. The ash (called uyna) are gathered into a funnel-shaped bamboo filtering device. Seawater is poured into the ash, allowing the water to leach out the salt from the ashes. The brine is collected into a hollowed-out coconut trunk beneath the funnels.
The brine is poured into special clay pots and hung in walls in a special furnace. These are boiled for a few hours in the furnace, continually replenishing the pots with more brine once some evaporate. Eventually, the pots will crack, revealing the solidified mass of salt. The salt mass will be initially very hot, and it usually takes a few hours before it is cool enough to be handled. They are sold along with the broken domed pots which has given them the nickname "the dinosaur egg" in international markets due to their appearance.
Abe shippo
Abe shippo is made by gathering driftwood and other washed-up plant matter (twigs, reeds, coconut husks, bamboo stems, etc.) from the beach. These are burned completely into ash for about a week. The ash is then gathered into cylindrical woven bamboo containers. They are placed on bamboo platforms and a container is placed underneath. Seawater is poured through the ash and caught on these containers. The brine is then strained and transferred into other containers where it is mixed with coconut milk. These are poured into molds and boiled over an outdoor stove. More of the liquid is continually poured into the molds as they evaporate until nothing but a solid mass of salt remains. These brick-like lumps are then packaged and sold.
Culinary uses
Poro ruru and abe shippo are usually consumed by grating a light dusting of them over food. They were traditionally dusted over plain hot rice with a few drops of oil and eaten as is. They are also used to season traditional fried rice. Chunks can also be broken off and dipped into stews and dishes or ground and used like regular table salt.
Conservation
Salt-makers were once important professions in Oyashimane society, but the craft is nearly extinct in modern times. Part of this is due to the time-consuming traditional methods of producing salt and the hard work that goes with it. Artisanal salt-makers cannot compete with the cheap imported salt prevalent today in Audonia. Both 'poro ruru and abe shippo are only made by a few families today. Since Burgundie took possession of the Iles Evangaline in YEAR, they have invested heavily in the manufactor of poro ruru and abe shippo. They are commonly sold for the tourist trade for their novelty as well as to gourmet restaurants that feature Oyashimane cuisine, namely the Granquai Restaurant Chain. Due to their rarity, they are considerably more expensive than regular salt. The demand is usually high for poro ruru and abe shippo, but the supply cannot keep up.