# C_2023096EN.01003001.xml

| 15.3.2023 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 96/30 |
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15.3.2023

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 96/30

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Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2023/C 96/10)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’

EU No: PGI-PL-02811 – 9.11.2021

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) of PGI

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Poland

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed

3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ is made from ripe fruit of the common prune plum (Prunus domestica L.), variety ‘Węgierka Zwykła’, which is simmered until it forms a thick dark-brown mixture.

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ has the consistency of a thick fruity mixture containing pieces of peel with a shiny, more solid surface. It is dark brown in colour with a burgundy hue, is lighter within and contains visible pieces of purple plum peel. Its taste is slightly sweet and sour, with a touch of bitterness coming from the stone. It has a fruity aroma, mostly of plum, with a hint of caramel and smokiness.

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ contains no added sugar beyond the naturally occurring sugars in the fruit. It has a total sugar content of 40 g per 100 g of product, which may vary by +/- 20 %.

It presents a solids content of 40 % Brix, which may vary by +/- 20 %.

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ is a heavily thickened mixture obtained by cooking, with a suitably soft, spreadable consistency. No less than 3 kg of plums may be used to make 1 kg of finished product.

The finished product is marketed in glass jars with a metal lid. The product is pasteurised.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ is produced exclusively with fruit of the common prune plum (Prunus domestica L.), variety ‘Węgierka Zwykła’. For all batches of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’, a minimum of 75 % of the fruit used in the product must come from the geographical area defined in point 4 in order to maintain the quality. Producers must use, in the first instance, raw material from this geographical area.

Thanks to the climate conditions described in point 5, fruit produced in the area defined in point 4 is characterised by a higher natural sugar content than fruit grown outside the area, which is evident in the quality of the final product. In the event of a shortage of raw material from the identified area, producers may use a maximum of 25 % of fruit from outside the area in any given batch, without this compromising the quality of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’.

3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

All steps in the production of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ must take place in the identified geographical area, namely:

| — | the sourcing of the raw material (minimum 75 %) |
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the sourcing of the raw material (minimum 75 %)

| — | the preparation of the copper cauldron |
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the preparation of the copper cauldron

| — | the preparation of the fireplace |
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the preparation of the fireplace

| — | the simmering of the plum jam |
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the simmering of the plum jam

| — | the straining of the plum jam (removing the stones). |
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the straining of the plum jam (removing the stones).

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc., of the product to which the registered name refers

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ must be packaged and pasteurised in the identified geographical area as the product can become contaminated when transported, thereby reducing its quality. The mixture cannot be transported until it has cooled. However, once cooled, it becomes very thick, making it difficult to pack into jars. Moreover, reheating the mixture can cause it to burn. Thus the plum jam is packaged into jars in the identified geographical area at a higher temperature, thereby making the packaging process easier and eliminating unnecessary air bubbles. Performing the packaging process outside of the geographical area would carry with it the risk of the ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ becoming combined with other plum jams of different qualities.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

All producers of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ must use a common logo (figure 1) on the packaging (jar lid). The Consortium of Producers of Plum Jam from the Lower Vistula Valley makes this logo available for use by producers in a way that does not discriminate against non-member producers.

Image 1

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area in which ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ is produced is situated in the Lower Vistula Valley, i.e. the Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, in the following districts: Bydgoszcz District (municipalities: Dąbrowa Chełmińska, Osielsko, Dobrcz, Fordon – Bydgoszcz City District), Chełmno District (municipalities: Chełmno town, Chełmno rural municipality, Unisław, Kijewo Królewskie, Stolno), Grudziądz District (municipalities: Grudziądz town, Grudziądz rural municipality, Rogóźno), Świecie District (municipalities: Pruszcz, Świecie, Dragacz, Jeżewo, Warlubie, Nowe) and Pomorskie province, in the following districts: Kwidzyn District (Kwidzyn, Sadlinki, Ryjewo), Sztum District (municipality: Sztum) and Tczew District (municipalities: Pelplin and Gniew).

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ and the region is based on its reputation, forged from a long tradition of production, the specific quality of the raw materials used in the product, and the exceptional skill of local producers.

The specific soil and climate conditions in the Lower Vistula Valley led to the development of fruit farming. Since the 18th century, the common prune plum (Prunus domestica L.), variety ‘Węgierka Zwykła’, has been the predominant variety, with the local ecotype characterised by its resistance to poor climate conditions and diseases, and by its high sugar content.

The geographical area features silty soils (loess), light loam, various types of sandy loam and loose fluvisols with a higher copper content, ensuring abundant yields, higher acid content and carotenoids in the fruit. Phenological spring occurs 1,5 to 2 weeks earlier in the area, extending the growing season and, as a result, increasing the natural sugar content in ripe fruit. Due to the limited rainfall in the Lower Vistula Valley, ‘Węgierka Zwykła’ prune plum trees are subject to water deficit and thus to oxidative stress. The plant restricts fruit growth, which results in a concentration of sugars, vitamins, polyphenols, fibre and minerals in the fruit, and produces additional carotenoids and ascorbic acid.

Soils in the Lower Vistula Valley have a higher copper content compared to the national median. The presence of copper in the soil increases the quality and quantity of ‘Węgierka Zwykła’ prune plum harvests and increases the resistance of the plum trees to bacterial and fungal diseases. Orchards in the Lower Vistula Valley therefore do not require additional chemical spraying, compared to prune plum trees growing in other regions.

Thanks to the specific quality and large quantity of raw material used to make 100 g of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’, and due to the long simmering process, the product has a higher natural sugar content than other unsweetened plum jams.

‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ is distinguished from other plum jams on the market in that it is made with almost twice the amount of raw material than the minimum laid down in law (3 kg of fruit is used to produce 1 kg of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’).

Simmering ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ for many hours together with the plum stones also gives it a characteristic bitterness not found in other plum jams.

The planting area, which is historically large compared to other regions in Poland, and the high yield from the ‘Węgierka Zwykła’ prune plum trees, have contributed to the growth of processing in the area. One of the oldest methods of preserving plums is to boil them to a pulp and thicken them through evaporation in heated cauldrons. There are records dating back to the 16th century of fruit being processed in this way. The resulting product was called powidła [plum jam]. Field surveys carried out by staff at the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń, in the Lower Vistula Valley, have confirmed the existence of a large number of buildings used as drying sheds for fruit, in which fireplaces were the heating source, with a place to put cauldrons for producing plum jam, proving that these buildings were also used for that purpose. ‘Węgierka Zwykła’ prune plums would be used to make plum jam for the whole family, and the surplus would be sold at markets in the region’s major cities (e.g. Świecie and Bydgoszcz). Plum jam and fruit would be floated down the River Vistula or transported by horse-drawn carts as far as the port of Gdańsk.

The ‘Węgierka Zwykła’ common prune plum was used to produce ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ because the region’s local ecotype was characterised by a high resistance to poor climate conditions and diseases, and as the flesh of the plum would separate easily from the stone during the simmering process. The stones helped to prevent burning and added the characteristic touch of bitterness to the taste of the plum jam. At the end of the simmering process, special clay strainers produced by potters – the most well-known being from Gruczno on the River Vistula (in the Lower Vistula Valley) – would be used to separate the stones from the fruit mixture. The resulting jam would then be placed in clay pots and baked in bread ovens. Once a baked skin had formed on the surface of the plum jam, the pots would be removed and stored in cool cellars. Prepared in this way, ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ could be stored for up to 2 years from its date of production, without losing its flavour.

After World War II, private processing of prune plums was prohibited. The plant in Fordon (now a district of Bydgoszcz) became the largest recipient of prune plums, with its main product being plum jam. Fruit-growing became economically important to the inhabitants of the Lower Vistula Valley not just because of the favourable microclimate, but also due to the demand for prune plums from the processing plant in Fordon and restaurants in the local area, and the proximity of the Vistula trading route. The sight of copper cauldrons (Polish: kocioł kuprowy, from the Latin cuprum: copper), stirrers (Polish: bocian) and fireplaces has become a permanent feature of the landscape of the surrounding villages.

Plum jam production in the Lower Vistula Valley became the subject of a Ph.D. dissertation entitled Stirring the pot in Poland: traditional plum jam, regional identity, and rural development in the Lower Vistula Valley, completed at Cornell University. Research results have shown that the inhabitants of municipalities in the Lower Vistula Valley enthusiastically cultivate traditional plant varieties, and their activities contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of the specific character of the geographical area, shaped over centuries.

Furthermore, research carried out at Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz analysing culinary heritage and developing tourism has shown that it is essentially the fruit-growing product ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ which has become the brand of the Lower Vistula Valley.

The production of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ remains important to the local community to this day. This is confirmed by the fact that the product can be found at fairs and at numerous demonstrations of plum jam production, where it can also be tasted and purchased. Notable among these is Święto Śliwki (Plum Festival), held since 2001 in Strzelce Dolne, which is a very popular event. Within a few years the festival began attracting tens of thousands of visitors from across Poland. Święto Śliwki has grown into a 2-day event, with journalists dubbing the Lower Vistula Valley ‘the plum capital of Poland’. The local TV station, TVP Bydgoszcz, and PIK, the local branch of Polskie Radio, the state radio broadcaster, have been promoting the event free of charge for 20 years. The Marshal’s Office of Kujawsko-Pomorskie province includes references to this event in connection with ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ in promotional material for tourists.

Numerous articles in the local and national press, references in books describing the traditions of the region and various awards won at competitions attest to the high regard in which ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ is held. ‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ is referred to as a recognised local brand in publications of the Polish Chamber for Regional and Local Products. ‘Powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ has twice taken first prize in its category at the Nasze Kulinarne Dziedzictwo (Our Culinary Heritage) awards. For several decades, ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ has been promoted in Natura 2000 materials as a traditional processing method in the Lower Vistula Valley, as well as in materials produced by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. To preserve the heritage of the product, the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń has collected historical material related to plum jam and plum cultivation in the Lower Vistula Valley, which it released in 2020 on CD entitled Smażenie powideł metodą tradycyjną (plum jam production the traditional way), as part of its protection of intangible heritage. This initiative is an educational project involving ethnographers and producers of ‘powidła śliwkowe z Doliny Dolnej Wisły’ who wish to reach the largest possible number of local residents and schools – where the project is presented during lessons – in order to keep the tradition of plum jam production alive.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/wnioski-przekazane-komisji-europejskiej

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

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