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

(2022/C 49/07)

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 3 months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Cancoillotte’

EU No: PGI-FR-02765 – 19 March 2021

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Cancoillotte’

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.4: Other products of animal origin (eggs, honey, various dairy products except butter, etc.).

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

‘Cancoillotte’ is a melted cheese speciality, produced by melting a skimmed milk cow’s milk cheese called metton and combining it with butter and water.

The texture of the finished product varies from semi-liquid to stringy, and is somewhat sticky.

The taste and smell are reminiscent of milk and butter, with a faint yeasty tang.

It is nature or original form, that is to say without any added flavouring, ‘Cancoillotte’ is a homogeneous product ranging from cream to pale yellow in colour.

It has a dry-matter content of 20 % or more and a fat content of less than 15 % of the total weight of the final product.

Only natural flavouring substances and flavouring preparations, according to the definitions of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, are authorised.

The addition of such flavourings is limited to 20 % of the total weight of the finished product, broken down by category as follows:

— spices, herbs, condiments: up to a maximum of 5 % in the finished product;

— mushrooms, herbs, nuts: up to a maximum of 10 % in the finished product;

— white wine produced from Chardonnay, Savagnin and Aligoté grape varieties, individually or combined; ‘Arbois’, ‘Côtes du Jura’, ‘Château-Chalon’ or ‘Etoile’ PDO wine that qualifies as traditional Vin Jaune [Yellow Wine]; liqueur wine; absinthe; kirsch: up to a maximum of 20 % in the finished product.

When flavourings from several categories are added, the individual percentages indicated above may not be cumulated.

Salt (NaCl) may also be added.

The matured metton cheese may be smoked.

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

The milk is produced on farms that satisfy the following criteria:

— at least 70 % (dry matter) of the dairy cows’ basic ration must be produced on the farm;

— the main forage area (MFA) must be at least 1,7 acres (70 ares) per dairy cow.

At the dairy, the milk collected to manufacture white metton cheese must come from a herd, at least two thirds of the dairy cows of which are of the Montbéliarde and/or French Simmental and/or Vosgienne breeds.

The local optimisation of the area’s pasture and the use of local cattle breeds together enable the production of milk with the requisite fat content that is then processed locally. The resulting skimmed milk has a high protein content that, combined with the specific local expertise, ensures the quality of the intermediate product (the metton cheese) and subsequently of the ‘Cancoillotte’.

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

The milk must be produced and the white metton cheese manufactured, matured and then melted within the identified geographical area.

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

Packaging must take place within the geographical area, due to the need to package the product while it is still hot immediately after it has been melted.

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

In addition to the mandatory information required by the rules on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs, labels must include in the same visual field:

— the product’s registered name: ‘Cancoillotte’ (whatever container is used), in a font size that is at least two thirds of the font size of the largest characters on the label;

— the words ‘Indication géographique protégée’ (Protected Geographical Indication) or the initialism ‘PGI’;

— the European Union ‘PGI’ symbol.

The product labelling also includes:

— any flavouring used;

— the words ‘Made from skimmed milk’.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area covers:

In the departments of Doubs, Jura, Haute-Saône and the Territoire de Belfort: all municipalities.

In the department of Ain: the municipalities of Attignat, Beaupont, Bény, Béréziat, Bourg-en-Bresse, Ceyzériat, Coligny, Cormoz, Courmangoux, Courtes, Bresse Vallons, Curciat-Dongalon, Curtafond, Domsure, Drom, Foissiat, Jasseron, Jayat, Journans, Lescheroux, Malafretaz, Mantenay-Montlin, Marboz, Marsonnas, Meillonnas, Montagnat, Montrevel-en-Bresse, Pirajoux, Polliat, Ramasse, Revonnas, Saint-Denis-lès-Bourg, Saint-Didier-d’Aussiat, Saint-Etienne-du-Bois, Saint-Jean-sur-Reyssouze, Saint-Julien-sur-Reyssouze, Saint-Just, Saint-Martin-le-Châtel, Saint-Nizier-le-Bouchoux, Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes, Salavre, Servignat, Tossiat, Val Revermont, Verjon, Vernoux, Villemotier and Viriat.

In the department of Côte d’Or: the municipalities of Athée, Auxonne, Beaumont-sur-Vingeanne, Bèze, Bézouotte, Billey, Blagny-sur-Vingeanne, Bourberain, Champagne-sur-Vingeanne, Champdôtre, Charmes, Chaume-et-Courchamp, Chazeuil, Cheuge, Cléry, Cuiserey, Dampierre-et-Flée, Drambon, Etevaux, Flagey-lès-Auxonne, Flammerans, Fontaine-Française, Fontenelle, Heuilley-sur-Saône, Jancigny, Labergement-lès-Auxonne, Lamarche-sur-Saône, Licey-sur-Vingeanne, Lux, Magny-Montarlot, Marandeuil, Maxilly-sur-Saône, Mirebeau-sur-Bèze, Montigny-Mornay-Villeneuve-sur-Vingeanne, Montmançon, Noiron-sur-Bèze, Oisilly, Orain, Perrigny-sur-l’Ognon, Pluvet, Poncey-lès-Athée, Pont, Pontailler-sur-Saône, Pouilly-sur-Vingeanne, Renève, Sacquenay, Saint-Léger-Triey, Saint-Maurice-sur-Vingeanne, Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Seine-en-Bâche, Saint-Seine-sur-Vingeanne, Soirans, Soissons-sur-Nacey, Talmay, Tanay, Til-Châtel, Tillenay, Tréclun, Trochères, Véronnes, Vielverge, Villers-les-Pots, Villers-Rotin and Vonges.

In the department of Haute-Marne: the municipalities of Belmont, Chassigny, Coublanc, Cusey, Enfonvelle, Farincourt, Fresnes-sur-Apance, Genevrières, Gilley, Grenant, Maâtz, Melay, Neuvelle-lès-Voisey, Pressigny, Saulles, Savigny, Tornay, Valleroy, Voisey and Voncourt.

In the department of Saône-et-Loire: the municipalities of Allerey-sur-Saône, Authumes, Bantanges, Baudrières, Beaurepaire-en-Bresse, Beauvernois, Bellevesvre, Les Bordes, Bosjean, Bouhans, Bragny-sur-Saône, Branges, Brienne, Bruailles, Champagnat, La Chapelle-Naude, La Chapelle-Saint-Sauveur, La Chapelle-Thècle, Charette-Varennes, Charnay-lès-Chalon, La Chaux, Ciel, Condal, Cuiseaux, Dampierre-en-Bresse, Devrouze, Diconne, Dommartin-lès-Cuiseaux, Le Fay, Flacey-en-Bresse, Frangy-en-Bresse, La Frette, Fretterans, Frontenard, Frontenaud, La Genête, Huilly-sur-Seille, Joudes, Jouvençon, Juif, Lays-sur-le-Doubs, Lessard-en-Bresse, Loisy, Longepierre, Louhans, Ménetreuil, Mervans, Le Miroir, Montagny-près-Louhans, Montcony, Montjay, Montpont-en-Bresse, Montret, Mouthier-en-Bresse, Navilly, Pierre-de-Bresse, Le Planois, Pontoux, La Racineuse, Rancy, Ratte, Romenay, Sagy, Saillenard, Saint-André-en-Bresse, Saint-Bonnet-en-Bresse, Sainte-Croix, Saint-Didier-en-Bresse, Saint-Etienne-en-Bresse, Saint-Germain-du-Bois, Saint-Gervais-en-Vallière, Saint-Martin-du-Mont, Saint-Martin-en-Gâtinois, Saint-Usuge, Saint-Vincent-en-Bresse, Saunières, Savigny-en-Revermont, Savigny-sur-Seille, Sens-sur-Seille, Serley, Sermesse, Serrigny-en-Bresse, Simandre, Simard, Sornay, Le Tartre, Thurey, Torpes, Toutenant, Tronchy, Varennes-Saint-Sauveur, Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, Vérissey, Villegaudin and Vincelles.

In the department of Vosges: the municipalities of Ameuvelle, Châtillon-sur-Saône, Grignoncourt, Lironcourt, Martinvelle and Regnévelle.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link with the geographical area where ‘Cancoillotte’ is produced is founded on the cheese’s reputation and specific characteristics.

The reputation of ‘Cancoillotte’ is linked to its origin in Franche-Comté. The product is known both nationally and internationally as a regional speciality of Franche-Comté.

Its particular characteristics are the result of the expertise of the farmers, cheese maturers and melters, gleaned over the centuries.

The geographical area where ‘Cancoillotte’ is produced is made up of the former administrative region of Franche-Comté, and the bordering municipalities of Ain, Côte d’Or, Haute-Marne, Saône-et-Loire and Vosges. This region situated in eastern central France boasts large herds of dairy cattle. The climate, with its considerable temperature variation and rainfall spread throughout the year, but particularly abundant in spring, helps the grass to grow. Farmers turn this potential for pasture to their advantage through milk production based on farms that produce all the fodder needed and the farming of local cattle breeds. The milk produced in this area is suitable for churning into cream and butter, leaving skimmed milk that can be made into cheese.

The local optimisation of the pasture is based on the great majority of the dairy cows’ basic ration coming from fodder produced on the farm. The Montbéliarde, French Simmental and Vosgienne local cattle breeds make up over two thirds of the dairy herd.

‘Cancoillotte’ has long been typical of the low-lying areas (plains and valleys) stretching from Ain in the former Lorraine to the foothills of the Alps and the Vosges mountain range. The processing of the milk (into cream, butter and cheese) has long been an important activity carried out on the farm with a dual purpose: domestic and commercial. The quantity of milk needed for subsistence was consumed on the farm, while the rest was processed in the family dairy.

The cream was often kept to make butter while the skimmed milk was used to produce a cheese (called metton) that could not be eaten in its original state but that had to be matured then melted to be eaten in the form of ‘Cancoillotte’.

Up until the establishment of collective dairies, ‘Cancoillotte’ therefore remained the archetypal home-made cheese product par excellence. Metton cheeses were also sold at regional markets.

Local dairies have continued the tradition of producing butter and cream, and therefore end up with skimmed milk as a by-product, which can be profitably used to manufacture metton.

The salient characteristics of ‘Cancoillotte’ are:

— a very low residual fat content that must be less than 15 % in the finished product;

— a semi-liquid to stringy, and somewhat sticky, texture;

— a taste and smell that are reminiscent of milk and butter, with a faint yeasty tang.

The product’s specificities derive from its particular production technique (use of skimmed milk, maturing the cheese grains, adding water and a small quantity of melted butter).

The local optimisation of the area’s pasture and the use of local cattle breeds together enable the production of milk with a very high fat content that is highly prized. In order to prevent this fat content from being denatured by lipolysis, the cows have traditionally been milked in close proximity to the dairies, within a circumscribed area. The quality of this fat content used to produce cream and butter gave rise to a specific technique to turn the leftover skimmed milk into a distinctive product: ‘Cancoillotte’.

The local optimisation of the area’s pasture and the use of local cattle breeds in fact also enable the production of milk with a protein content that is above the French national average. This richness in milk proteins that is used to manufacture the metton cheese is a guarantee of the success of the cheese processing. The organoleptic quality of the final product, ‘Cancoillotte’, depends on the quality of the intermediate product (the metton cheese).

Specific cheese making and melting expertise are deployed to ensure the rapid maturing of the curds, thanks to the cheese maker’s careful monitoring of the metton’s appearance, taste and smell. Once the skimmed milk cheese (metton) has been matured, it should already have its own characteristics, which translate into the final taste of ‘Cancoillotte’: a taste and smell reminiscent of milk and butter, with a faint yeasty tang.

This cheese made from skimmed milk must be melted with the addition of an amount of butter that ensures a low fat content in the finished product. Melting the cheese takes great expertise, and each melter has his own skilled technique, which is passed down within each dairy, crucial to achieving the specific texture of ‘Cancoillotte’.

As the maturing of the metton can lead to a strong yeasty tang, the locals flavour their cancoillotte by adding to the saucepan, when the metton is being melted, whatever ingredients they have to hand at home: primarily garlic, shallots, wine, nuts, chives and mushrooms. Wine has traditionally also been added, in the past to make the product more fluid.

The specificity of ‘Cancoillotte’ resides principally in its reputation, both current and historic, which is related to its origins.

The ‘Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Franche-Comté’ (1978) by Mme Dondaine , illustrates that the word has been in regular use for a considerable period of time (at the very least since the 19th century).

‘Cancoillotte’ became widespread throughout the former Franche-Comté, and even beyond.

The industrial production of ‘Cancoillotte’ started up after the First World War, but really took off in the middle of the 20th century.

During the Second World War from 1939 to 1945, local inhabitants were issued with a special ‘Cancoillotte’ ration card.

‘Cancoillotte’ is always cited in works describing traditional products such as in the book ‘Franche-Comté : produits du terroir et recettes traditionnelles’ [‘Franche-Comté: local products and traditional recipes’] – 1993 – Inventory of France’s culinary history – Edition Albin Michel/Cnac. It often features in newspaper articles (e.g. ‘L’Est Républicain – 24 November 2015 – Bientôt au tour de la “Cancoillotte” ?’ [Will it soon be the turn of Cancoillote?]) or in national press reports, for example in the largest French channel’s news programme (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=855699664847425). There are numerous recipes using ‘Cancoillotte’ on specialist cooking websites intended for the general public: The Internet: www.marmiton.org/re features 58 ‘Cancoillotte’ recipes, while 43 can be found on the Internet: www.cuisineaz.com/. ‘Cancoillotte’ is fêted with local or national competitions such as the general agricultural competition, where medals are awarded for two distinct categories, ‘Cancoillotte’nature so original, and flavoured ‘Cancoillotte’ (https://palmares.concours-general-gricole.fr/produits).

The product’s appealing and popular associations, plus the intrinsic musicality of its name, have proved irresistible to many of the region’s poets and singers. ‘Cancoillotte’ has even been sung about by an artist of international repute, H. F. Thieffaine (see the extract from a concert in 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1_uhIhhAMw).

‘Cancoillotte’ is traditionally eaten mainly in the north and centre eastern region of France, extending from Lorraine to Bresse, often as an accompaniment to other regional specialities such as the ‘Saucisse de Morteau’ (Morteau sausage) or the ‘Saucisse de Montbéliard’ (Montbéliard sausage).

Reference to publication of the product specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-Cancoillotte-211006.pdf

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