EN Official Journal of the European Union C 251/13

Publication of an application 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

2013/C 251/07

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).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘GOFIO CANARIO’

EC No: ES-PGI-0005-0942-24.01.2012

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Gofio Canario’

2. Member State or third country

Spain

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 the product to which the name in point 1 applies

‘Gofio Canario’ is the product made in the Canary Island archipelago by milling roasted grain, with or without the addition of sea salt. Sometimes Gofio may also contain pulses, which are processed in the same way as the cereals.

Physical and organoleptic characteristics

‘Gofio Canario’ is a powdered solid that resembles flour and the particle size is similar to that of wholemeal flours.

It has the following organoleptic characteristics:

— Visual: the colour ranges from ivory yellow, though honey-coloured, to dark reddish, depending on the degree of roasting and the raw material used.

— Smell: roasted, vegetal and nutty aromas with medium-high intensity, depending on the raw material used.

— Taste: smoothness, adhesiveness in the mouth and flavours that depend on the degree of roasting, such as mocha, coffee or freshly baked biscuits.

— Feel: distinct sensation of smoothness and adhesiveness, due to particle size.

Chemical characteristics

— Protein: minimum 7 %

— Minimum crude fibre: 1,5 %

— Carbohydrate: minimum 45 %

— Fat: maximum 5 %

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

— Cereals: wheat, maize, barley, rye, oats, rice

— Legumes: broad beans, chick peas, soya

— Sea salt

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

First stage: cleaning This involves cleaning the grains and/or pulses used as raw material, in order to remove small pieces of plant material, broken grains or other foreign matter. The cleaning is done mechanically, either using winnowing machines which may operate with a forced current of air, or using cernideras or zarandas (manual sieves).

Second stage: roasting and cooling Using roasting machines the raw material is heated without the temperature exceeding 200 °C. The roasted product is then left to cool down to ambient temperature in bags or cooling boxes. The cooling process may be accelerated using open conveyor belts or forced airing.

Third stage: milling Milling is a crucial step in the gofio production process. The roasted grain is taken to the milling area, where it is milled. The miller himself decides when milling should stop, by tactile examination of the product. When the product has the right combination of smoothness and adhesiveness, milling stops. Organoleptic checks are performed by the master miller before the product is packaged, and the results recorded.

Fourth stage: packaging The gofio thus obtained is kept in storage facilities until it is packaged, which is done automatically, semi-automatically or manually.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

Gofio, a dry, powdery solid with pronounced organoleptic characteristics, must be packaged as soon as possible after roasting and milling, so the final product must be packaged in the Canary Islands in order to safeguard quality.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The European Union PGI logo and the name ‘Gofio Canario’ must appear prominently on the label.

Gofio covered by the Protected Geographical Indication intended for consumption must bear a numbered secondary label. The numbering is authorised and checked by the inspection body. In all cases the label must be affixed prior to marketing and in such a way as to make reuse impossible.

The island and area of production and the origin of the raw material may be mentioned on the label.

If the gofio has been stone-ground, the words ‘artisanal’ or ‘stone-ground’ may appear on the label.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

PGI ‘Gofio Canario’ is produced in the Canary Islands archipelago.

The Canary Islands archipelago is situated in the temperate North Atlantic zone, between 27° 37′ and 29° 25′ north (subtropical location) and 13° 20′ and 18° 10′ west of Greenwich. The African coast is 100 km from the nearest island and 500 km from the island that is furthest away.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The grounds for this PGI application are the reputation of the name, which derives from the traditional production process and the skill of the master miller in determining when roasting and milling should stop. Gofio has been made like this in the Canary Islands since ancient times. The skill of the master miller is crucial in determining when roasting and milling should stop. This is a practice specific to the Canary Islands which has been handed down through the generations.

Whether the mill uses mill stones or metal cylinders to make ‘Gofio Canario’, there is always a master miller. The milling time is not programmed. Milling stops when the master miller, also known as the artisan miller, says it should. Modern technology has not altered the traditional role of the master miller, as it is he who knows exactly when milling should stop. It is still an artisanal process, as there is no industrial programming or fixed timing to determine when milling stops: it depends on what the master miller decides. He is the one who knows when milling should stop on the basis of organoleptic characteristics. The same applies to roasting. Each master miller adapts the roasting time and temperature to the type of grain and the quality characteristics of the batch, on the basis of the aroma he perceives and direct assessment of the product as it comes out of the roasting machine. These organoleptic characteristics are described in point 3.2 of this document.

The role of the master miller, whose skill in determining when each process should stop is handed down from father to son, is fundamental to the ‘Gofio Canario’ production process.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The following historical references attest to the fame and character of ‘Gofio Canario’:

— The first Europeans who arrived in the Canary Islands observed that the indigenous population prepared a product from barley and other grains which was lightly roasted and then ground in mills. The product was called ‘gofio’ by the indigenous inhabitants of Gran Canaria before the Spanish conquest, and the name is still used today (García Quesada, 1998).

— Especially worth noting is the article by Pérez Vidal (1955) giving ‘gofio’ as the best example of the fact that Latin American Spanish contains Canary Island loanwords: use of the word has spread throughout America to the extent that some Spanish dictionaries define it as an Americanism. The Canary Island origin of the word is, however, confirmed in La aportación de canarias a la población de América (José Pérez Vidal, 1955).

— Many official chroniclers of the time and many travellers have written about this singular Canary Island food, notably the historian Brother Abreu Galindo (1590-1602), who describes it in Historia de la Conquista de las Siete Islas Canarias, and Marín y Cubas (1694).

— ‘Gofio Canario’ is an original Canary Island product which was and still is the islands' most traditional food, as attested by countless documents and objects preserved to this day in science and ethnology museums, which show that gofio has been consumed on the islands since ancient times: it was eaten by the first inhabitants and is still eaten today.

— The methods for making gofio are still fundamentally the same as those used by the indigenous population; the islands were conquered by the Spaniards in the 15th century and the conquerors adopted gofio as a basic part of their diet.

— In his book Cinq années de séjour aux Iles Canaries (1891) René Verneau writes about the importance of this food for the indigenous population and for the islanders of the day.

The characteristics which determine the product's specificity are the organoleptic characteristics described in point 3.2, which derive from the preparation method.

The production methods, the techniques for controlling the machinery, the different degrees of roasting and the recipes for the mixes of the various grains/pulses have been passed down from one generation to the next. Many producers have developed recipes for the ‘best’ gofios, from an organoleptic standpoint, using old recipes with varying proportions of cereals and/or pulses which, according to oral tradition, enhanced the qualities of the product. Control of the roasting and milling process, so that the product has the visual, olfactory and tactile authenticity consumers expect, is performed by the master miller, who deploys the expertise handed down from father to son, as most of the mills existing today are family businesses.

Gofio's specific organoleptic characteristics are basically due to the light roasting and slow milling of the cereals and/or pulses, features of production which are without doubt linked to the geographical area.

All these distinguishing factors give ‘Gofio Canario’ physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics which clearly identify it and are appreciated by the consumer.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The conclusions of studies carried out to quantify the differences between gofios of various different origins are as follows:

— When samples produced in the Canary Islands are compared with samples produced elsewhere it is clear that there are significant olfactory-gustatory differences. Specifically, ‘Gofio Canario’ has a smell, roasted flavour and adhesiveness that is significantly different from that of gofio produced elsewhere. Adhesiveness is the best parameter for distinguishing texture.

— There is a clear correlation between the region of provenance and the colour, smell, degree of roasting, adhesiveness and overall quality.

It is the degree of roasting and adhesiveness that distinguish ‘Gofio Canario’ from gofio made elsewhere. These are the parameters that depend directly on the decisions taken by the master miller. The skill of the master millers of the Canary Islands is crucial in giving ‘Gofio Canario’ its organoleptic qualities, thus showing the causal link between the specific Canary Island production process and the specific characteristics of the product.

The distinctive characteristics of ‘Gofio Canario’ have given it a reputation and renown: the countless publications and recipes which use ‘Gofio Canario’ are yet further proof of the link between ‘Gofio Canario’ and the Canary Islands.

Publication reference of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/agricultura/icca/Doc/Productos_calidad/Pliego_de_condiciones_IGP_Gofio_Canario.pdf

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

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.