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

(2019/C 431/16)

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

‘PODPIWEK KUJAWSKI’

EU No: PGI-PL-02212 – 19.7.2017

PDO () PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Podpiwek kujawski’

2. Member State or Third Country

Poland

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.8. other products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (spices etc.)

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

‘Podpiwek kujawski’ is a dark brown, carbonated, fermented, sweetened, non-alcoholic roasted grain beverage, the main ingredients of which are: roasted barley grains, roasted ground chicory root and aromatic hops. ‘Podpiwek kujawski’ is placed on the market in two forms: as a ready-made carbonated drink and as a dry mixture that can be made into a drink at home.

‘Podpiwek kujawski’ does not contain chemical preservatives, flavouring agents (natural flavourings, nature identical flavourings, synthetic flavourings) or colours (natural colours, nature identical colours).

Physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the ready-made drink:

— dry matter content – from 8 to 12 % (m/m) (acceptable deviation ±1,0),

— sugar content – not more than 50 g/l,

— ethyl alcohol content – 0,5 % (acceptable deviation from -0,1 to +0,5)

— taste – the roasted grain drink has a refreshing, distinctive, yeasty taste. It is slightly sweet with a hint of bitterness and slightly tart,

— dark brown in colour.

The raw materials of the ready-made drink are: dry mixture, water, yeast, sugar and antioxidant: ascorbic acid. Acid content in g/unit of dry matter – not less than 0,015.

‘Podpiwek kujawski’ – dry mixture:

— roasted barley grains – 89,92 % of the mixture (acceptable deviation ± 2 %),

— roasted ground chicory root – 9,93 % of the mixture (acceptable deviation ± 2 %),

— citric acid 0,15 % (acceptable deviation ±0,05 %).

The packaging also includes dried aromatic hop pellets (packed separately) – 5 % of the weight of the mixture.

The ready-to-drink mixture, according to the recipe on the packaging, is mixed with water, sugar and yeast. The proportion of additives for 200 g of mixture is respectively: 10 l of water, 500 g of sugar, 5 g of fresh baker’s yeast or brewer’s yeast (dry yeast in appropriate proportions is also acceptable).

Physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the dry mixture:

— water content – not more than 12 %,

— loose consistency, fine-grained, lumps which disintegrate under finger pressure permissible. Fineness may range from small (passes through a sieve with a 1,5 mm square mesh) to large (whole roasted barley grain, roasted chicory meal or flakes 3-5 mm),

— brown to dark brown in colour, lighter or darker particles acceptable,

— somewhat bitter taste with the characteristic taste of roasted-grain beverages.

An acidity regulator (citric acid) or an antioxidant (ascorbic acid) may be added to ‘podpiwek kujawski’ (dry mixture and ready-made drink).

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

—

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

Dry mixture – the following steps in production must take place in the identified geographical area:

— roasting of the barley grains and ground chicory root,

— preparation of the dry mixture in accordance with the proportions set out under 3.2.

Ready-made drink – the following steps in production must take place in the identified geographical area:

— roasting of the barley grains and ground chicory root,

— preparation of the dry mixture in accordance with the proportions set out under 3.2,

— boiling of the grain mixture and addition of the roasted chicory root (wort),

— addition and boiling of the aromatic hop pellets,

— addition of the sugar,

— cooling,

— straining,

— addition of the yeast and fermentation,

— bottling,

— pasteurisation or another method of making the yeast inactive.

Fermentation takes place in the bottle and is terminated by pasteurisation or another method of making the yeast inactive, which keeps the alcohol level low.

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

The ‘podpiwek kujawski’ ready-made drink is placed on the market in dark glass bottles.

The ‘podpiwek kujawski’ dry mixture is placed on the market in packets.

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

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, as defined by its administrative boundaries.

5. Link with the geographical area

‘Podpiwek kujawski’ derives its specificity from the product’s particular qualities and reputation, which are attributable to its geographical origin.

Favourable soil and climatic conditions for growing barley and chicory have meant that these raw materials are available in abundance in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province. The unique method of producing the beverage, using roasted barley and chicory root, has developed in this area as a result of the wide availability of the raw materials employed to make ‘podpiwek kujawski’ and the human skills of the local producers. It is in this area – thanks to the knowledge and skills of the local producers – that it was possible to determine the right proportions of ingredients, the extent to which the barley and chicory root should be roasted, and the appropriate conditions in terms of fermentation temperature and duration, all of which guarantee the high quality and specific characteristics of ‘podpiwek kujawski’.

5.1. Dry mixture

The history of the production of ‘podpiwek kujawski’ dates back to 1816 when the Bohm brothers opened a factory in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province. It was at this factory that the barley and chicory mixture with the addition of hops (dry mixture) was created, along with the recipe that consumers used at home to make the refreshing drink, which has become a permanent fixture in the region’s history. The ready-made drink obtained from the producer’s recipe was not a standard ‘podpiwek’ (watery beer) in terms of the brewed raw materials (barley malt), but rather a roasted barley grain drink to which roasted ground chicory root and hops were added.

The dry mixture used to make the refreshing drink at home was sold under the name ‘podpiwek’. This dark brown beverage enjoyed widespread popularity before the Second World War, as demonstrated by the dishonest practices of competitors, who forged the original packaging of the dry mixture and the recipe for producing this drink. In 1938, because of imitation by the competition, the chicory factory Zjednoczone Fabryki Cykorii Ferd. Bohm and Co i Gleba S.A. in Włocławek applied for and obtained a patent for ‘podpiwek’. The name ‘podpiwek’ could be used only for the dry mixture described under point 3.2. The patent was renewed for the last time in 1969. The next company that had the rights to the recipe did not renew the patent for the name ‘podpiwek’ but added ‘kujawski’.

5.2. Ready-made drink

The emergence of ‘podpiwek kujawski’ as a ready-made drink is inextricably linked with the history of the dry mixture used to make it and the ability of producers to carry out fermentation. The first tests on the fermentation of the drink that would later become known as ‘podpiwek kujawski’ were recorded by the chicory factory in Włocławek in 1938. Initially the beverage was to be ready three days after its preparation. As the product turned out to be most popular during harvest time, when temperatures in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province were at their highest, the recipe was modified and consumers were advised to keep the drink in a warm place for one day and in a cooler place for another two days. It was ready for consumption on the fourth day.

A standard ‘podpiwek’ is a type of drink that is a by-product of beer made from barley malt (malt drink), sweetened and artificially enriched with carbon dioxide. In contrast to other beverages named ‘podpiwek’, ‘podpiwek kujawski’ is the only fermented beverage based on roasted grains. Other beverages named ‘podpiwek’ fall into two categories: carbonated sweetened drinks and malt drinks. ‘Podpiwek kujawski’ is produced by alcoholic fermentation, as a result of which it has around a third of the sugar of carbonated drinks of this name. In the final fermented beverage, no more than 50 g of sugar per litre remain. This is less than in a carbonated sweetened drink, which contains on average 100 g/l. When ‘podpiwek kujawski’ ferments, the yeast converts sugar to alcohol while producing gas, so, unlike other carbonated drinks with the name ‘podpiwek’, ‘podpiwek kujawski’ is not artificially enriched with carbon dioxide. Other differences are the lack of chemical preservatives to extend shelf life and the lack of flavouring and colouring agents, which are not added due to the intense flavour, colour and taste obtained by the traditional production method.

The reputation that ‘podpiwek kujawski’ currently enjoys among consumers is confirmed by its presence at national trade fairs and local events promoting traditional and regional products, and by the prizes and awards it has won in national competitions. For example, in 2009 ‘podpiwek kujawski’ was awarded first prize in the ‘Nasze Kulinarne Dziedzictwo – Smaki Regionów’ (Our Culinary Heritage – Tastes of the Regions) competition organised regularly by the Polish Chamber for Regional and Local Products to promote traditional products made in a given region. The particular qualities of ‘podpiwek kujawski’ were also recognised in 2011 by the organisation Slow Food Polska, which gave the drink its recommendation. Numerous articles in the local press and on the internet, as well as prizes, attest to the reputation of ‘podpiwek kujawski’. Most of the press articles on ‘podpiwek kujawski’ were published when culinary competitions began to be organised to promote traditional, local foods. Also in 2011, ‘podpiwek kujawski’ won prizes in three categories (first prize in the drinks category, first prize in the artists and journalists category and the Festival Grand Prize) at Poland’s largest festival, the Flavour Festival in Gruczno. In the same year, at the international Polagra Food Trade Fair in Poznań, ‘podpiwek kujawski’ received the highest accolade given to traditional products – the ‘Perła’ prize. It was during this time that ‘podpiwek kujawski’ was most visible in the press, on culinary blogs and websites, and on the radio and television. Information about this beverage often appears in press articles describing typical foods of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, which proves its importance and shows that it is held in high regard by the local population.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

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

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