EN Official Journal of the European Union C 110/7

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2009/C 110/07

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘BREMER KLABEN’

EC No: DE/PGI/005/0333/08.01.2004

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name : Bundesministerium der Justiz Address : 11015 Berlin DEUTSCHLAND Tel. : +49 302025-9333 Fax : +49 302025-8251 E-mail : —

2. Group:

Name : Bäckerinnung der Hansestadt Bremen Address : Georg-Wulf-Strasse 728199 Bremen DEUTSCHLAND Tel. : +49 421300500621 Fax : +49 421300500617 E-mail : kh@bremen-handwerk.de Composition : Producers/processors ( X ) other: ( )

3. Type of product:

Class 2,4: fine bakery ware

4. Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1. Name:

‘Bremer Klaben’

4.2. Description:

Bremer Klaben is a rich yeast cake which contains a lot of fruit. The high fruit and fat content of Bremer Klaben distinguishes it from ‘Stollen’, to which it is comparable. Bremer Klaben is a large cake, weighing one or more kilograms, and is characterised by its long, flat form and almost rectangular cross-section. The dough required for each cake mould weighs 5 or 6 kg depending on the size of the mould.

It is light brown in colour and the surface is shiny as it has an egg-white glaze. It is moist and slightly fatty in consistency.

Bremer Klaben is aromatic, fruity, spicy, sweet and full-bodied in taste; its special, unmistakable aroma is achieved by adding cardamom.

Composition:

— Although there are various Klaben recipes, a dough-to-fruit ratio of approximately 1:1 is common to all of them.

— The ingredients must include: flour, butter or margarine, yeast, sugar, sultanas, candied lemon peel, candied orange peel, almonds, vanilla, lemon zest and cardamom. Together, these make up about 95 % of the Klaben’s weight.

— The addition of rum and/or rose oil is permitted but may not exceed 5 % of the total weight.

4.3. Geographical area:

The City of Bremen and the surrounding area, as well as Bremerhaven and Verden.

The area surrounding the City of Bremen comprises:

— Osterholz rural district, excluding the Hambergen municipalities group;

— Ottersburg municipality, bordered to the south-east by the A 1;

— Oyten and Achim municipalities;

— the western part of the Thedinghausen municipalities group, including the member municipalities Riede, Thedinghausen and Emtinghausen;

— Weyhe and Stuhr municipalities;

— the town of Delmenhorst;

— Lemwerder and Berne municipalities;

— Ganderkeese municipality north of the A 28;

— the eastern part of Hude municipality around Hude itself;

— and Elsfleth municipality.

4.4. Proof of origin:

Bremer Klaben is produced in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions. The HACCP guidelines are applied. Compliance with the product specification is monitored by the Senator for Labour, Women's Affairs, Health, Youth and Social Affairs in Bremen (Federal Republic of Germany).

Traceability is ensured by putting the name of the manufacturer on the packaging. Production is limited to the geographical area specified for the production of Bremer Klaben.

All producers of Bremer Klaben must be included in a register of producers kept by the Bremen Bakers′ Guild.

4.5. Method of production:

The first step is to make a leaven (yeast dough), which takes a precise period of time to rise. The dough itself then has to be kneaded with particular care because of the many substances it contains; after leaving the dough to stand, the fruit mixture is added.

Rolling out and finishing require particular skill to ensure that the numerous ingredients hold together.

Shortly before baking, the surface is treated with flour and water to produce a continuous film-like base for the glaze from the egg coating after baking.

The moist nature of Bremer Klaben is determined by the oven temperature and baking time. The temperature must be decreased, e.g. from 220° Celsius at the beginning to around 170° Celsius at the end. Baking time is around 55-65 minutes, depending on the size. The core temperature is crucial. It should be approx. 92-94° Celsius. After baking, the moulds are emptied immediately to allow the cakes to subside and cool down slowly and gently.

4.6. Link:

The connection between Bremer Klaben and this geographical area stems first and foremost from the product’s reputation, with long-standing traditions in both the manufacture of Klaben in Bremen and its surroundings, and in the specialist knowledge of the people who make it. This knowledge consists in particular of the craft skills required to produce the dough, which is very rich in fruit, and for rolling out and finishing the dough as well as the experience required to ensure that the different oven temperatures and the baking time are correctly maintained.

Bremer Klaben is a bakery speciality with a long tradition in Bremen and the surrounding area, where it is very popular, particularly at Christmas time.

Bremer Klaben is closely linked to the history of the Hanseatic City of Bremen and of trade in colonial goods, because not until the foreign raw materials arrived at the port did this speciality become possible.

Sailors liked to take Bremer Klaben with them on voyages because it kept for a long time.

A Bremen Council document dating back to 1593 contains the first reference to the Klaben baker’s trade. In 1637 the Klaben and cake bakers combined to form their own guild.

In Bremen and the surrounding area, Bremer Klaben remains to this day part and parcel of Christmas baking, and nowadays some firms even bake it all year round.

The ‘Klaben season’ in Bremen traditionally begins with a ceremony on the City’s market square during which the mayor officially cuts the first slice.

This Bremen speciality was already held in high regard at the end of the 17th century, as evidenced by the fact that roughly one third of white bread varieties were baked from Klaben dough at that time in Bremen.

To this day, Christmas without Klaben is totally unimaginable for the people of Bremen. Bremer Klaben is, however, also exported as a regional speciality and enjoyed by many people all over the world.

4.7. Inspection bodies:

Name : Senator for Labour, Women’s Affairs, Health, Youth and Social Affairs Address : Contrescarpe 72 28195 Bremen DEUTSCHLAND Tel. : +49 421361-10952 Fax : +49 421361-12567 E-mail : office@arbeit.bremen.de

4.8. Labelling:

Protected geographical indication (PGI)

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.