EN Official Journal of the European Union C 109/27

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

2014/C 109/04

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)

‘ZÁZRIVSKÉ VOJKY’

EC No: SK-PGI-0005-01026-13.08.2012

PGI (X) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Zázrivské vojky’

Every producer demonstrates the use of the name ‘Zázrivské vojky’ when trading by marking the product as such when offered as part of a range and on the label.

2. Member State or Third Country

Slovakia

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.3. Cheeses

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

‘Zázrivské vojky’ are a steamed cheese product, smoked or unsmoked, in the form of strings which are 10-70 cm long and 2-16 mm thick. They are made using a traditional method, whereby fermented, partially ripened lump cheese is steamed in hot water and then pulled by hand, or with the aid of two rollers, into long strings which are known locally as vojky. The pulled and finished strings are presented in multiples, either loose or twisted, and sometimes bound in the middle by means of a string.

Their characteristic organoleptic properties are imparted by the fibrous structure of the strings which have been pulled from the steamed cheese. This structure is achieved by processing the steamed cheese by hand and from the characteristic shape of the strings (their length and thickness).

Smoked and unsmoked ‘Zázrivské vojky’ differ from each other mainly in terms of colour and aroma. Smoked ‘Zázrivské vojky’ are slightly yellow to golden yellow and have a characteristic smoky aroma and a slightly higher salt content. Unsmoked ‘Zázrivské vojky’ are white to creamy white, without a smoky aroma. The structure and consistency of the two varieties are identical.

‘Zázrivské vojky’ are sold in multipacks, wrapped in food-quality film, of various weights.

Properties:

Colour: white to slightly creamy white; yellowish or golden yellow in the case of smoked varieties.

Consistency: the strings are made up of separate strands with an elastic to firmer – though not hard – consistency, the elasticity decreasing as the cheese matures; the high tensile strength of the product is due to the fibrous structure imparted by the readily separating strands.

Smell and taste: milky, pleasantly cheesy, savoury, mildly acidulous and, in the case of smoked varieties, characteristically smoky.

Composition: Dry matter: not less than 40% by weight.

Fat in dry matter: not less than 25% by weight.

Salt: max. 5,5% by weight for unsmoked varieties and max. 6,0% by weight for smoked varieties.

Microbiological properties:

‘Zázrivské vojky’ are a steamed cheese product made from lump cheese principally containing thermoresistant lactic acid microflora of the genera Lactococcus, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

Steamed-cheese ‘Zázrivské vojky’ are made using lump cheese produced from raw cow’s milk or pasteurised cow’s milk with the addition of a lactic acid culture.

The quality of the milk is regularly checked and recorded on the premises of the lump cheese producers, the following parameters being monitored: inhibitory substances, temperature, acidity, fat, specific weight and non-fat dry matter.

The total number of micro-organisms and the number of somatic cells are determined by accredited laboratories.

The lump cheese contains at least 48% dry matter by weight, with at least 35% fat in dry matter by weight, and has a pH of 4,9–5,2. The exterior of the lump cheese is closed and smooth with an appropriate rind and a white to cream colour.

The quality of the product is not dependent on the origin of the lump cheese.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

There are no particular quality requirements or restrictions as regards origin.

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

The specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area:

— the cow’s milk cheese is prepared for steaming by being cut into strips, which are then further modified by grating;

— the modified cheese is steamed in hot water (water temperature 70-95°C) and processed mechanically until it forms a compact mass known as parenina;

— the parenina undergoes further manual processing until a pliable and formable consistency is obtained;

— the resulting cheese mass is immediately pulled by hand, or with the aid of two grooved rolling pins rotated against each other, to form long strings;

— the pulled strings drop straight into cold drinking water;

— the cooled cheese strings are wound manually onto a reel and then cut at one end and tied in the middle with a single strand of cheese string, known as a vokja (plural: vojky);

— the prepared strings are salted in a saturated salt solution to achieve the desired final salt content;

— after salting the cheese strings are hung up to remove excess water;

— smoked varieties of cheese strings are smoked by means of direct hardwood cold smoke in a traditional forced-air circulation smoking chamber until they take on a golden-yellow colour.

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

‘Zázrivské vojky’ are placed on the market in packages of various weights. The basic package weighs 100 g, but packages of 130, 150, 250, 500 and 1 000 g may be marketed. The cheese is packaged in food-quality film.

‘Zázrivské vojky’ must be packaged in the defined geographical area immediately following manufacture in order to preserve their specific shape and to safeguard the quality of the product.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

Producers making ‘Zázrivské vojky’ in accordance with this specification are allowed to use the name ‘Zázrivské vojky’ for the purposes of labelling, advertising and marketing.

Labels affixed to the product must state the following:

— the name ‘Zázrivské vojky’, prominently displayed,

— whether the cheese is smoked or unsmoked,

— the words ‘protected geographical indication’ or the abbreviation ‘PGI’ and the associated EC symbol.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Zázrivské vojky’ are produced in the municipality of Zázrivá. The geographical area is bordered by the municipality of Oravská Lesná to the north, the municipality of Terchová to the west, the municipality of Párnica to the south and the Paráč and Minčol mountain ridges to the east.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Zázrivá is a typical mountain region with suitable conditions for rearing and grazing sheep and cattle and processing their milk into cheese. The people of this area continue to exploit these special features of the mountain environment, as they have done ever since the area was first settled.

Oral tradition has it that domestic production of strings and other cheese products in Zázrivá dates back to the second half of the 19th century, as the production of steamed cheese products, including strings, for sale was the only source of income for local sheep and dairy cattle farmers at the time.

After the desired parameters are reached (acidity, suitability for steaming), the cow’s milk cheese is cut into strips, which are grated and steamed in hot water (water temperature 70– 95°C); the cheese is stirred using a wooden paddle or mechanical stirrer until it forms a compact elastic mass, known as parenina. The parenina is kneaded, i.e. mixed, folded and stretched, by hand until a pliable, smooth and formable consistency is obtained. The cheese mass is immediately pulled to form long strings which drop straight into cold drinking water. The cheese strings are left to cool in the cold drinking water so that they retain their shape (2-10 minutes); when cooled they are wound onto a reel. After being wound, they are cut at one end and tied in the middle with a single strand of cheese. The cut and tied strings are salted by dipping them in a saturated salt solution and may be smoked. In order to remove excess salty water, the cheese strings are hung on a wooden or rustproof pole, where the water drains off.

5.2. Specificity of the product

‘Zázrivské vojky’ are a product which is prepared by a traditional, almost exclusively manual, method comprising the steaming of lump cheese in hot water and the drawing of the cheese into strings (vojky). The cheese may be drawn with the aid of two grooved rolling pins rotated against each other, into which the cheese is inserted after processing by hand. The kneading and stretching involved in the manual processing of the steamed cheese give the strings their unique fibrous structure, which is what makes the product so special and unique.

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 application to register ‘Zázrivské vojky’ as a protected geographical indication is based on the specific structure and shape of the product, its reputation and tradition – on the traditional production method.

Human settlement in the Zázrivá area dates back to the days of the Wallachian colonisation, starting in the 16th century. The mountainous terrain, stony soils and a relatively high altitude and cold climate prevented the development of agriculture, and the area has therefore always had only a modest level of farming, sheep rearing and shepherding and, later, also cattle rearing, these being virtually the only source of income and subsistence (Čaplovičová, Z.: Zo zázrivského salašníctva, Sborník SNM, 56, 1962, pp. 118-129).

Records relating to the estates of deceased inhabitants of Zázrivá from the mid 18th century and throughout the 19th century provide plenty of information about the methods of farming in those days (ŠOBA Bytča, Prothocollum Cadmitatum Anni 1761, f. 91, No 38, estate of Georgius Dattek deceased, Zázrivá). This formed the basis for further development in the processing of cheese products as one type of domestic food production. Every household that kept even a small number of sheep and cows made their own cheese products, including cheese strings (vojky) and braided whips (korbáčiky): ‘... in the cheese-making kitchen there would be a wood-burning stove. Milk would be heated on it until it curdled, and the curds would be heated in hot water, stirred and steamed. After being heated by the water in the bowl, the steamed curds were pulled by hand into a string, which fell into cold water in a wash-basin placed on the floor. On an adjacent table there would be a wooden frame onto which the string was wound, and this would be hung on a rack in an adjacent ventilated room. The next day, they would take a pair of scissors from the table and cut through the lower parts of cheese string. The cheese strings thus formed dropped onto the table and were braided. They would be placed in a brine jelly prepared in a glazed wash-basin ...’ (Keresteš a kol.: Ovčiarstvo na Slovensku história a technológia, Eminent, Považská Bystrica 2008, pp. 388-389). They were sold by the producers themselves.

According to other historical records, traditional steamed cheeses were produced in several shapes in the village of Zázrivá in northern Slovakia. One of the products, as recorded in the municipal chronicles (Huba, P.: Zázrivá, Vydavateľstvo Osveta, n.p., Martin, for the Local National Committee in Zázrivá, 1988, p. 105), was made as follows: ‘… the cheese produced after the curdling of the milk was placed in vessels containing hot water and manually processed, i.e. stretched by hand. Lastly, the cheese was made into a thin string which was then pulled across into another vessel containing cold water and a jelly made from boiled water and salt). The cheese string (vojka) was wound onto a wooden reel before finally being cut up. The cheese produced in this way could then be consumed ...’).

In Etnografia Slovenska (Ethnologia Slavica, Tomus XVI 1984, Slovenské pedagogické nakladateľstvo Bratislava, 1986, pp. 64-65) it is noted that ‘...in the village of Zázrivá in northern Slovakia, a traditional steamed cheese shaped into small whips was produced.’

Besides producing cheese, this area also became a centre for buying and selling steamed cheeses. The archives contain records of several trading licences granted to steamed cheese traders.

To this day, steamed cheese sellers in Zázrivá continue to offer their products for sale at various fairs and on various occasions such as weddings, christenings and Christmas, Carnival and Easter festivities. The production of cheese in the form of vojky (strings) would increase during these festivities, attesting to their popularity amongst consumers. This is borne out by the producers’ production records.

Zázrivá still retains its agricultural character. The production of cheese strings also continues to this day, thanks to the skills, experience and knowledge passed down from previous generations. The production process and the specific shape and quality of the product have been maintained. According to an article on the iZURNAL website, ‘… Every woman in Zázrivá knows how to pull cheese. It is an art which is passed down from mother to daughter, as any housewife will tell you …’.

The reputation and tradition of ‘Zázrivské vojky’ are evidenced not only by the quality mark awarded by the Slovak Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, but also by the articles written about them in the press (for example, page 9 of the article entitled ‘Zázrivské dni 2008’ [Zázrivá festival 2008], in Noviny o dianí v Zázrivej [News about Zázrivá], Volume X, No 2/2008, Zázrivá Roman Catholic Parish).

The skill and ingenuity of the people of the region enabled them to endure its harsh conditions and gained them a reputation well beyond its borders.

‘Zázrivské vojky’ are a well-known traditional delicacy not just for Slovaks, but also for foreigners visiting Slovakia, who take packets of the speciality back with them as gifts.

Cheese strings have become a feature of important annual regional events, such as the Zázrivské dni fair, during which contests involving the pulling of ‘Zázrivské vojky’ and the braiding of ‘Zázrivské korbáčiky’ are held. The contests are popular, attracting both domestic producers and chance contestants.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

http://www.upv.sk/swift_data/source/pdf/specifikacie_op_oz/SP-Zazrivske%20vojky.pdf

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

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

(3) See footnote 2.