EN Official Journal of the European Union C 162/28

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

(2018/C 162/07)

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

‘SCRUMBIE DE DUNĂRE AFUMATĂ’

EU No: PGI-RO-02234 — 26.10.2016

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Name(s)

‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ (RO)

2. Member State or Third Country

Romania

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Product type

Class 1.7. Fresh fish, molluscs and crustaceans and products derived therefrom

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

‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ is smoked Pontic shad from the Danube Delta. This fish belongs to the Clupeidae family — species: Alosa pontica (Eichwald); subspecies: Alosa pontica var. Danubii. Weighing a minimum of 250 grams and a maximum of 400 grams and with a length of between 25 and 30 cm, it is processed whole and is salted and cold-smoked using an ancient method specific to the defined geographical area. The smoked fish has a metallic golden colour due to the smoking process that is evenly spread across its whole surface, and a succulent texture and a lightly-salted, smoked-fish taste with an oily consistency.

Physical and chemical characteristics

Total fat: minimum 11 %.

Organoleptic characteristics:

Appearance : The external appearance is that of a smoked fish, whole, scaled and gutted, with clean and dry skin, with no traces of salt. The fish is smooth, without cracks in the skin. External colour : Gold with a uniform, metallic sheen. Colour when cut : White — yellowish — pinkish Taste and aroma : A consistent, lightly-salted, smoked-fish taste. Due to the processing method it first tastes sweet, followed by hints of salt and light acidity. Consistency : Dense, elastic, creamy. Texture : Succulent.

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

Raw materials

The Pontic shad is a wild fish that inhabits the Black Sea and migrates into the Danube to spawn. It does not feed during the entire round trip. The species cannot be reared in aquaculture facilities and the fish are caught only during their Danube migration. The Pontic shad reaches maturity and can be eaten at the age of 2 to 3 years, having a body length of 25-30 cm. ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ is produced exclusively from Pontic shad (Alosa pontica var. Danubii).

The shad used as raw material for ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ is caught, using a traditional method, only in the Danube, from its mouths (20 m isobath) to the meander known as Cotul Pisicii (nautical mile 75-75). Examinations of Pontic shad caught beyond that limit have shown not only a decrease in fat content that is detrimental to taste but also an intense parasitisation of the fish. Immediately after being caught, the shad is placed in tanks chilled with flaked ice.

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

All the steps in the ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ production process take place within the defined geographical area. The production process for ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ comprises the following specific steps: catching, receipt of raw materials, ingredients and processing aids; freezing and storage (initial processing), thawing, descaling, gutting, draining the blood, salting, de-salting, draining the fish, smoking (drying, smoking, cooling and maturation).

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

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

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4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area comprises two administrative areas:

The first administrative area is the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, which runs from the Cotul Pisicii meander (in Grindu, Tulcea county) to the 20 m isobath of the Danube's mouths, only along the three distributaries of the Danube and that section of the Danube proper.

The second area is the municipality of Frecăței (Cataloi village), and is a continuation of the first area.

The two administrative areas form a contiguous whole within Tulcea county.

5. Link with the geographical area

The characteristics of ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ are linked to the geographical area of production both through the specific method used in the area and through reputation.

In climate terms the Danube Delta is different from the rest of Romania, having a temperate continental arid climate with influences from the Mediterranean and Black Seas in line with its geographical position (45° North), low altitude (0 – 12 m), large area of water and marsh vegetation, natural levees and spits, and broad opening towards the Black Sea basin.

The Pontic shad found in the Danube inhabits the western part of the Black Sea and is more a fish of the coastal region. The shad linger off the Danube's mouths, to become accustomed to the fresh water and wait till the river reaches the right temperature for them. They start to enter the Danube around the beginning of March but are sensitive to the cold, retreating into the sea if the cold weather lasts a few days longer.

After feeding in the mouths of the Danube they generally darken in colour and their dorsal fins increase in size. They feed on organic material from the river, fatten and accumulate large fat deposits (shad being the world's fattiest fish of their size), which give the finished product its unique taste.

The adults' feed consists of 70-75 % of fish from the Black Sea (Engraulis, Clupeonella, Sprattus) and the Danube Mouths (Cyprinidae), the rest being crustaceans (Crangon, Upogebia, Idotheia) and other organisms according to their abundance and accessibility.

The salting and cold-smoking methods for preserving fish in the Danube Delta area can be applied thanks to the skills and experience of the locals being passed on from one generation to the next, as Grigore Antipa noted in 1916.

In the instructions for the cold-smoking procedure drawn up in 1942 by the Romanian Fisheries Research Institute, the Pontic shad caught in the Danube was held up as a particularly suitable and illustrative species.

Salting is done manually, sprinkling the fish with rock salt so that some of it is absorbed. The salting process takes place in premises with a temperature of approximately +40 °C, over a maximum period of five days.

‘Scrumbie de Dunăre’ is salted in containers in quantities that vary according to the amount acquired in one day; different batches of fish are not mixed. A thin layer of salt is applied on the bottom of a tank, then the fish are placed on top side by side, dorsal fin pointing down, and heads pointing in the same direction. Salt is added to fill the gaps between the fish and form a new thin layer of salt. Layers of fish and salt are alternated until the tank is full, and a thick layer of salt added at the top. The next day the brine that has formed is topped up with fresh brine and a weighted grid is placed on top of the salt and fish to ensure that the fish are fully immersed in the brine.

After salting, the fish are removed and drained.

The fish undergo an organoleptic test and if there is a lightly perceptible salt taste, the fish are ready for the smoking stage.

Where required, the over-salted ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre’ are de-salted in containers with copious amounts of iced water for 3 to 16 hours. During this time the water is changed, in line with organoleptic testing.

Salting and de-salting can only be carried out by locals who are familiar with these traditional processes, which have been handed down from generation to generation. De-salting is carried out only when needed.

After being drained, the fish are hooked on a spike through the eye and hung on rods. A gap of 15 cm is kept between fish to allow the smoke to circulate. The first and following rows are interleaved so as to always leave space between the fish.

Although smoking is a common process, cold smoking has been traditionally used for the production of ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’. This process is specific to the geographical area because the Pontic shad is a very fatty fish, and cold smoking retains a large amount of the fat in the fish. Smoking lasts a minimum of 9 hours at a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius so as not to lose the fat and to preserve the nutritional and sensory qualities of the fish.

Cold smoking comprises four steps: drying, smoking, cooling and maturation.

Drying takes place in an open shed or drying room with air flowing through (at night because it is colder) for 6 to 10 hours, until the skin dries and becomes shiny.

The fish are checked to see if they have dried sufficiently (firm consistency, no liquid comes out when pressed, which means they have lost sufficient water; the tails should be firm). If these criteria are met, the fish are taken for smoking. If not, the drying process continues.

Dried hardwood sawdust is used for smoking.

The rods hung with fish are placed in the smoke-house. The smoke is produced by smouldering the dried hardwood sawdust. The temperature is verified by thermometer and is reduced when it exceeds +35 °C. The duration of smoking depends on the temperature and humidity of the environment and can take from 2 to 48 hours. Smoking is considered to have been completed when the skin of the fish has a golden colour and the required organoleptic characteristics have been achieved.

After smoking is completed, the rods of smoked fish are removed from the smoke-house and placed on carts to cool.

The maturation of the fish is achieved by means of cold storage, including air currents, until a certain ‘elasticity’ is achieved.

The successful completion of these steps depends on the art of knowing the organoleptic characteristics of ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre’ after each stage. These characteristics are not determined in the laboratory (e.g. the smoking process is stopped when the fish becomes golden), but are achieved thanks to the know-how passed down from generation to generation.

The defined geographical area benefits from the fact that fish suitable for smoking can be sourced there. For smoking to be carried out successfully numerous variables connected with the physical and chemical characteristics of the fish, the time of the catch, and the fishing method and tackle have to be taken into account.

Fish smokers in the defined geographical area can draw on generations of expertise that enables them to produce a consistently high-quality product by touch and sight alone.

Pontic shad caught in the Danube outside the defined geographical area cannot be used to produce ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ as the fat content decreases with the effort expended by the fish to swim upstream, and after reproduction most of the adults die of exhaustion while those which survive have organoleptic qualities far inferior to those of fish caught in the defined area.

Fishing is the main and oldest occupation of locals in the Danube Delta region. Fish is an important source of food and the processing thereof is a source of additional income that helps people make a living.

This activity is thus deeply rooted in the culture of the Danube Delta and, being such a characteristic feature of the region, makes a lasting impression on many tourists from around the world.

The reputation of ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ and the development of its production can be attributed to the fact that it is an old regional product recognised throughout Romania. The recipe for this product stems from local expertise which is handed down from one generation to the next and is closely linked to the defined geographical area.

The quality characteristics mentioned, together with the longstanding reputation of ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ in the cuisine of the defined geographical area, mean that it is a speciality prized by consumers and has a reputation closely associated with the region. More than 100 years of production and marketing in the geographical area have contributed to the reputation of the product.

The reputation of ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ produced in the geographical area was described by the scientist Grigore Antipa, who in his 1916 work entitled ‘Fishery and Fishing in Romania’ (in: Romanian Academy, ‘Publicațiunile Fondului Vasile Adamachi’ Vol XIII, No XLVI) wrote: ‘[…] In recent times, the development of the fish-preserving industry in Romania has shown consistent growth. Alongside the fisherfolk engaged in the large-scale production of salted fish (Romania's most primitive and most common form of preserved fish), offering barrels of shad, cod and sterlet, smoked mullet, etc., the region has for some time now been witnessing the emergence of fish-preserving factories and workshops close to market places. On the one hand there are smoke-houses producing smoked cod, “Scrumbie de Dunăre” and all kinds of smoked sea fish …’.

In the same geographical area, in 1919, letters from the Tulcea County Prefecture on exchanging fish for cereals mention the marketing of ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ in Ministerial Decision No 740 of 20 May 1919 and a ‘Table of maximum prices for fresh, salted and smoked fish’.

In the instructions for the cold-smoking procedure drawn up in 1942 by the Romanian Fisheries Research Institute, the Pontic shad caught in the Danube was held up as a particularly suitable and illustrative species.

‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ continued to be produced and sold in the geographical area in the subsequent years, during Romania's socioeconomic development, and was mentioned in various production documents. In 1958 ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ was sold all over Romania according to the summary table of development plans issued by the Tulcea Fish Industrialization and Development Undertaking (IIDP). In 1965 production continued and was mentioned in the IIDP's Production Plan, Inventory No 69, Tulcea National Archives. The tradition of producing ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ in the geographical area was continued from 2011 onwards by the members of the RO-Pescador Association, the only producers in the geographical area.

Various articles have been published concerning ‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’, including one by Angelika Sontheimer entitled ‘Regionale Produkte auch in Rumanien zunehmend beliebt — Geraucherter Hering aus dem Donaudelta’ [Regional products are also becoming popular in Romania — smoked herring from the Danube Delta] in LZ Rheinland' No 34/2017 (Landwirtschaftliche Zeitschrift Rheinland), a German magazine about the rural and urban environment along the Rhine (link: https://www.lz-rheinland.de/), an article entitled ‘Geraucherter Hering aus dem Donaudelta’ in the online publication ‘BWagrar’ No 43/2017 (Baden-Württemberg Agrar), published by the Federal Association of Farmers of Baden-Württemberg (link: https://www.bwagrar.de/), and a report called ‘Pe urmele scrumbiei de Dunăre’ [On the trail of the Danube Shad] in National Geographic Traveler, edited by Domnica Macri and illustrated by the art photographer Ionut Macri, Vol 37, Summer 2017.

‘Scrumbie de Dunăre afumată’ is appreciated at specialised national and international trade fairs, where its presence promotes the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve: Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global (Brussels, Belgium); Donaufest Ulm/Neu-Ulm (Germany); Polfish — International Fair of Seafood Processing and Products (Gdańsk, Poland): INDAGRA (Bucharest); FAO World Food Day (Bucharest — Casa Poporului); Rural Fest (Bucharest); the Danube Delta Fish Market Festival (Tulcea); Danube Delta Gastronomic and Ethnocultural Festival (Tulcea).

Reference to publication of the specification

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

http://www.madr.ro/docs/ind-alimentara/documentatie-2016/Documentatie-caiet-de-sarcini-Scrumbie-afumata-de-Dunare-IGP.pdf

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