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

(2021/C 39/10)

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

‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’

EU No: PGI-RO-02476 – 6.7.2018

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’

2. Member State or Third Country

Romania

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

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

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

‘Salata cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ is a white/yellowish-white cream based on sunflower oil and comprising min. 29 % roe, including at least 15 % whole grain salted pike roe and at most 14 % salted Danube Delta fish roe (from species of the Cyprinidae family: crucian, roach, rudd, unformed carp roe; and from species of the Percidae family: zander, perch), mixed with carbonated water and lemon juice.

The following raw materials and ingredients are required to make ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’.

Raw materials:

(1) salted pike roe (Esox lucius), at least 15 % in the finished product, making it the main ingredient;

(2) salted Danube Delta fish roe, maximum 14 %, to ensure optimal texture and viscosity.

Ingredients:

(1) Sunflower oil;

(2) Carbonated water;

(3) Lemon juice, obtained by squeezing and straining;

(4) Non-iodised rock salt, used for salting the raw materials.

Physico-chemical characteristics of ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’:

Feature UM Values Acidity (citric acid) % 1 max. Moisture content % 30 max. Fat content % minimum 63 Protein % minimum 6,2 Non-iodised rock salt (sodium chloride) % 5 max.

Organoleptic characteristics:

— Homogeneous appearance, viscous and firm, without oil separation, white/yellowish-white in colour, with a pattern of whole pike roe grains, golden yellow or reddish yellow in colour, with a diameter of approximately 2-2,5 mm, depending on the harvest season.

— The specific flavour of pike roe is highlighted by the flavour of Danube Delta fish roe, and is due to the salting and maturing process.

— The final product has a refined and pure aroma of salted and matured freshwater fish roe. This aroma intensifies when the roe grains burst, producing a gentle crunchy sensation on the tongue and in the mouth.

— Without foreign odours, with a distinct aroma of lemon juice.

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

The annual catch quota set for the geographical area (the Danube Delta) by the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration may lead to disruptions to the supply of pike roe. In such cases, the pike roe may also come from outside the geographical area.

Danube Delta fish roe is a raw material which comes exclusively from the geographical area (Danube Delta). It is harvested in the defined geographical area, from fish of the Cyprinidae family: crucian, roach, rudd, unformed carp roe; and of the Percidae family: zander, perch).

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

All the steps in the production of ‘Salata cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ take place in the identified geographical area. The steps are: processes and operations for obtaining the raw material: harvesting (when applicable), separating, salting and maturing the roe, measuring the right amount of raw materials and ingredients, and mixing.

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

—

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

The following information must be indicated on the label of ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’:

— name of the product – ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’, followed by the words ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ or ‘PGI’,

— name of the producer,

— name of the inspection and certification body.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area is Tulcea County, which includes the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. Tulcea County is located at the south-eastern tip of Romania, in the central-northern part of Dobrogea, at the mouth of the Danube, with access to the Black Sea in the East. It borders Moldova and Ukraine to the North, Galați County to the North-West, Brăila County to the West and Constanța County to the South. Tulcea County is located at 45°N and 29°E.

5. Link with the geographical area

The request to register ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ PGI is based on the product characteristics.

‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ has a specific flavour of fish roe rounded off and highlighted by the flavour of Danube Delta fish roe, and is due to the salting and maturing process.

‘Salata cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ has a refined and pure aroma, typical of such preparations of salted and matured freshwater fish roe. When the roe grains burst, they produce a gentle crunchy sensation on the tongue and in the mouth, and this aroma intensifies.

The consistency of the product is primarily determined by the Danube Delta fish roe, which is caught in the geographical area and serves to create a homogeneous texture for the pike roe.

A specific characteristic of the whole grain pike roe is the golden yellow or reddish yellow colour of the homogeneous mass.

The final product differs from other products of the same category in that Danube Delta fish roe is used instead of food additives (emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickening agents).

The product does not contain any chemical additives or preservatives (such as sorbic acid or sodium benzoate). It is the quality of the product that guarantees its shelf life. The only conservation methods used are: maintaining a high standard of hygiene and maintaining a refrigeration chain during the production process, transport and when the product is sold.

The difference between ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ and similar products of the same category is that this recipe is only made in the geographical area with high pike roe levels.

Another factor that sets ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ apart is the fact that it contains lemon juice obtained by pressing, squeezing and straining, while other products of the same category use synthetic products: citric acid and glucose.

‘Salata cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ is a product using mainly raw materials from the geographical area, and one of the raw materials (Danube Delta fish roe) comes exclusively from the geographical area, creating a close link to the natural environment of the geographical area.

The geographical area – the Danube Delta – is a natural environment rich in freshwater fishery resources, the largest delta in the EU, one of the largest compact freshwater drainage basins in the EU, and, last but not least, Romania’s biggest area of capture for pike and other freshwater fish.

According to the 2008 scientific publication ‘Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve’ by Petre Gâștescu and Romulus Știucă, the purity of surface waters in the Danube Delta is classified as class I according to environmental quality norms. The high quality of the water in the geographical area has a positive effect mainly on the organoleptic characteristics of the local fishery resources.

‘Salata cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ represents the local tradition of fish processing, which has evolved from harvesting and consumption of raw roe in the 19th century to processing it for modern cuisine in the 20th century.

A food industry based on fish processing has been operating in the geographical area for decades, resulting in local staff being educated and experienced in evaluating the specific characteristics of fish products.

As a result of this, the method of preparing the pike roe is specific to the defined geographical area.

The process uses methods established in the geographical area, such as separating the roe by means of a special implement, the priboi, and maturing it by seeding. The roe is separated off from membranes using a ‘priboi’, combined with a fishing net. The pike roe grains are separated from each other, giving a homogeneous mass of ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’

The method for separating the roe using a priboi has been documented by the Romanian scholar Grigore Antipa in his work ‘Studii asupra pescăriilor din România’ (Studies on fishing in Romania) (Bucharest, Romania, Imprimeria Statului, 1895, 80 pages).

the salting and maturing process gives ‘Salată cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ its specific flavour. During the salting and maturing processes, the flavour of the roe changes due to enzyme activity. Under mild heat treatment, this flavour (salty with a note of slight maturation) intensifies, and this intensified flavour is the final flavour of the ingredient.

The local staff are able to use their senses to appraise the type, colour, fragrance and flavour of pike roe or Danube Delta fish roe, and its level of maturation and viscosity, making it possible to obtain a quality product.

The local community specific to the geographical area in the 19th century was multi-ethnic (Romanians, Lipovans, Ukrainians, Greeks, Turks etc.) and comprised of native and immigrant ship owners, merchants, sailors, fishermen and, last but not least, fishmongers from various backgrounds. In this cultural melting pot, the locals adapted the recipe for roe spread (salată de icre) made with saltwater fish roe in order to use the resources available in the geographical area. They replaced the saltwater fish roe with freshwater fish roe, namely pike and Danube Delta fish roe, and perfected the recipe in its present form. ‘Salata cu icre de știucă de Tulcea’ is an indispensable feature on the menus of catering and agri-tourism establishments in the geographical area, especially in the Danube Delta.

All this helped to create an environment in which fishing traditions could develop to a great extent. There is therefore a causal link between the product characteristics and the natural and cultural conditions in the geographical area (Danube Delta).

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://www.madr.ro/docs/ind-alimentara/2018/caiet-sarcini-stiuca/Documentatie-salata-cu-icre-de-stiuca-de-Tulcea.pdf

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