EN Official Journal of the European Union C 358/8

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

(2015/C 358/08)

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

‘POLJIČKI SOPARNIK’/‘POLJIČKI ZELJANIK’/‘POLJIČKI ULJENJAK’

EU No: HR-PGI-0005-01224-8.5.2014

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Names

‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’

2. Member State or Third Country

Croatia

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 2.3. Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker's wares

3.2. Description of product

‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ is a bakery product produced from finely ground wheat flour, chard, red onion, olive oil and blended oil (olive oil and sunflower oil in a ratio of 1:1), garlic, salt and water. The final product is a rolled-out dough in the shape of a round loaf that is filled with chard and red onion known as ‘kapula’ (a term that is used in common speech in the defined geographical area) and baked in a red hot, open hearth known as a ‘komin’ (a term that is used in common speech in the defined geographical area) in a bed of coals covered with ash.

It is round in shape and has a diameter of 90 cm to 110 cm. The surface is coated with olive oil and crushed or finely chopped garlic. After baking and coating, it is cut into pieces called ‘fete’ (sg. ‘feta’; a term that is used in common speech in the defined geographical area) that are shaped like a rhomboid and known as ‘pašajice’ (sg. ‘pašajica’; a term that is used in common speech in the defined geographical area).

Organoleptic characteristics:

Scent: the baked dough has the scent of wood burnt on an open fire and of garlic;

Taste: the product tastes of chard, olive oil and garlic;

Colour: light yellow to light green.

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

The raw materials for the production of ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ are finely ground wheat flour, chard, red onion, olive oil and blended oil (olive oil and sunflower oil in a ratio of 1:1), garlic, salt and water.

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

The process of producing ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’, from the preparation of the dough and the addition of the filling to baking, must be entirely carried out in the geographical area indicated in point 4.

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

The product ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ must be cut with a particularly rounded knife (the middle of the knife has a rounded blade) into pieces called ‘fete’ that are shaped like a rhomboid and known as ‘pašajice’.

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

When the baker's product ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ is placed on the market it must bear the common symbol ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’. All users of the indication which place products on the market that comply with the product specification are entitled to use the common symbol on equal terms.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of Poljica is delimited in the north-east by the river Cetina, in the west by the river Žrnovnica and in the south by the Adriatic Sea.

Poljica comprise Lower, Central and Upper Poljica. Lower Poljica comprise the localities of Podstrana, Jesenice and Zakučac. Central Poljica comprise Žrnovnica, Tugare, Dubrava, Gata, Čišla, Naklice, Zvečanje, Ostrvica, Kostanje, Podgrađe, Sitno Donje, Sitno Gornje, Srinjine and Seoca. Upper Poljica comprise Donji Dolac, Gornji Dolac, Srijane and Trnbusi.

5. Link with the geographical area

The protection of the product ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ is based on a long tradition of production, and its distinctive reputation has been maintained down to the present day. ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ is a baker's product served at ceremonies and feasts which comes from the area of the former Poljica Republic and whose production dates back to the period of the Turkish raids of the coastal strip and the Dalmatian Zagora (Z. Šimunović-Petrić, 1992, Ethnologica Dalmatica, pp. 95–99). It can be inferred from the stories passed down through the generations and from the old records available that ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ was a product intended for the poor.

The territory of Poljica is a markedly karstic area characterised by shallow soil, extreme heat and drought, insufficient precipitation and very little arable land, where the population has always produced agricultural products, especially cereals and vegetables, which used to be its staple foods.

The harsh conditions in the rocky area of Poljica, which meant that very few crops were grown there, and the poverty of the population led the women of Poljica known as ‘stopanjice’ (sg. ‘stopanjica’), with their inventiveness and skill, to start making ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ from the simple vegetable crops that were available to them (chard, red onions and garlic), olive oil and flour.

The whole process of preparing and producing ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ is the result of the local population's special skill and know-how in preparing and producing the product and of the tradition that has been passed down through the generations and nurtured in the defined geographical area.

All steps in the production of ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ are carried out only manually. The steps and particular skills described below, for which the locals' knowledge is critical, differ from the usual steps of preparation: the women fold back the upper and lower pieces of dough by hand and join them together so that the filling remains inside. Before the baking begins, the women must very carefully transfer ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ by hand from the wooden board called ‘sinija’ to the hearth known as ‘komin’, which requires a special skill. Since it is very thin, ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’, if transferred too hastily or without proper care, could become deformed, i.e. it would lose its distinctive shape.

The way in which ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ is prepared nowadays and its ingredients and the traditional utensils used to make it are the same as in former times, as described by Ivanišević in his 1906 book (F. Ivanišević, Poljica narodni život i običaji, 2006, reprint of the 1906 edition, pp. 72, 93–94).

Its reputation is partly based on the skill and know-how needed to cut ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ into the shape of ‘pašajice’ so as to produce ‘fete’ that distinguish the product when it is served. The specific way of cutting this product is handed down from one generation to the next, which protects the product from being forgotten, and is another factor that makes it recognisable.

The special reputation of the product's name and its long tradition of production are shown by the inclusion in 2007 of ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ on the List of protected intangible cultural treasures of the Republic of Croatia, which is kept by the Ministry of Culture, and by the fact that it is considered to be part of the Croatian cultural heritage (Decision of the Ministry of Culture, 2007).

‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ has gone from being a food for the poor to a product that is increasingly sought after by consumers, especially on important feast days, on Christmas Eve and in Lent when fasting foods are traditionally eaten (Poljica, List Poljičkog dekanata, 1975, pp. 41–43).

The name which is most frequently used on the market and in common speech nowadays is ‘Poljički soparnik’ and as such it is the most widely known name, but the names ‘Poljički zeljanik’ and ‘Poljički uljenjak’ are also used, mostly by the inhabitants of the Poljica area. The reputation that ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ still enjoys today is demonstrated by the fact that its name and preparation are mentioned in the specialist gastronomy review ‘Dobra hrana’, in which recipes for the preparation of traditional products are published (Dobra hrana review, supplement to the Jutarnji list newspaper, Issue 37, 2014).

The product ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ was also a subject covered by the popular television cooking programme ‘Tri, dva, jedan- kuhaj!’ (http://www.rtl.hr/archive/tri-dva-jedan-kuhaj/recepti/1155655/soparnik-prastaro-jelo-jos-iz-vremena-turaka/) on RTL, which is further evidence of the reputation that the product enjoys in the Republic of Croatia.

The specific reference to ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’ particularly came to the fore in the 1990s when cultural-artistic and trade events were organised in the territory of Poljica. One of these events is the Omiš summer festival, which is held every year under the title Culture and customs of Poljica ‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’, and at which this product is baked in the traditional way, with a special jury assessing its appearance and taste and awarding prizes to the best products (Ljetni festival XXIV Omiško ljeto, Kultura i običaji Poljica‘Poljički soparnik’/‘Poljički zeljanik’/‘Poljički uljenjak’, 2013).

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

http://www.mps.hr/UserDocsImages/HRANA/SOPARNIK/Izmijenjena%20Specifikacija%20proizvoda-soparnik.pdf

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