Publication of the amended single document following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

(2022/C 225/05)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

The application for approval of this minor amendment can be consulted in the Commission’s eAmbrosia database.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Mortadella Bologna’

EU No: PGI-IT-0325-AM02 - 17.11.2021

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

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

‘Mortadella Bologna’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.2: Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

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

When released for consumption, ‘Mortadella Bologna’ has the following organoleptic, chemical and chemico-physical characteristics:

Organoleptic characteristics:

External appearance: oval or cylindrical in shape;

Consistency: firm and not springy;

Appearance when cut: the cut surface must be smooth with a uniform bright pink colour. The slices must have pearly white shapes of adipose tissue (at least 15 % of total mass), possibly attached to muscle tissue. The squares must be well distributed and must stick fast to the rest. There must be no bulges of fat or gelatin and the greasy film must be minimal; Colour: uniform bright pink;

Aroma: characteristic aromatic fragrance;

Taste: characteristic delicate taste with no traces of smoke;

Chemical and chemico-physical characteristics:

— Total proteins: minimum 14,50 %;

— Collagen/protein ratio: maximum 0,18;

— Water/protein ratio: maximum 4,10;

— Fat/protein ratio: maximum 2,00;

— pH: minimum 6;

— Salt: maximum 2,8 %.

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

‘Mortadella Bologna’ consists of a mixture of pigmeat obtained from striated muscle from carcasses, reduced to fine pieces by a meat mincer, cubes of pig throat fat, salt, and pepper (whole, in pieces or in powder form), stuffed in natural or synthetic casings permeable to water vapour and cooked for an extended period in dry-air ovens. This process must ensure that the finished product loses at least 3 % of the weight of the sausage before cooking. The following may also be used: pig stomachs with mucus removed, hard pork fat, water in accordance with good industrial practice, natural flavourings (not more than 0,3 % of the total weight of the mixture), spices and herbs, pistachios, sugar up to a maximum of 0,5 %, sodium and/or potassium nitrite up to a maximum of 140 ppm, and ascorbic acid and its sodium salt. Smoke flavourings, polyphosphates, processing aids and any substance having an effect, even a secondary one, on the colour of the product are not permitted. Mechanically separated meat may not be used.

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

All stages in the production of Mortadella Bologna, from preparation of the mixture to the end of the cooling phase, must take place in the production area referred to in point 4 of this document.

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

‘Mortadella Bologna’ may be released for consumption unpackaged for slicing, vacuum packed or packed in a modified atmosphere, whole, in portions, or sliced. Packaging, slicing and portioning must be carried out, under the supervision of the control body, only in the production area referred to in point 4 of this document.

‘Mortadella Bologna’ is a very delicate product that is sensitive to external agents, particularly light and air. Preparing ‘Mortadella Bologna’ for slicing means the casing has to be removed; consequently, the whole product is directly exposed to air and light. Exposing the product to external agents, in uncontrolled conditions, causes oxidation, which irreversibly changes the organoleptic characteristics of the product, causing, in particular, the slices to darken and the smell and taste to deteriorate. For these reasons, it is essential for slicing to take place in the geographical production area, after the cooling phase has ended.

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

The name of the protected geographical indication ‘Mortadella Bologna’ may not be translated and must appear on the label in clear and indelible lettering, clearly distinguishable from any other wording, and followed immediately by the wording ‘Indicazione Geografica Protetta’ [Protected Geographical Indication] and/or the abbreviation ‘IGP’ [PGI], which must be translated into the language in which the product is marketed. It is forbidden to add any description that is not expressly provided for. However, the use of names, trade names and brand names is permitted, provided that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the purchaser.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area in which ‘Mortadella Bologna’ is prepared comprises the territory of the following regions or provinces: Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Province of Trento, Tuscany, Marche and Lazio.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Mortadella Bologna’ and its geographical area is based on the product’s excellent reputation and quality, which are factors resulting from the know-how and specific skills employed by the producers.

The link with the area of production is created by the technical skills of the sausage makers, who over time have shown themselves to be skilled craftspeople who have enabled the continuation of processing techniques that are perfectly attuned to the well-established tradition. Indeed, unlike ordinary mortadella, ‘Mortadella Bologna’ must be made following a much stricter procedure that corresponds to the method used for centuries in the defined geographical area. This procedure makes it possible to develop the product’s specific characteristics, notably its texture, colour and organoleptic properties.

The proper execution of certain stages of production, such as mincing, gives the product its typical firmness, which can be noted both from the compressed state of the product and during chewing. The technological constraints imposed at this stage also make it possible to develop, at the end of the production process, a particularly bright and homogeneous shade of pink.

Specialist publications also attest to and recognise the above. For example, the following passage: ‘Lean raw meat is cut into pieces of less than a millimetre in the meat mincer; if this stage is done incorrectly, it has a negative effect on the colour, lustre and consistency of the mortadella’ is taken from the book Mortadella che passione [A Passion for Mortadella] by C. Marconi and G. Roversi (CAIRO, Milan 2015), specifically the section on the Mortadella Bologna PGI production process in Chapter 2 ‘Come si fa la mortadella IGP’ [How Mortadella PGI is made], p. 65 et seq.

Moreover, the cooking process is another crucial factor in obtaining the top-quality finished product. It is a slow process, the duration varying according to the diameter of the sausage, which allows it to develop the colour and bouquet of aromas that set ‘Mortadella Bologna’ apart. The following extract attests to this: ‘Traditionally, the way mortadella is cooked is defined as“stufatura”, because it is cooked slowly and for a prolonged period at a low temperature. It is carried out in large dry-air (fan) ovens with forced convection. The organoleptic characteristics of the mortadella are therefore due to the fact that it is cooked slowly. Cooking takes many hours, both because of the large size of the mortadella sausages (up to 40 kg) and because of the type of heat transmission and the low temperature’. This extract is from the book Mortadella che passione by C. Marconi and G. Roversi (CAIRO, Milan 2015), specifically the section on the Mortadella Bologna PGI production process in Chapter 2 ‘Come si fa la mortadella IGP’, p. 68 et seq.

Mortadella Bologna is the most famous sausage in Bologna’s gastronomic tradition; it dates at least as far back as the 16th century. Evidence of this product can be found in numerous literary and historical testimonies of the various eras since the late Renaissance.

The local mortadella tradition has been preserved until recent times and has spread from the original production area to neighbouring areas as the trade of food products has spread.

In addition to the historical testimonies referred to above, there is no doubt that this product is part of the traditional gastronomic heritage of the Emilia region, and it features widely in local customs, which have since expanded to neighbouring areas.

In several areas, the term ‘Bologna’ on its own is commonly used to refer to ‘Mortadella Bologna’.

Finally, within the defined geographical area, the production of ‘Mortadella Bologna’ is evenly distributed between the regions of central/northern Italy, Emilia-Romagna, and the regions of central Italy.

Reference to publication of the product specification

The full text of the product specification is available on the following Internet: http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or alternatively:

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità’ (at the top right of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

(1) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.