EN Official Journal of the European Union C 106/27

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 8(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed

2009/C 106/10

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 9 of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF A TSG

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 509/2006

‘SKILANDIS’

EC No: LT-TSG-007-0032-15.6.2005

1. Name and address of the applicant group:

Name of group/or organisation (if relevant) : Lietuvos mėsos perdirbėjų asociacija. Address : A. Vienuolio g. 8 LT-01104 Vilnius LIETUVA/LITHUANIA Tel. : +370 52126814 Fax : +370 52126814 E-mail : lmpa@takas.lt

2. Member State or third country:

Lithuania

3. Product specification:

3.1. Name(s) to be registered (Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

‘Skilandis’

3.2. Name:

is specific in itself  expresses the specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff

Reference material at the Lithuanian Folk Life Museum at Rumšiškės indicates that the word ‘skilandis’ is mentioned in written records from various places in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania dating from the 16th to 18th centuries. The name appears in Theodor Lepner’s Prūsų-lietuvių kalbų žodynas [Prussian-Lithuanian Dictionary] of 1680 and in Lithuanian-German dictionaries published by Philipp Ruhig in 1747, Christian Moeleke in 1800 and Friedrich Kurschat in 1883. It is used to denote the product throughout Lithuania. The product name is unique, has stood the test of time and is still used.

3.3. Whether reservation of the name is sought under Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006:

 registration with reservation of the name registration, without reservation of the name

3.4. Type of product [as in Annex II]:

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

3.5. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point 3.1. applies (Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

‘Skilandis’ is a smoked meat product in a natural casing, bound with string, with an uneven, rough surface, in the shape of a compressed tear or smallish courgette. It has a diameter of at least 80 mm, and its weight may vary. In bygone days, ‘skilandis’ was produced using a pig’s stomach for the casing but, since the early 20th century, pigs’ bladders or cows’ caecums have been used as casings. Home-made skilandis is usually made from pork only, whereas meat-processing firms use both pork and beef in its production.

An acidic, spicy, savoury, salty taste and the specific flavour and aroma that develop during maturing and drying are characteristic of ‘skilandis’, as is its colour in cross-section, which ranges from pinkish red to dark red and may be more intense closer to the edges. It has a discernible spicy and slightly smoky aroma. It has a rigid consistency. Pieces of fat no bigger than 20 mm are distributed unevenly in lean meat.

The physico-chemical characteristics of ‘skilandis’ are as follows:

— maximum moisture content: 40 %,

— minimum meat protein content, excluding collagen: 16 %,

— maximum common salt content: 5 %,

— maximum fat content: 35 %,

— pH: at least 5,0;

— product weight: 0,4-2,0 kg.

‘Skilandis’ may also be presented for sale in halves or sliced, vacuum-packed or in modified-atmosphere packaging.

3.6. Description of the production method of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point 3.1. applies (Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

Ingredients:

— lean pork, the visible intramuscular fat content of which does not exceed 5 %. The following parts of the carcass may be used: leg, shoulder without shank and loin. Lean pork makes up about half of ‘skilandis’;

— up to 60 % of the lean pork may be replaced by the same quantity of lean beef, the visible fat and fine vein content of which does not exceed 5 %. The following parts of the carcass may be used: inside cap off, outside meat, knuckle, striploin, eye of rump, cube roll, blade bolar, blade oyster and blade undercut;

— semi-fatty pork, the intermuscular and subcutaneous fat content of which does not exceed 30 %. The following parts of the carcass may be used: shoulder inside, shoulder lower half and neck;

— fatty pork without rind, the fat content of which does not exceed 55 %. Semi-fatty and fatty pork together make up about one quarter of ‘skilandis’;

— back fat without rind. Back fat makes up about one quarter of ‘skilandis’;

— common salt: 26–30 g to 1 kg of meat;

— spices, i.e. black pepper, white pepper and allspice: 2–3 g to 1 kg of meat. These are added ground or whole, as peppercorns;

— garlic: 2–3 g to 1 kg of meat;

— sugar: 2–5 g to 1 kg of meat;

— preservative E250 (sodium nitrite): 50–180 mg to 1 kg of meat;

— antioxidants E300 (ascorbic acid) and E301 (sodium ascorbate): 0,5–1 g to 1 kg of meat;

— caraway, ground bay leaf and ground nutmeg may also be added in a quantity of up to 2–3 g to 1 kg of meat.

Production method:

‘Skilandis’ is produced using a traditional method. It is recommended that the meat of adult animals be used.

Chilled pork is cut up into 10–30 mm pieces, manually or with the aid of special machines, and the fat is cut up into 5–20 mm pieces. Chilled beef is passed through a mincer fitted with a 2–5 mm hole disc.

The chopped and minced meat is mixed with common salt and sodium nitrite, sugar, spices and food additives in a blender or food mill. Mixing takes at least 10 minutes. The stuffing thus produced is allowed to stand for at least six hours at a temperature no higher than + 4 °C. Using stuffing machines, the meat is stuffed into natural pigs’ bladders or cows’ caecums, the diameter of which is greater than that of casings normally used for cold-smoked sausages. When stuffing the meat into a bladder or caecum, it is very important to prevent the inclusion of air. During the subsequent stage in the production process, the inner parts of the ‘skilandis’ undergo slow drying and intensive fermentation, and this is what determines the characteristic organoleptic properties of ‘skilandis’. The stuffing is fed slowly into the casing, and pressed into the bladder or caecum. Any air which has entered with the stuffing is removed by squeezing the casing. The casing has to be stuffed so tightly that no gap forms between the surface of the product and the casing owing to shrinkage of the stuffing during smoking and drying.

The stuffed bladder or caecum is bound with natural thick thread or string. The stuffed product is manually bound with string along its length, dividing the product into four parts. If stuffed into a caecum, the product is additionally bound crosswise every 4–5 cm.

The bound ‘skilandis’ is hung on frames in such a way that they do not touch each other and are matured at a temperature no higher than + 4 °C for at least three days. During this operation, the stuffing in the casing becomes more compact, the colour of the product stabilises and selective development of micro-organisms occurs, which helps to create the conditions that impart the product's specific taste and aroma.

After maturing, ‘skilandis’ is smoked at 18–30 °C in smoke obtained from burning sawdust from the wood of deciduous trees (alder, aspen, birch, beech, poplar, oak). Initial maturing and smoking may be carried out in climatic chambers and in dryers of various designs. ‘Skilandis’ is smoked discontinuously, with intervals, during which it is dried at a temperature of 18–28 °C. The length of the smoking process (including intervals) depends on the smoking equipment used and the size of the ‘skilandis’, and may be 2–15 days. The length of time for which ‘skilandis’ is smoked determines the intensity of its colour, and the product acquires a characteristic smoky smell by the end of the process.

Smoked ‘skilandis’ is dried at a temperature of 8–18 °C and a relative humidity of 90–75 %. The biochemical processes brought on by the development of micro-organisms and the action of tissue ferments continue during the drying process, as a result of which ‘skilandis’ acquires its characteristic taste and aroma. ‘Skilandis’ is dried for at least 30 days, until it attains the required moisture content and acquires its typical organoleptic characteristics.

‘Skilandis’ is left to hang indoors at a temperature of 0-15 °C.

3.7. Specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff (Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007)

The most important specific properties characteristic of ‘skilandis’ are:

Appearance — ‘skilandis’ is a smoked meat product in a natural pig’s bladder or cow’s caecum casing, bound with string, with an uneven, rough surface, in the shape of a compressed tear or a smallish courgette. It has a diameter of at least 80 mm and weighs 0,4-2 kg.

Appearance in cross-section — the colour of slices varies from pinkish red to dark red and may be more intense around the edges. Pieces of fat no bigger than 20 mm are distributed unevenly in lean meat. Inclusions of various spices may be visible.

Production method — pork and beef is coarsely chopped by hand or coarsely minced in a mincer, seasoned with traditional spices and stuffed into a natural pig’s bladder or cow’s caecum casing. After drying, ‘skilandis’ is smoked several times in smoke from the wood of deciduous trees, and after smoking, it is dried for at least 30 days.

Taste and smell — an acidic, spicy, savoury, salty taste and the specific flavour and aroma resulting from specific and exceptional fermentation processes that take place during maturing and drying are characteristic features of ‘skilandis’. It has a discernible spicy and slightly smoky aroma. The above mentioned fermentation processes essentially depend on the ingredients included in the recipe, which are very commonly found in the Lithuanian climate.

Consumption traditions — mainly served up during festivals, on special occasions, at gatherings and during busy periods in the farming calendar. It is sliced thinly and eaten with brown bread.

3.8. Traditional character of the agricultural product or foodstuff (Article 3(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

‘Skilandis’ is considered to be a national dish in Lithuania. In Lietuvos kulinarijos paveldas by B. Imbrasienė (publ. Baltos lankos, 2008), ‘skilandis’ is the first of several traditional meat products to be mentioned. Since days of old, it has been put aside in Lithuanian villages for busy period on farms in summer (haymaking, the rye harvest) and to offer to guests. In Būdas senovės lietuvių, kalnėnų ir žemaičių, published in 1845, the Lithuanian author Simonas Daukantas wrote that in bygone Lithuania ‘skilandis’ was a food that was offered to guests. ‘Skilandis’ is also mentioned in many other classics of 19th and 20th-century Lithuanian literature. A map in Lietuvių kalbos atlasas (Atlas of the Lithuanian Language) (Vilnius, 1977) showing the distribution of the word ‘skilandis’ reveals that the name of this foodstuff was known in all parts of Lithuania apart from the north-west.

In bygone days, ‘skilandis’ was produced using a pig’s stomach for the casing but, since the early 20th century, pigs’ bladders or cows’ caecums have been used as casings. Home-made ‘skilandis’ is usually made from pork only, whereas meat-processing firms use both pork and beef in its production.

The Lietuviška tarybinė enciklopedija (Soviet Lithuanian Encyclopaedia) (Vilnius, 1983) describes ‘skilandis’ as follows: ‘a raw or smoked sausage of coarsely chopped meat. It is made from semi-fatty pork (≈ 85 %) and beef (≈ 15 %). The meat is cut up into pieces measuring 2-3 cm by 1,5 cm. Salt is added (≈ 3,5 % of the meat mixture), saltpetre (sodium nitrate), sugar, black pepper, allspice and garlic. The stuffing is forced into a pig’s stomach or bladder or a cow’s rectum or caecum casing. It is normally smoked. It is produced in meat-processing plants or made in people’s homes.’

3.9. Minimum requirements and procedures to check the specific character (Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

The checks carried out cover:

— conformity of the raw materials to the requirements laid down;

— adherence to the correct order of the steps in the production process;

— compliance with production process parameters;

— product drying time;

— the organoleptic properties of the finished product (appearance, taste, aroma, colour, consistency);

— the physico-chemical indicators of the finished product (moisture content, protein content excluding collagen, common salt content, pH, fat content);

— storage of the final product. The ambient temperature and humidity are checked during storage.

The inspection authority will carry out the necessary checks, which are to be performed at least once a year. The inspection authority will review producers’ monitoring systems and critical control point checks and check producers’ documentation.

4. Authorities or bodies verifying compliance with the product specification:

4.1. Name and address:

Name : Lietuvos Respublikos valstybinė maisto ir veterinarijos tarnyba Address : Siesikų g. 19 LT-07170 Vilnius LIETUVA/LITHUANIA Tel. : +370 52404361 E-mail : vvt@vet.lt

Public Private

4.2. Specific tasks of the authority or body:

The inspection authority referred to under point 4.1 1is responsible for monitoring all the criteria set out in the specification.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.