EN Official Journal of the European Union C 124/16

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2011/C 124/12

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘MONGETA DEL GANXET’

EC No: ES-PDO-005-0636-27.07.2007

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name:

‘Mongeta del Ganxet’

2. Member State:

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetable and cereals, fresh or processed

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in point 1 applies:

The PDO ‘Mongeta del Ganxet’ denotes the seeds of the indigenous ‘ganxet’ variety of Phaseolus vulgaris L., dried or cooked and preserved.

The beans covered by the PDO are in the ‘extra’ class for commercial purposes and have the following characteristics:

Appearance: the dried beans are white, slightly glossy, flattened and have a pronounced kidney shape (ganxet means little hook in Catalan), hooked to a degree of 2 to 3 on a scale of 0 to 3 for the whole of the species Phaseolus vulgaris L. Average weight: 100 beans weigh between 40 and 50 g.

Chemical properties of the dried bean:

(a) Moisture: less than 15 %

(b) Protein: 27 % or more — high proportion of protein

(c) Starch: not more than 25 % — low amylose content

(d) Fibre: 21 % or more.

Once they are cooked, either at home or by the processing companies, their organoleptic characteristics are as follows:

(a) slightly wrinkled skin which is barely noticeable (0 to 2 on a scale of 0 to 10)

(b) lingering high degree of creaminess

(c) mildly intense taste (3 on a scale of 0 to 10).

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

This PDO protects the plant’s seeds, dried or cooked and preserved. Preserves covered by the PDO may only contain beans from the PDO ganxet variety, water and salt. No types of additives or preservatives may be used.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

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

PDO ‘Mongeta del Ganxet’ beans must be grown within the defined geographical area.

Once they have been harvested by hand, the beans must be cleaned of impurities, treated against weevils and stored until they are packaged for sale as dried beans or cooked and preserved.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

The cooking and preserving must be carried out within the area so as to guarantee the final quality of the product. The beans must be directly cooked and preserved in the final containers. The product must be stored, packaged and/or cooked under cool, dry conditions in order to prevent alterations such as hardening or accelerated ageing.

The dry beans may be packaged in cloth, cloth/plastic (with a window) in packs holding a maximum of 15 kg, or plastic-covered trays with a maximum capacity of 1 kg. For sale to restaurants only, the product may be packaged in jute sacks with a maximum capacity of 25 kg.

For the preserved beans, containers holding a maximum of 1,5 kg (drained weight).

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The PDO name ‘Mongeta del Ganxet’ must be clearly printed on the packaging, together with the PDO and EU logos, and the other information generally required under the legislation in force.

Reproduction in black and white of the PDO logo:

Pantone colours of the PDO logo: two inks, black and green. The green is Pantone 383 with the following CMYK: 23 CYAN-0 MAGENTA-100 YELLOW-17 BLACK

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area where the PDO beans are produced and processed comprises all the municipalities of the districts of Vallès Occidental and Vallès Oriental, and the municipalities of Malgrat de Mar, Palafolls, Tordera, San Cebriá de Vallalta, Sant Iscle de Vallalta, Arenys de Munt, Dosrius, Argentona and Orrius in the district of El Maresme, and the municipalities of Blanes, Fogars de Tordera, Massanet de la Selva and Hostalric in the district of La Selva.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The geographical area comprises the Depresión del Vallés and valley and delta of the River Tordera. The boundaries of this gently rolling plain are the Serralada Prelitoral Catalana to the north-east, the Serralada Litoral Catalana to the north-east and the River Llobregat to the south. The depression is filled mainly with Miocene sediments, made up of red clays and sludges with arkosic sandstone and conglomerates of Quaternary alluvial and fluvial origin.

The beans are grown primarily in light clayey, light loamy, light sandy or loamy soils which are slightly alkaline and have a high Ca++ content (see point 5.3).

The area has a temperate, Mediterranean climate, and average annual rainfall is 500-700 l/m2, distributed irregularly over the year, with most in spring and autumn; there is less rain in the winter and the least rain in the summer.

Traditionally, the ganxet beans were grown alternately with winter cereals. Because the cereals had to be harvested first, the beans were sown in July, flowered at the end of August and the crop was ready at the end of September and October. At this time of year, when it is not so hot, the beans ripen more slowly and this helps to produce a barely noticeable skin and a creamier texture. The producers noticed this and today sowing takes place in mid-July whether or not the crop is grown in rotation with cereals.

The bean from which the Mongeta del Ganxet originated arrived in Catalonia from Central America in the 19th century. Over the years, the best quality plants that are adapted to the July-November growing cycle have been selected, owing to the work and expertise of the farmers. At the same time, techniques have been developed which allow the crop to be managed with minimum use of chemicals and maximum respect for the product. The preparation of the land, sowing, the density and orientation of the crop so as to allow maximum aeration, irrigation control, harvesting and post-harvest processing before the product reaches the consumer are all carried out according to the traditional methods, of which the local farmers are the guardians. The result is an indigenous variety of bean with specific organoleptic characteristics which has almost completely displaced the other types of bean that previously existed in the area. Today, Mongeta del Ganxet is one of the main ingredients in many traditional local dishes such as mongetes amb butifarra, empedrat de bacallà, truita de mongetes, mongetes amb cloïsses, etc., and it features on the menus of both traditional and high-class restaurants in the area and elsewhere in Catalonia.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

These beans have a barely noticeable skin and are very creamy.

This indigenous variety of bean has a high protein content (27 % or more) and low starch content (25 % or less), characteristics that are linked to the pronounced creaminess of the final product.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

The environmental factors that make this a top-quality product (extremely fine skin and very creamy texture) are:

— The climate, which is suitable for a July-November growing cycle, so the beans ripen when temperatures are moderate, which produces very creamy beans with a barely noticeable skin.

— The levels of Ca++ in the soil, which ensure that this variety does not disintegrate during cooking and has a skin that is barely noticeable when eaten.

Cultivation and selection of the beans in the defined geographical area over generations have produced a variety that is perfectly adapted to local conditions and of a quality that is acknowledged by gastronomic traditions.

Publication reference of the specification:

http://www.gencat.cat/dar/pliego-mongeta-ganxet

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