EN Official Journal of the European Union C 109/6

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 109/03

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 from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘HOLSTEINER KATENSCHINKEN’/‘HOLSTEINER SCHINKEN’/‘HOLSTEINER KATENRAUCHSCHINKEN’/‘HOLSTEINER KNOCHENSCHINKEN’

EC No: DE-PGI-0005-0713-14.07.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’/‘Holsteiner Schinken’/‘Holsteiner Katenrauchschinken’/‘Holsteiner Knochenschinken’

2. Member State or third country:

Germany

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.2: Meat products

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

‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’/‘Holsteiner Schinken’/‘Holsteiner Katenrauchschinken’/‘Holsteiner Knochenschinken’, hereinafter referred to collectively as ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’, is made from a ham from which the hinge bone and the tube bone have not been removed. The ham is round-cut (‘Hamburger Rundschnitt’), salted by hand and slowly cold-smoked over beech wood. The entire production process, from the delivery of the meat to the maturing of the whole ham, takes place within the geographical area concerned over a period of at least four months. At the end of the maturing period, the cut surface of the ham has a strong red colour with slight marbling. It has a pleasant, natural smoky smell and taste, mainly of beech wood. The fat has a slightly nutty taste. As regards its tactile properties, ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ is smooth und robust (solid).

Depending on the breed of pig, the finished hams weigh about 7,5 to 19 kg. The maximum water content is 68 %.

The basic ingredients are: ham, smoke, salt, saltpetre, nitrate curing salt and spices. In addition, for the slow cold-smoking method only beech wood is used.

‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ is sold as a whole ham, or is cut to the customer’s order. Cuts are also vacuum-packed and allowed to mature before being sold (thin flank, butt end, thick flank, slices).

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

The haunches of pigs of any origin are used to produce ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’.

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

—

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

The entire production process, from the delivery of the raw material to the maturing of the whole ham, must take place within the specified geographical area.

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

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The product (whole ham, cuts or slices) is labelled as ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ on its packaging. The Schutzgemeinschaft Schleswig-Holsteinischer Schinkenhersteller e.V. (Association for the Protection of Ham-Producers in Schleswig-Holstein) allows its members to use an emblem which can be displayed on the packaging of whole hams, cuts or slices of ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’. Firms which are not members of the Association may also produce and market ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ as long as they meet the conditions of the specification.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area comprises the entire federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ has a long tradition in Schleswig-Holstein and is a firmly established part of its regional culture.

The historical evolution of ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ can be seen as the interaction of a number of factors. In Schleswig-Holstein, these factors define the special production process and the resulting high quality of ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’:

— The climatic conditions in Schleswig-Holstein led to the growth of forests, large proportions of which consisted of oak and beech. Their fruit, acorns and beechnuts were used for fattening pigs. Pig-fattening and forestry used to be mainstays of the agricultural economy.

— Beech wood was not only used for building houses; the fact that it burns slowly meant that it was also used on open fires. Given the abundance of wood and the nature of its economy, a particular type of house evolved in Schleswig-Holstein. This was known as a ‘Hallenhaus’, which did not have a chimney. Ham and other meat products were treated in the smoke of the open fire — one of the few conservation methods available at the time. Since the time of the earliest settlements in the region, on through the Middle Ages and up until the industrial age, this type of house was the predominant and most widespread form of dwelling in Schleswig-Holstein.

— The Hallenhaus, which served as a model for the smokehouses (Räucherkaten), is inextricably linked with the tradition and development of the cold-smoking process for ‘Katenschinken’, and is associated by consumers in a positive way with this special ham product.

— Given the consistently high levels of air humidity, air-curing of ham is not possible in Schleswig-Holstein because mould forms very quickly. This was the reason for developing the special method of smoking used for ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’.

— Curing, the step prior to the process of smoking, was possible only because salt was available here from an early time. It could be obtained from sea salt, or by burning plants with high salinity. It was possible to satisfy increased demand by making use of the ‘Ochsenweg’ and ‘Salzstrasse’ trade routes.

— At the start of the industrial age in the mid-19th century, when there was an increased demand for meat, ham-smoking in Schleswig-Holstein went beyond subsistence needs and began on a commercial scale.

— The long-established smoking method is also firmly rooted in Schleswig-Holstein tradition. Traditionally, slaughtering pigs and smoking hams was work done during the cold time of year.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

The raw ham used to produce ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ is salted entirely by hand. This is a dry curing process. The hams are cured for three to eight weeks in the curing rooms at a constantly low temperature and are salted all over each week by hand. The curing mix is rubbed into the hams on the salting tables in the curing rooms and the hams are cured in curing basins or on shelves. During the curing process, salt and spices are slowly drawn from the outside of the ham to the inside.

After salting, the hams are brushed clean or rinsed and left for final curing in a controlled refrigerated environment. During this process the ham matures.

Before the ham is hung in the smoking chamber, it is allowed to surface dry. The smoking process can take several weeks. It takes place in both traditional smokehouses and in modern smoking chambers. The key to the typical taste of ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ is the traditional use of beech wood as fuel. The beech wood is burnt slowly and gently glimmering and smoking in the form of logs or chips.

After the end of the maturing period, the cut surface of the ham has a strong red colour with slight marbling. It has a pleasant, natural smoky smell and taste. The fat has a slightly nutty taste. As regards its tactile properties, ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ is smooth and solid.

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

The abovementioned factors specific to Schleswig-Holstein — climatic conditions, special type of house with an open fire, availability of the necessary raw materials, and economic development — have furthered the long tradition of producing ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ by the special method of cold-smoking over beech wood, and have helped to give this product a special place in the culture of Schleswig-Holstein. ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ has thus evolved into a typical regional speciality which is held in high esteem essentially because of its close ties with the region from which it originates.

‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ is a typical regional speciality with a long tradition which is also well known outside the region and enjoys a high reputation particularly within the region itself.

It has had an excellent reputation for many hundreds of years. The oldest written reference to it is in a document dating from 1608 which refers to sending ham from the region to Christian IV, King of Denmark, who was the ruler at the time. The quality and high market value of the ham and bacon from the region compared with smoked products from Westphalia, Pomerania and Denmark was even especially mentioned in ‘Zedler's Universallexikon’ (universal dictionary) which appeared in 1742.

At the time of the voyages to the West Indies in the 18th century, ham and bacon from the region were among the most highly sought export products, which were traded for sugar and rum from the islands of the Caribbean.

Local restaurants have always offered ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ as a particularly tasty regional speciality. For decades now it can be found throughout the year on virtually every restaurant or hotel menu offering regional specialities, and in local gastronomy it is the most frequently requested traditional accompaniment to locally produced asparagus.

‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ is also featured as a highly sought delicacy in advertising material for tourism and in reports put out by a wide range of media. Traditional smokehouses producing smoked ham are established destinations for coach excursions for tourists and for many day visitors. A large number of seasonal ‘ham festivals’ help to a create a high profile for ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’.

In addition, the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein has for decades showcased ‘Holsteiner Katenschinken’ as one of its outstanding typical specialities at the ‘International Green Week’ food and farm trade fair in Berlin.

Reference to publication of the specification:

Full specification published in:

Markenblatt Vol. 51 of 21 December 2007, Part 7a-aa, p. 23771

http://publikationen.dpma.de/DPMApublikationen/dld_gd_file.do?id=221

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