Publication of an application for registration of a name 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

(2022/C 87/05)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

’Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’

EU No: PGI-SE-02603 – 21 April 2020

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

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

’Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’

2. Member State or Third Country

Sweden

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ is a traditional confection with red spiral stripes made of sugar flavoured with natural peppermint oil.

‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ has the following characteristics:

Morphological characteristics

Shape: Straight cylindrical stick.

Length: 10–50 cm

Diameter: 10–100 mm

Surface: Dry and smooth.

Weight: 25–350 grams

Colour: Neutral white with carmine red spiral stripes (hue NCS 1080-R), whereby the intensity of the red colour can vary slightly from one batch to the next.

Chemical characteristics

Sugar: 85–99 %

Glucose: 0–15 %

Peppermint oil

Natural red colouring – usually carmine red (E120)

Organoleptic characteristics

Flavour: A clear mint flavour which is balanced out by the sweetness after a while. A refreshing, long-lasting peppermint aftertaste.

Aroma: Minty aroma with sweet notes.

Consistency: Hard to somewhat chewy. It should be possible to cut it with a knife without it crumbling. The consistency depends on a number of environmental and other factors. The interior is porous with small, round, delicate air bubbles.

Eating experience: Initially very hard, gradually changing to chewy and soft. The air-filled holes are clearly noticeable. The air bubbles are the reason the ‘polkagris’ develops a chewy consistency in the mouth after a while.

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

—

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

To prepare ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’, sugar, glucose syrup, water and vinegar are boiled in an open pot. The batch being cooked may not contain more than 5 kg of sugar.

Once the batch reaches around 150 °C the mass is poured onto a refrigerated slab. A small part of the mass is removed and coloured red.

After the mass cools down to around 70 °C, air is worked into it and at the same time it is flavoured with peppermint oil.

Once the mass is white and porous, the ‘polkagris’ confectioner has about 10 minutes to shape the ‘polkagrisar’. The mass is shaped into an oblong before the red-coloured mass is placed on top of it. After being folded and twisted, the mass is shaped into a large ‘polkagris’ with red spiral stripes which is cut through the centre. The two halves are rolled out into thinner sticks which are again cut in the centre. This process continues until the ‘polkagrisar’ have reached the desired length and thickness.

The completed ‘polkagrisar’ are allowed to cool on a conveyor belt which is constantly moving so that the product gets the smooth, even shape that is characteristic of ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’.

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

‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ are sold wrapped in paper packaging or cellophane labelled ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’.

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

No additional requirements other than those following from ordinary legislation.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ are made in the parish of Gränna in the north-western part of the province of Småland.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link with the geographical area is based on the method of making ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’, which originated in Gränna and has been maintained to this day.

The art of making ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ was invented in the town of Gränna by Amalia Eriksson in the mid-1800s. Since then the recipe and preparation method have been handed down in an apprentice system, in which new confectioners learn the craft from an established ‘polkagris’ confectioner.

In order to obtain the special consistency that characterises ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’, a skilled ‘polkagris’ confectioner must know, among other things, how the consistency is affected by the quantities of the various ingredients, the boiling temperature, the amount of air that is worked into the mass and the final product’s size.

Too much glucose or too little water will make the ‘polkagris’ hard, while too little vinegar will make it grainy. If the mass is brought to the boil too slowly, or if the mass’s temperature is too low when it is placed on the refrigerated table, the ‘polkagris’ will stay soft. The confectioner must also ensure that the mass cools evenly by keeping it moving and constantly folding the edges.

Once the mass has cooled to the right temperature, the confectioner starts to work air into the mass by repeatedly pulling and twisting it around a hook fastened onto a wall. The air worked into the mass turns it white. If the confectioner works in too little air, there will be too few air pockets in the mass, as a result of which the ‘polkagris’ will stay hard. Too much air will make the ‘polkagris’ brittle and it will crumble more easily.

The ‘polkagris’ confectioner must also adapt the above variables to suit the final product’s size. A big ‘polkagris’ tends to be flattened by its own weight, so that the round stick shape characteristic of ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ is lost. The ‘polkagris’ confectioner can counteract this by boiling the mass at a higher temperature or by using more glucose.

Since its beginning it has been a local product, and the special confection’s reputation spread rapidly through press articles. In the early 1900s ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ was known throughout most of Sweden. ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ was even exported to the United States. Today ‘Äkta Gränna Polkagrisar’ is well-known throughout Sweden and by the tourists who visit Gränna, the ‘polkagris town’.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/globalassets/produktion-handel-kontroll/livsmedelsinformation-markning-halsopastaenden/skyddade-beteckningar/produktbeskrivning_akta_granna_polkagrisar_2021_10_04.pdf

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