EN Official Journal of the European Union C 248/22

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

2009/C 248/07

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

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘CSABAI KOLBÁSZ’ OR ‘CSABAI VASTAGKOLBÁSZ’

EC No: HU-PGI-0005-0390-21.10.2004

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name: Department of Food Chain Analysis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FVM Élelmiszerlánc-elemzési Főosztály) Address: Budapest Kossuth Lajos tér 11. 1055 MAGYARORSZÁG/HUNGARY Tel. +36 13014419 Fax +36 13014808 E-mail: zobore@fvm.hu

2. Group:

Association for the use of the CSABAI geographical product designation.

Name: Csabahús Kft. Address: Békéscsaba Kétegyházi út 8. 5600 MAGYARORSZÁG/HUNGARY Tel. +36 66443211 Fax +36 66441723 E-mail: csabahus@csabahus.hu

Name: Gyulai Húskombinát Zrt. Address: Gyula Kétegyházi út 3. 5700 MAGYARORSZÁG/HUNGARY Tel. +36 66620220 Fax +36 66620202 E-mail: info@gyulahus.hu Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

3. Type of product:

Group 1.2. Meat products

4. Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1. Name:

‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’

4.2. Description:

‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is produced from the chopped meat and firm lard of cross-breeds of Hungarian Large White meat-type pigs, long-haired ‘Mangalica’ and Hungarian lowland pig varieties, and Hampshire, Duroc and Pietrain varieties and their hybrids, fattened to the weight of at least 135 kg. The adequate quality of pigmeat required for the production of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is achieved by manual boning, which enables the thorough removal of sinews in processing almost every meat part of the pig.

‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is a meat product with a minimum of 15 % protein content without connective tissue, consisting of pork and firm lard minced into 4-6 mm particles, filled into casings of pigs’ large intestines or vapour-permeable artificial casings, smoked predominantly over beech wood, and cured and preserved by drying. It is characteristically seasoned with sweet and hot ground paprika, garlic, whole caraway seeds and salt. The ground hot pepper is particularly prominent.

‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ has an even thickness, a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 40 to 60 mm and a length of 20 to 55 cm. The tied end of the sausage is tapered (because it is hung from this end) while the other end is rounded. Its casing is clean, consistently even, damage and mould-free, slightly knobbly and properly sticking to the stuffing. It is dark red with the lard particles showing through. It has a compact, flexible and cohesive substance, it is easy to slice, not soft, not tough and not chewy. The cut surface reveals evenly distributed 4-6 mm particles of meat (coloured dark red by the paprika) and lard (coloured orange by the paprika) embedded in a meat pulp. It has a pleasantly smoky and spicy fragrance, and a harmonious flavour, hot from the paprika. It is sold in bulk or in packages. ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is also vacuum or modified-atmosphere packed whole or in slices, in units of various sizes.

Chemical composition of the product:

Water activity maximum 0,91 Water-protein ratio maximum 1,5 Fat/protein ratio maximum 2,7 Meat-protein content without connective tissue minimum 15 %

4.3. Geographical area:

‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is produced within the administrative boundaries of the towns of Békéscsaba and Gyula.

4.4. Proof of origin:

An identification number is attached to each item of raw and ancillary material delivered to the plant, and this is indicated on both the production documents and the materials themselves.

The product to be manufactured is given a permanent code number identifying it in every phase of the process. An item number, containing the code number of the product and the date of production, is used to identify the finished product. Information about the raw and ancillary materials is included in the production documents.

The item number — and consequently item identification — applies to daily output quantities.

The label on the packaged product carries the date of packaging or the best-before date. With this information the item number can be identified from the daily packaging documents.

4.5. Method of production:

‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is produced from the leg, shoulder joint, knuckle, belly, loins, shoulder and collar steak (obtained by manual boning) of the half carcasses (without head and feet) and the firm lard (free of glands) of specific cross-breeds of pig.

The meat parts (frozen to minus 2 to 4 °C or pre-cooled to 0 to plus 7 °C) and the lard (0 to minus 7 °C) are minced by machine into 4-6 mm particles, then the spices and the nitrite salt are added. The resulting paste (that has a temperature of 0 to minus 4 °C) is filled by machine into casings of pigs’ large intestines or vapour-permeable artificial casings and the sausages are then clipped or tied at the end.

The filled sausages are subsequently smoked over slow-burning hardwood (primarily beech) logs for three to five days at 20 °C in a space with a relative humidity of 90 to 70 %.

After smoking, the sausages are cured and dried. In an effort to prevent quality defects (the formation of a crust), the dry-curing parameters are set in a way that the difference between the equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) of the sausages and the ambient relative humidity (RH) of the room should not exceed 4 to 5 %. The typical ambient temperature is 16 to 18 °C; the initial RH of 90 to 92 % is gradually reduced to 65 to 70 %. The drying is continued until the water activity in the sausages reaches 0,91. Where sausages are filled into vapour-permeable artificial casings, this process lasts approx. four weeks; where filled into pigs’ large intestines, it takes approx. six weeks. This is followed by post-maturing, in the course of which the moisture content of the packaged product evens out, the cut surface becomes consistent and the substance more crumbly, and the colour stabilises as a result of the antioxidant effect of the natural spices. These properties, combined with a full-rounded flavour, completely set ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ apart from the flavour and substance of instantly marketed products.

4.6. Contacts:

Presentation of the geographical area: The towns of Gyula and Békéscsaba are located in one of the lowest-lying areas of Hungary, in the south-eastern corner of the Great Plain. Both towns are prime tourist destinations. They are important transit points in the international transport route between Budapest, Arad and Bucharest, as well as the Balkans. The area has a moderate continental climate that is characteristic of the whole of the Great Plain, where continental effects are dominant but Mediterranean and oceanic effects also appear from time to time. The dominant geographical features of the landscape near Gyula and Békéscsaba are the Körös rivers. The region boasts old traditions of cereal production and animal husbandry, thanks to favourable agro-ecological conditions. The fortunate coincidence of these conditions made the immediate environment of Gyula and Békéscsaba an important stop-over for market caravans heading from the Balkans to the fairs in Vienna. Particularly traders going to and coming from livestock fairs stopped here for brief rests. The forests and the rivers were an ideal place for resting, feeding, watering and bathing the animals, and any injured animals could be slaughtered and processed. The more astute butchers and slaughtermen geared themselves to satisfy these needs and to cater for the large numbers of foreigners. In doing so they laid the foundations of the towns’ future meat processing industries.

The history and reputation of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’: The name ‘Csabai kolbász’ was first mentioned in the literature in the 1930s. Published in 1936, the monograph Békés vármegye [Békés County] noted that Békéscsaba owed its reputation to its meat-processing industry. The first comprehensive history of the popular ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ was written by Gyula Dedinszky who said that around the turn of the century ‘Csabai kolbász’ was praised only by locals at pig-cutting feasts, but word spread around the county and in a decade or two it went on to gain fame throughout Hungary. According to Dedinszky what makes ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ special is the production method, the ingredients and spices. The main spice of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is paprika. In addition to paprika and salt, ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is seasoned with caraway, pepper and garlic, but none of these is prominent. None of them dominates the others, and they are integrated in harmony – with the paprika’s colour, flavour and heat remaining its dominant factor. The description of the technology and the recipe have appeared in numerous publications since the 1930s. The ‘commercial’ production of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ started in Békés County in the early 20th century. Founded in Békéscsaba in 1911, Sertéshizlaló és Húsipari Rt. (Pig Fattening and Meat Processing Company Inc.) produced a slightly hot, spicy sausage, stuffed into the large intestines of pigs on the recommendation of master butchers from the vicinity of the town. The sausage reflected the tastes and consumption patterns of these masters who put their expertise into ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ that would ultimately become the one of the most important local products, named after its home town. Family businesses in the neighbouring town of Gyula (which, for its size, had a large number of butchers) increasingly engaged in the production of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’. Master sausage-maker András Stéberl bought a plant in the middle of Gyula where he launched the ‘industrial’ manufacture of dry sausages. His plant developed into one of the largest meat-processing factories in the region, employing a skilled workforce from the neighbouring areas, including Békéscsaba whose master butchers initiated the production of the slightly hot sausage stuffed in pigs’ large intestines. The name ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is a reminder that it originated from the neighbouring town. The heyday of the traditional ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ was between the two world wars. After World War Two, the production of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ continued at Békéscsaba and Gyula in spite of nationalisation, repeated restructuring and changes of ownership. Articles in the national and regional press have confirmed the reputation of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’, as well as the Csaba Sausage Festival, which has been held in Békéscsaba in the second half of October in every year since 1997. The reputation of ‘Csabai kolbász’ or ‘Csabai vastagkolbász’ is confirmed by the fact that in 1999 it was awarded the Kiváló Magyar Termék (Excellent Hungarian Product) prize, and in 2000 the special prize of Hungaropack Hungarian Packaging Competition.

4.7. Inspection body:

Name: Békés Megyei Mezőgazdasági Szakigazgatási Hivatal Élelmiszerlánc-biztonsági és Állategészségügyi Igazgatóság (Directorate of Food Chain Safety and Animal Health of the Békés County Agricultural Administration Office) Address: Békéscsaba Szerdahelyi út 2. 5600 MAGYARORSZÁG/HUNGARY Tel. +36 66540240 Fax +36 66547440 E-mail: karpatia@oai.hu

4.8. Labelling:

The application shall include the following:

— the indication ‘hot’.

The labels of products filled into pigs’ large intestines can include the indication ‘home style’.