EN Official Journal of the European Union C 241/6

Publication of an application 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

(2015/C 241/05)

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).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘DRNIŠKI PRŠUT’

EU No: HR-PGI-0005-01212-13-13.3.2014

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Name

‘Drniški pršut’

2. Member State or Third Country

Croatia

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Product type

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

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

‘Drniški pršut’ is a hind leg of pig which has been salted with coarse sea salt, pressed, cold-smoked and dried, with the whole process taking at least 12 months. The characteristic appearance of the ham is marked by the absence of the pelvic bones, the hock and the part of the skin and fat on the inner side of the leg, and by an evenly rounded edge. The ham must have no visible external damage, but remains of a thin layer of mould may be present on the outer surface. When sliced, it is distinguished by its uniform, intense ruby red colour, apart from the whiteness of the fat, and by a pronounced scent of mature, slightly smoked, dried pork. The typical level of desiccation gives the ham its excellent structure and makes it easy to cut and easy to chew, which means that morsels can be swallowed quickly due to the ham’s succulence and palatability. The ham has a pronounced, sweetish flavour and is moderately salty. A pleasant salty and slightly sweet scent and flavour reminiscent of the aroma of ham without any acidity, bitterness or rancidity remain after a morsel has been swallowed.

When ‘Drniški pršut’ is placed on the market, it must have a minimum weight of 6,5 kg, a maximum moisture content in the meat of 40 %, a salt (NaCl) content of no more than 7,0 % and water activity (aw) of under 0,90.

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

‘Drniški pršut’ is produced exclusively from fresh hind legs of pig which, apart from refrigeration at a temperature of between –1 °C and +4 °C, may not be subjected to any other preservation process, including freezing. Only legs whose freshness has been preserved and which are microbiologically suitable may be used. Meat of impaired quality or pale colour, soft and exudative meat or markedly dark, tough and dry meat may not be used.

For the production of ‘Drniški pršut’, legs are trimmed to remove the hock, sacrum, pelvic bone and the caudal vertebrae, but the femur, tibia and fibula with the patella remain in the leg, as do the ingrown part of the ischium and, depending on the height of the cut to remove the hock, the remains of the tarsal bones. Legs that have been trimmed for salting do not have part of the skin and fat on the internal side up to the knee joint and part of the muscle, which is removed in a semicircle together with, and on the same plane as, the fat, with the result that the bottom edge of the ham is between 5 cm and 8 cm from the head of the femur. Trimmed legs must have no damage, haematoma, unevenness or protruding parts. The legs must be salted between 2 and 4 days after the date of slaughter.

A trimmed leg for salting must weigh at least 11 kg.

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

All production stages of ‘Drniški pršut’ must take place in the geographical area referred to in point 4. The production process comprises dry-salting, pressing, rinsing, smoking, air-drying and maturing.

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

‘Drniški pršut’ may be placed on the market whole, cut into pieces of different shapes or sliced. Pieces of ham and sliced ham are placed on the market in vacuum packing of various shapes, sizes and weights.

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

At the end of the production process, a ‘Drniški pršut’ that meets all the requirements laid down in the product specification is hot-branded on the side of the rind with the brand mark for ‘Drniški pršut’. Before being placed on the market it is also labelled with the common identifier for ‘Drniški pršut’.

If the product is deboned and cut into pieces or sliced, all packages that are placed on the market must bear the common identifier for ‘Drniški pršut’.

The designs of the brand mark and the common identifier for ‘Drniški pršut’ are laid down in the product specification. All users of the indication which place products on the market that comply with the product specification are entitled to use the brand mark and the common identifier for ‘Drniški pršut’ on equal terms. The designs of the brand mark and the common identifier for ‘Drniški pršut’ are presented in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 ‘Drniški pršut’ brand mark Figure 2 Common identifier for ‘Drniški pršut’

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of production of ‘Drniški pršut’ is located in Šibenik-Knin County within the administrative limits of the town of Drniš and the neighbouring municipalities of Promina, Ružić, Unešić and Biskupija.

5. Link with the geographical area

‘Drniški pršut’ is produced in a geographical area with a specific microclimate. Despite being close to the sea (20-30 km as the crow flies), the area exhibits features of a modified Mediterranean climate. Overall, the climate is mainly sub-Mediterranean with hot summers (characterised by scorching heat and drought), and mild winters with rare snowfall. The frequent easterly, south-easterly and north-easterly winds have a major impact on the climate of the entire area, since they blow, on average, for almost 65 % of the year. In winter there are frequent winds that dry and cool the air, which is conducive to meat drying. Particularly important in this respect is the alternation between the dominant bora, which is a dry, cold, north-easterly wind that blows from the massif of the Dinara and the surrounding mountains towards the sea, and the sirocco, or jugo, which is a south-easterly wind that brings warmth and humidity from the sea. Thanks to the alternation between the bora and the sirocco and to the proximity of the Adriatic, temperatures are not extremely low in the winter, and the air is dried and cooled by the frequent winds from the mountains, which protects the meat naturally against deterioration. This protection is essential, particularly in the initial phases of production of ‘Drniški pršut’ when the hams are dry-salted and dried. As a result, the mean air temperature in the Drniš area ranges from 3,7 °C to 5 °C between December and February, when the relative humidity of the air lies between 76 % and 78 %, which creates the cool and dry conditions needed for reliable preservation of ‘Drniški pršut’ through dry-salting and drying. These temperature and humidity levels, in combination with the cool and dry wind, facilitate the production of ‘Drniški pršut’, which begins at exactly that time of year.

The specificity of ‘Drniški pršut’ comes from its particular characteristics, such as its less salty flavour, its mild aroma of smoke and its level of desiccation, which are the result of the traditional method of production and the adaptation to the local climate, and its long-standing reputation and importance on the domestic market and beyond.

‘Drniški pršut’ is produced solely by dry-salting with coarse sea salt without the use of any other additives. The legs are salted using the prescribed quantity of salt, with any ‘impure’ salt being removed, followed by rinsing, which gives ‘Drniški pršut’ a less salty and slightly sweet taste (for example the NaCl content of the final product does not exceed 7 %; results of chemical analyses, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 2008). Furthermore, the production of ‘Drniški pršut’ involves a specific method of smoking. Smoking is carried out using dry spruce-wood (Juniperus communis), almond timber and shells (Amygdalus communis) and dry immortelles (Helichrysum arenarium), in addition to beach (Fagus sylvatica) and hornbeam (Carpinius betulus L), which gives the smoke a special aroma. The material burns slowly and the hams are smoked gently with good air circulation. Consequently, the characteristic aroma of smoke in the mature ham is always somewhat prominent but never masks the aroma of mature meat. As a result of the long period of drying/maturing (12 months or longer), during which the ham gradually loses water and its protein and fat undergo spontaneous chemical and enzymatic changes, ‘Drniški pršut’ is characterised by a somewhat higher level of dehydration (moisture content of up to 40 % in the final product according to ‘Drniški pršut’ — osobine sirovine i finalnog proizvoda, Proceedings of the 44th Croatian and 4th international symposium on agronomy, Opatija, 2009., pp. 221-222) but is also pleasantly soft as a result of the long processing period and the associated chemical and enzymatic changes that positively affect the ham's structure. A sufficient period of maturing is also crucial for the formation of the ham's ruby red colour and for its lasting aroma after eating.

The low air temperatures, which naturally protect the meat from deteriorating in the winter, mean that the ham-makers of Drniš can use a moderate quantity of salt in the salting process. Beechwood, hornbeam wood, dry spruce-wood, almond shell and dry immortelles are today still stoked manually and the hams are usually smoked during warm, humid weather and then merely given a limited airing when the north-easterly wind (the bora) is blowing. Careful salting and smoking, plus natural drying and maturing over a period of at least one year, are vital for imparting the recognisable colour, structure, scent and flavour to ‘Drniški pršut’. The care, knowledge and experience of the ham producers of Drniš, together with their familiarity with the local weather conditions, have always been an indispensable factor in the traditional production and recognisable quality of ‘Drniški pršut’.

The link between ‘Drniški pršut’ and the geographical surroundings stems from the long tradition of production and the high reputation of ham from the Drniš region, as well as from the favourable climate and the knowledge and skill of the local population. The rich tradition of ham production has been created by many generations of local people, who have made skilful use of the ‘god-given’ natural conditions, as a result of which the town of Drniš and the surrounding area have long been renowned for ham. Thanks to its quality, ‘Drniški pršut’ has always enjoyed particular renown among domestically produced hams, as shown by a 1978 newspaper article entitled ‘Unikati drniške pršutoteke’ (Unique products of the Drniš ham shop) (Nedjeljna Dalmacija, 15.4.1978), while the fact that it was served in the Royal Household to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on 2 June 1953, and again at the celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of her coronation (Thank-you note, Buckingham Palace, 2002), indicate the exceptionally high level of international prestige that it enjoys. Until the war in the 1990s ham from the production plant in Drniš was the most commercially important and best-known brand of ham on the home market. ‘Drniški pršut’ has kept its good reputation right up to the present day, and is well known not only in the countries of former Yugoslavia but also elsewhere.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

http://www.mps.hr/UserDocsImages/HRANA/DRNISKI%20PRSUT/SPECIFIKACIJA%20PROIZVODA%20-%20Drniski%20pršut%20-izmjena.pdf

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