Publication of the amended single document following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

(2023/C 30/12)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

The application for approval of this minor amendment can be consulted in the Commission’s eAmbrosia database.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Azafrán de la Mancha’

EU No: PDO-ES-0112-AM02 – 22.4.2022

PDO (x) PGI ( )

1. Name

‘Azafrán de la Mancha’

2. Member state or third country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.8. Other products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (spices etc.)

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

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a bulbous plant belonging to the Iridaceae family. The spherical corm is fleshy, with a diameter of 2 cm to 3 cm, and is covered with chestnut brown-greyish reticulate membranes. Between October and November, each bulb produces one to three flowers, which form a tubular shape before opening into a lilac-purple cone. This is the rose of saffron, and has long, narrow petals which eventually open out to reveal its interior.

Inside is the ovary, from which emerge the three yellow stamens and a white filament, the style, which divides into three red fibres or stigmas: the saffron threads or cloves.

‘Azafrán de la Mancha’ is easily recognisable because its red stigmas protrude prominently from the flower and the style is shorter than in flowers of other varieties.

The stigma/style length ratio must be greater than one, with a tolerance value of 1 %.

The stigma must not be less than 22 mm long, with a tolerance value of 1 %.

The content in floral residue (styles which have become detached from their stigmas, stamens, pollen and pieces of petals or ovary) must not exceed 0,5 % of the total weight. A maximum of 0,1 % of foreign matter is permitted. Foreign matter is any vegetable residue which does not come from the saffron flower: minerals (sand, soil and/or dust), parts of or whole dead insects, etc.

The product must not contain mould or live insects.

Organoleptic characteristics

Aroma: exclusive to the drying process, intense and penetrating, mixed with a faint scent of ripe corn or fine dried grass with floral overtones.

Olfactory-gustatory sensation (in infusion): a long-lasting and mild taste, bitter at first, with a persistent aftertaste reminiscent of ripe corn and the drying process.

Chemical characteristics

Analytical parameter: moisture and volatile substances

Loose saffron: 7-9 %

Packed saffron: < 11 % (m/m)

Analytical parameter: total ash

Loose saffron: —

Packed saffron: < 8 % (m/m)

Analytical parameter: acid-insoluble ash

Loose saffron: –

Packed saffron: < 1 % (m/m)

Analytical parameter: ether extract

Loose saffron: –

Packed saffron: 3,5-14,5 % (m/m)

Analytical parameter: cold water-soluble extract

Loose saffron: —

Packed saffron: < 65 % (m/m)

Analytical parameter: colouring power1

Loose saffron: > 200

Packed saffron: > 200

Analytical parameter: flavouring power2

Loose saffron: > 20

Packed saffron: > 20

Analytical parameter: bitterness (picrocrocin)3

Loose saffron: > 70

Packed saffron: > 70

Analytical parameter: safranal content4

Loose saffron: > 65 %

Packed saffron: > 65 %

1 Expressed as a direct measurement of absorbency at 440 nm over dry weight.

2 Expressed as a direct measurement of absorbency at 330 nm over dry weight.

3 Expressed as a direct measurement of absorbency at 257 nm over dry weight.

4 Expressed as a percentage of the total content of volatile substances.

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 defined geographical area

—

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

—

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

The following image must appear on the labelling in the defined colours. The number XXYYYYYYYY is an alphanumeric code in which XX are two letters of the alphabet identifying the year of production of the saffron and YYYYYYYY is a number identifying the packaging.

The containers in which the protected saffron is packaged for consumption will bear a seal of warranty, label or numbered secondary label issued by the inspection body in such a way that the containers cannot be reused.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area covered by the designation extends from the central region of Castile-La Mancha to the south-east.

The central core of the designation area encompasses the districts of La Mancha in the provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Albacete.

5. Link with the geographical area

Saffron was introduced to Spain during Arab rule. In the 8th and 9th centuries it was used exclusively by the Andalusian upper middle classes. Arabic dishes were flavoured with many herbs, so they were grown in every orchard, the main varieties being cumin, caraway, black cumin, cress, sweet anise, fennel, wood anise, coriander, mustard, mint, peppermint and parsley. The most important condiment for the Arab economy was, however, saffron, an essential colouring and seasoning in most dishes.

A work from a later period, entitled Cultivo del azafrán en la Solana by J. A. López de la Osa (1897), provides written evidence of saffron-growing in La Mancha. The book includes information on this crop from 100 years earlier and quotes a legal inventory from 1720 which also mentions saffron. In the first third of the 19th century La Mancha was producing the best-quality saffron in Spain, with the highest yields per hectare of dry land. The ancient tradition of growing saffron is very well documented in Pedro Muñoz, Campo de Criptana and Manzanares (Ciudad Real), in Lillo, Madridejos, Villacañas, Villanueva de Alcardete and Cabezamesada (Toledo) and in Montilla del Palancar (Cuenca).

The strongest evidence of a strong historical link between the La Mancha region and saffron can, however, be found in the area’s many cultural traditions.

As with all activities which are firmly rooted in a particular society, growing saffron has given rise to its own rich vocabulary. El léxico del azafrán en el habla manchega by M. Núñez and J. C. Conde (Al-Basit: Revista de Estudios Albacetenses, 28, Albacete 1991) includes a wide range of saffron-related expressions collected in surveys carried out in the province of Albacete. The tradition of growing saffron in La Mancha is reflected in the folklore typical of the region, a traditional regional dance being dedicated to the product, and in songs and sayings. It also provides the backdrop for the operetta entitled La rosa del azafrán (libretto by by F. Romero and G. Fernández Shaw; with music by Jacinto Guerrero, premiered in Madrid in 1930).

It should also be noted that there are instruction manuals describing growing and production techniques, such as the aforementioned work by J. A. López de la Osa and El azafranero práctico by L. Jiménez Martín (Albacete: Imprenta Eduardo Miranda, 1900).

The importance of this crop in traditional culture is also demonstrated by the ‘Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafrán’, which takes place in Consuegra (Toledo), the saffron-peeling contests held as part of the patron saint festivities in La Solana (Ciudad Real), and the ‘Festival de la Rosa del Azafrán’ in Santa Ana (Albacete).

Lastly, a clear indication of the traditional nature and economic importance of this crop is the custom, still practised in some La Mancha villages, of giving newly-wed couples a few strands of saffron, a symbol of the desire for prosperity.

Reference to publication of the product specification

http://pagina.jccm.es/agricul/paginas/comercial-industrial/consejos_new/pliegos/AM01_PC_Azafran_de_La_Mancha.pdf

(1) OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.