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

(2020/C 26/04)

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 e-Ambrosia database.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A TRADITIONAL SPECIALITY GUARANTEED

‘РОЛЕ ТРАПЕЗИЦА’ (ROLE TRAPEZITSA)

EU No: TSG-BG-01020-AM01-23.7.2019

‘Bulgaria’

1. Name(s) to be registered

‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa)

2. Type of product

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

3. Grounds for registration

3.1. The product

☒ results from a mode of production, processing or composition corresponding to traditional practice for that product or foodstuff;

☐ is produced from raw materials or ingredients that are those traditionally used.

The product was registered under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 941/2014 (2).

3.2. The name

☒ has been traditionally used to refer to the specific product;

☐ identifies the traditional character or specific character of the product.

The name ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is derived from ‘Trapezitsa’, the name of a historically significant hill in Veliko Tarnovo, the old imperial capital of Bulgaria. This name has entered into common use without the geographical region influencing the production process. The name is specific in itself because it is used and known throughout Bulgaria and its history and reputation date back over many years. The product continues to be produced and to be popular throughout the country under this name.

4. Description

4.1. Description of the product to which the name under point 1 applies, including its main physical, chemical, microbiological or organoleptic characteristics showing the product’s specific character (Article 7(2) of the Regulation)

‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is a pressed, raw dry-cured meat product prepared from chilled or frozen pork collar and a mixture of salt and natural seasonings (black or white pepper and garlic) stuffed into a casing made of bovine blind gut or collagen and netting and bound with twine. ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is suitable for direct consumption after removal of the casing.

Physical properties – shape and dimensions

Cylindrical, flattened, elongated shape.

Chemical properties

— water content: not more than 48 % of the total weight

— salt (sodium chloride): not more than 6,7 % of the total weight

— pH not less than 5,4

Organoleptic properties

External appearance and colour: clean surface covered with a thin layer of white noble mould.

Cut surface: smooth and clean, the meat being pinkish red and the pieces of fat being white to pale cream.

Consistency: dense and elastic.

Flavour and aroma: distinctive, pleasant, moderately salty, with a distinct aroma of the garlic and black pepper seasonings.

‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) may be marketed whole, cut into pieces or sliced, vacuum-packed, in cellophane or in modified-atmosphere packaging.

4.2. Description of the production method of the product to which the name under point 1 applies that the producers must follow including, where appropriate, the nature and characteristics of the raw materials or ingredients used, and the method by which the product is prepared (Article 7(2) of the Regulation)

Composition per 100 kg of raw materials:

Pork collar, chilled or frozen.

Spices:

— natural black or white pepper – 400 g

— garlic – 100 g

— Salting mixture: 4,5 kg of salt; 40 g of ascorbic acid (E300) as an antioxidant; 100 g of potassium nitrate (E252) or 85 g of sodium nitrate (E251) as a preservative; 500 g of refined granulated sugar.

— Bovine blind gut, collagen film, netting, twine permitted for use with food.

Production method

‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is prepared from chilled or frozen pork collar with a pH of 5,6 to 6,2. The pork collars are rolled into shape and placed in clean containers for salting. To ensure a better distribution of the components of the salting mixture, the nitrates and salt are mixed first, after which the other ingredients are added. The meat is salted by hand or mechanically. The salted collars are packed tightly into plastic or stainless steel containers to mature in a cold store with an air temperature of between 0 and 4 °C. After 4 to 5 days, the pieces are re-arranged (the pieces at the top changing places with those at the bottom) and they are left to rest for at least 10 to 12 days under the same conditions until they are fully and evenly salted. After completion of the salting stage, the meat is stuffed into casings made of bovine blind gut or collagen film. Each piece is bound spirally with twine or tightly encased in netting and hung on wooden and/or metal frames or rods arranged on stainless steel sausage trolleys. The pieces are not allowed to come into contact with one another. They are left hanging on trolleys to drain for up to 24 hours at an air temperature not exceeding 12 °С. After draining, they remain on the trolleys, which are moved to natural or air-conditioned drying chambers where the temperature and humidity can be regulated. An air temperature no higher than 17 °С and a relative humidity of 70-85 % are maintained during drying. After 3 to 5 days of drying, the ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is pressed for 12-24 hours. Initial pressing takes place when the pieces of ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) have dried slightly and a slight crust can be felt on their surface. Before they are pressed, the individual pieces must be sorted according to thickness. Pressing is usually conducted twice or three times. The drying process continues until a dense elastic consistency is achieved.

4.3. Description of the key elements establishing the product’s traditional character (Article 7(2) of the Regulation)

Specificity of the product

The specific character of ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is imparted by the following distinctive properties of the product:

— tenderness and succulence – the pork collar from which ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is made is high-quality marbled meat. The use of this ingredient and adherence to the traditional production method (in particular during drying and pressing) give the finished product its distinctive succulence and tenderness.

— taste and smell – the distinctive taste and smell of ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) are also due to the seasonings, especially the garlic, which are carefully selected and measured out, in combination with the pork collar meat. The product’s specific aroma and taste are also due to the lengthy process of drying in its casing.

— shape: the product has a characteristic flattened shape, which it acquires after pressing. Another specific distinguishing feature of ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is that the meat is stuffed into casing made of bovine blind gut or collagen film bound by netting, and that it acquires its specific flattened shape after being pressed several times, which makes it easy to distinguish from other raw dry-cured uncomminuted meat specialities of the same group.

Traditional character of the product

Raw dry-cured meat specialities made from uncomminuted pork are traditional and specific forms of Bulgarian meat products. They are made from pork tenderloin or pork collar. ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa), which has been made in Bulgaria using traditional techniques for over 30 years, is one of these products.

The recipe was first standardised in Bulgarian State Standard BDS 2984-75 – ‘Pork roulade’, State Standardisation Commission, Sofia, 1975, followed by BDS 2984-84 – ‘Role Trapezitsa’. The production technique for ‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa) is described in Sbornik tehnologichni instruktsii za proizvodstvo ma mesni proizvedeniya, published in 1981 by DSO Rodopa and the Meat Industry Institute. This technique and the recipe are followed to this day.

The main reason for introducing these standards was a desire to safeguard the traditional recipe and harmonise the production technique by means of a common set of rules to ensure proper maturation at the drying stage, which is a fundamental and traditional aspect of the production of this type of product. This process brings about microbiological, biochemical and physico-chemical changes in the raw meat that make it suitable for direct consumption and give it its specific organoleptic, nutritional and biological properties. The available microflora plays a key role in this process. An important condition for the natural selection of the specific microflora is the use of traditional presses comprising wooden panels used for pressing during drying. The product is pressed not only to obtain its flattened shape, but also because pressing influences maturation and drying as well as certain characteristics that determine the quality of the finished product, avoiding uneven drying owing to intensive mass transfer in the surface layers and retardation thereof in the centre, as these would give rise to defects.

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

(2) OJ L 264, 4.9.2014, p. 1.