EN Official Journal of the European Union C 75/4

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 75/04)

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

‘SALAME PIEMONTE’

EU No: IT-PGI-0005-01237 — 6.6.2014

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Salame Piemonte’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

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

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

‘Salame Piemonte’ is produced from a mixture of fresh marbled pigmeat, which has not been frozen, taken from the following cuts: lean: striated muscles from the haunch, shoulder and belly; fat: high-quality, from the belly, throat and back.

The following maturing periods are defined for the production of ‘Salame Piemonte’, depending on the diameter of the fresh salami:

— between 40 and 70 mm: from a minimum of 10 days to a maximum of 50 days

— between 71 and 90 mm: from a minimum of 21 days to a maximum of 84 days

When released for consumption, a whole ‘Salame Piemonte’ weighs not less than 300 g and must have the following organoleptic, physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics:

Organoleptic characteristics:

External appearance: cylindrical or curved for smaller sizes;

Consistency: compact and soft, with no obvious fascia.

Appearance when cut: the slice is compact and homogeneous, with typical binding of fragments of muscle and fat; the latter are rather ‘elongated’. The pepper can be seen as pieces and/or powder.

Colour: ruby red.

Aroma: delicate, of mature meat, curing, wine and garlic.

Flavour: sweet and delicate, slightly spicy (pepper and nutmeg), the aromas last well, never acidic, with balanced salting.

Chemical and physico-chemical characteristics:

Minimum total protein 23 % Collagen/protein ratio maximum 0,12 Water/protein ratio maximum 2,00 Fat/protein ratio maximum 1,40 pH ≥ 5,2

Microbiological characteristics:

Mesophilic microbe content: 1 × 107 colony units/g, with a prevalence of lactic acid bacteria and coccus.

‘Salame Piemonte’ may be produced in various shapes and sizes using the same mixture, packed in natural gut casing or reconstituted casings of natural origin; the diameter of fresh salami can vary between 40 and 90 mm.

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

‘Salame Piemonte’ PGI is produced from pigmeat with the following characteristics:

— the animals used must be pure-bred or hybrid pigs of the traditional Large White and Landrace breeds,

— pigs of the Duroc breed are also allowed,

— animals of other breeds, crossbred or hybrid, are also allowed, provided that their carcasses come under classes E, U, R or O, as defined in the pig carcass classification table in Annex V to Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (2), as amended,

— in line with traditional practice, pigs carrying antithetic traits, with particular reference to porcine stress syndrome (PSS), are in any case excluded; such traits can nowadays be objectively detected in animals post-mortem and in cured products,

— also excluded are pure-bred Belgian Landrace, Hampshire, Pietrain, Duroc and Spotted Poland animals,

— the genetic types used must allow the achievement of high weights and satisfactory efficiency and, in any case, a live weight per animal of 160 kg +/- 10 %,

— the minimum age at slaughter is 9 months,

— boars and brood sows may not be used,

— at slaughter, the pigs must be in an optimum state of health and completely bled.

There is no geographical limit to the origin of the pigs.

The feeding of the pigs takes place in two stages and is mainly based on cereal products. The average feed ration mainly consists of maize mash followed by barley, bran, soya and mineral supplements. Cheese-making by-products (whey and buttermilk) are also allowed as feed. Whey and buttermilk must not total more than 15 litres head/day. The ration may be supplemented by minerals and vitamins within the limits set out in the applicable legislation.

Other ingredients

Salt (maximum 3 %); pepper, whole, in pieces or ground (maximum 0,4 %); spices and aromatic plants: garlic, cloves, whole, crushed or infused with wine; nutmeg. In order to guarantee the typical flavour of the ‘Salame Piemonte’ and to respect the traditional production method, it is necessary to use Piedmont PDO red wine made from the Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto varieties (more than 0,25 % in weight).

The use of sugar and/or dextrose is allowed, as are starter cultures, fungal cultures to cover the casing, sodium and/or potassium nitrate and nitrite, ascorbic acid and its sodium salt.

Other processing aids aimed at maintaining water in the meat tissues are not allowed.

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

All steps in the production, salting, casing, drying and maturing of ‘Salame Piemonte’ must take place in the area indicated in point 4 below.

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

‘Salame Piemonte’ PGI is sold loose or vacuum-packed or packed in a protective atmosphere, whole, thickly cut or in slices.

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

The name of the protected geographical indication ‘Salame Piemonte’ must appear in clear and indelible lettering, clearly identifiable from any other wording on the label and followed immediately by the initials ‘IGP’, which must be translated into the language of the country in which the product is marketed, by the EU graphic symbol and the ‘Salame Piemonte’ logo as shown below.

The label may indicate the area or region in which the pigs originated. If there are several areas or regions, these must be listed in declining order of importance.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Salame Piemonte’ must be produced and matured in the Piedmont region.

5. Link with the geographical area

The production area of ‘Salame Piemonte’ consists of the entire Piedmont region, which has a highly specific climate. The name ‘Piedmont’ stems from the fact that the region lies at the ‘foot of the mountains’; this means that much of the region has a temperate, sub-continental, relatively homogeneous climate. The winters are cold, with little rainfall, and relative humidity levels decrease from November onwards, which is more humid, to February, which is drier. In addition, there are moderate winds from the plain towards the mountains, with frequent föhn winds that redistribute the air masses, meaning that relative humidity levels remain rather low. Moreover, Piedmont has more sunshine and thus less humidity than the neighbouring Po valley; these differences are even greater compared to the Alpine regions to the north which have around two-thirds less sunshine.

Therefore Piedmont’s climate and soils, along with the cultivation techniques used there, create a unique and specific ‘terroir’ for producing PDO wines, the characteristic element of ‘Salame Piemonte’. The Piedmont has always been a major wine producing area — and local varieties are mainly cultivated such as Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo; for this reason these are the varieties used in the production of ‘Salame Piemonte’.

‘Salame Piemonte’ is compact and soft, ruby red in colour and with a sweet and delicate flavour.

A special feature of ‘Salame Piemonte’ is its soft texture and sweet, delicate flavour, mainly as a result of the short maturing period. This is a Piedmont salami-making tradition perfected over time, which has won over the tastes and habits of the local consumers.

The main characteristic of ‘Salame Piemonte’ is the presence of Piedmont PDO red wine made exclusively from the Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto varieties (more than 0,25 % in weight). These typical local wines affect the salami’s flavour and aroma and has always differentiated it from similar products on the market.

The fact that specific factors such as the reputation and special nature of the production method link ‘Salame Piemonte’ with the geographical area is proven by numerous historic references demonstrating the way this salami is made has developed and become rooted over time in the region, making it unique compared to other products from other parts of Italy.

In 1854, in his book on middle-class cuisine, Giovanni Vialardi, chef and pastry-cook to the then Italian royal family (the House of Savoy), describes in detail the production of ‘pigmeat salami’, which can be seen as the true precursor of ‘Salame Piemonte’, as the recipe is similar to that used today; even then it included ‘a glass of good Barbera wine’.

After the Second World War industrial production of ‘Salame Piemonte’ developed, and since 1948 to the present day the Turin Chamber of Commerce’s fortnightly lists have featured ‘Salame Piemonte’ in the section on ‘fresh pigmeat’.

The addition of red wine from the three most famous varieties in Piedmont, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, bears witness to the deep-rooted links between ‘Salame Piemonte’ and the area. It is the characteristic element of this product, and is mentioned in numerous books, guides and collections devoted to cured meats, as well as in many food and wine shows broadcast on Italian TV between 2008 and 2010. Examples of this are the books entitled ‘Delizie del divin Porcello’ by Riccardo Di Corato, which lists and describes all Italian cured meat products (Idealibri srl, December 1984, p. 160) and ‘Processo al maiale’ (A. Beretta, Pavia, Monboso, 2002, p. 160), as well as TV shows such as ‘Occhio alla spesa’ and ‘Terre e sapori’ broadcast on the Rai 1 channel and ‘Mela Verde’ shown on Rete Quattro, where many references are made to the use of Piedmont wine as a typical ingredient of ‘Salame Piemonte’.

Finally, ‘Salame Piemonte’ has participated in many local and international competitions such as ‘Salone del Gusto’ (Turin — 2006 — 2008 — 2010) and ‘Cibus’ (Parma 2008 — 2010).

Reference to publication of the specification

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

The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Salame Piemonte’ PGI in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 96 of 26 April 2014.

The full text of the product specification is available on the internet: http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

Or alternatively:

by going directly to the homepage of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP’ (at the top right-hand side of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen), and finally by clicking on ‘Disciplinari di produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

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

(2) OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1.