EN Official Journal of the European Union C 35/13

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

2010/C 35/10

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 of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/06

‘SUSKA SECHLOŃSKA’

EC No: PL-PGI-005-600-23.04.2007

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Suska sechlońska’

2. Member State or third country:

Poland

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.6 — Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

The name ‘suska sechlońska’ comes from the local dialect. ‘Suska’ signifies a dried item of fruit, i.e. a dried and smoked prune. The adjective ‘sechlońska’ comes from the place-name Sechna, in the municipality of Laskowa, from where the tradition of drying originates.

‘Suska sechlońska’ is an unpitted or pitted prune which has undergone drying and smoking.

Its size depends on the size of the fruit of the plum variety used and ranges from 1,5 to 4,5 cm, with a weight of 44 to 99 prunes per kg. Its shape depends on the variety of the fruit destined for drying and may range from oblate to prolate. ‘Suska sechlońska’ is characterised by an elastic, pulpy flesh as well as a wrinkled and sticky skin of deep blue to black. It is slightly sweet in taste, with a smoky aftertaste and aroma. The water content of the finished product is between 24 and 42 % at the time of sale.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Only fruits of Prunus domestica L. ssp. domestica and varieties derived therefrom are used for the production of ‘suska sechlońska’: Promis, Tolar, Nektawit, Valjevka and Stanley. Fruits of these varieties have desirable characteristics for the drying and smoking process, including a high sugar content and a relatively low water content.

The fruit must be healthy, without signs of rotting or mechanical damage and it must be free of visible damage caused by insects, mites or other pests. The fruit used must be free of any other damage, impurities or other unspecified organisms which would make it unfit for consumption.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area:

The kilns used for drying must be located within the defined geographical area, and the entire drying and smoking process must also take place there. The wood and raw materials used in production may come from outside the defined area. The use of resinous wood is forbidden. The entire drying and smoking process is carried out in special fruit kilns typical of the area.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area in which ‘suska sechlońska’ is produced covers 239,55 km2 and is located within the administrative boundaries of four municipalities of Małopolskie voivodship: Laskowa, Iwkowa, Łososina Dolna and Żegocina. The name ‘sechlońska’ comes from the village of Sechna, a locality in the municipality of Laskowa, and is traditionally used throughout the geographical area in which ‘suska sechlońska’ is produced.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The area defined in point 4 is located at an altitude of over 300 m above sea level and its topography is very variable, with most slopes having gradients of between 5 and 25 °C.

Characteristic fruit kilns, designed and built by the local people in a style adapted to the local terrain, form an integral part of the landscape. The area covered by the four municipalities in question boasts as many as 677 such kilns. This is clear evidence of the product’s very close link to the geographical area. The number of kilns is one of the aspects distinguishing the area in question from neighbouring areas.

Kilns consist of brick foundations around a hearth and a covered chamber with a wooden grid. The average chamber size is from around 2 metres in width and from around 3,5 metres in length. A wooden barrier divides the chamber into two parts through its centre. The grid, consisting of adjacent knot-free wooden sticks of 4 cm in width, 3 cm in height and about 1 metre in length, forms the bottom part of the chamber. The sticks are placed on a level surface. They are arranged in such a way as to ensure the circulation of smoke and warm air at a height of around 180 cm above the hearth. The chamber is closed by means of a wooden door through which the fruit kiln can be filled with plums and which also helps to keep in the warmth and protect against adverse atmospheric conditions. There is an oven under each chamber. The structure is protected by a pitched roof. Fruit kilns usually have two or three chambers; it is, however, also possible to find kilns with only a single chamber or with as many as five chambers.

The temperature in the kiln when producing ‘suska sechlońska’ ranges from 45 to 60 °C.

Plums undergoing the drying and smoking process are arranged in a layer 30 to 50 cm thick. The producers turn the mass of drying plums once a day using a special shovel. The process lasts between 4 and 6 days, depending on the thickness of the plum layer. This method of drying and smoking plums has been developed thanks to the indigenous skills of local producers and is used solely for the production of ‘suska sechlońska’ in the defined geographical area.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

‘Suska sechlońska’ undergoes both drying and smoking. The process of drying and smoking in drying facilities is carried out with hot smoke, which distinguishes the ‘suska sechlońska’ from traditional prunes dried with warm air. During the smoking process, the plum loses some of the water from its tissues and absorbs smoke, which also has antiseptic properties. The reduction in the water content of the tissue during smoking and the antiseptic effect of the smoke hinder the development of putrefactive bacteria, thus prolonging the life of the product. The smoke gives the fruit a unique colour, aroma and taste.

As the plums are dried in a layer 30 to 50 cm thick and turned once a day, the juice coming from the plums during the drying process envelops the dried fruit, giving it a sweetish aftertaste. ‘Suska sechlońska’ produced this way is characterised by a distinctive sweet taste with a noticeable smoky aftertaste and aroma and by a sticky skin of deep blue to black.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

The link between ‘suska sechlońska’ and the region is based on its reputation, built on a long tradition of making the product and the unique skills of local producers.

‘Suska sechlońska’ owes its high quality to the unique skills of local producers and the traditional production methods they use. The design of the drying kilns and the method of drying reflect the know-how of local producers and differ considerably from production methods used in other parts of Poland as well as in the neighbouring regions. The way in which the drying kilns are made ensures that warm air and smoke circulate simultaneously, thereby drying and smoking the plums.

The link between ‘suska sechlońska’ and the geographical area is indeed reflected in the name of the village ‘Sechna’, which is derived from the Old Polish word ‘sechnie’, meaning drying. This demonstrates the product’s uniqueness and the deep-rooted tradition of the production method in the geographical area referred to in point 4.

Legend has it that the history of plum-drying began with a local clergyman, who spread the custom of plum-smoking among his parishioners. The long tradition of ‘suska sechlońska’ is evidenced in a work entitled Ujanowice – wieś powiatu limanowskiego by Jan Ligęza, published in 1905 (Work No 9 of the Ethnographic Commission of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences). The custom has survived to modern times and the production method has remained practically unchanged. The oldest drying facility, no longer operational, is more than 100 years old. The special drying facilities designed by local producers and still being used today constitute proof that the old method has survived. These drying facilities fit in perfectly with the landscape of the area.

Drying and smoking is so popular that songs and poems celebrating the tradition have been written about it. This old song is an example:

‘… Oj Sechna, Sechna ty skopciała wiosko, gdyby nie suszarnie byłabyś stolicą …’

(Oh Sechna, smoke-blackened Sechna, if it weren’t for the fruit kilns you would be the capital …)

The reputation of ‘suska sechlońska’ is also reflected in the prizes and distinctions awarded to it in various competitions: distinction in the 2000 ‘Nasze Kulinarne Dziedzictwo’ competition; prize at the ‘Perła 2004’ competition for the best Polish regional food product; first prize in the 2006 ‘Małopolski Smak’ poll.

The Prune Festival (Święto Suszonej Śliwki), held at Dobrociesz since 2001 and featuring prunes in various guises, also bears testimony to the product’s reputation, its link to the area and the tradition of drying plums. Further confirmation of the reputation of ‘suska sechlońska’ is the ‘prune tourist trail’ mapped out by the local authorities indicating farms with plum orchards and drying facilities.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

http://www.minrol.gov.pl/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabOrgId=1620&LangId=0