EN Official Journal of the European Union C 141/16

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

(2016/C 141/08)

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

‘PÃO DE LÓ DE OVAR’

EU No: PT-PGI-0005-01341 – 28.5.2015

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1. Name(s)

‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’

2. Member State or Third Country

Portugal

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 2.3. Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares

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

‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ is a bakery product made from eggs (mainly yolks), sugar and flour.

It comes in a mould lined with white paper, is shaped like a ‘country loaf’ and consists of light, creamy, soft, yellow cake known as ló, with a fine, slightly moist, golden brown crust and a moist part inside known as the pito. Its physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics are set out below:

Physical parameters: average values for the two sizes of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’:

‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ Miniatura or Infantes ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ Normal Min. Max. Min. Max. Weight (g) 100 125 485 1 500 Height (cm) 3 8 7 14 Diameter (cm) 11 12 16 28

The miniature ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ is also commonly known as Infantes [‘baby’].

Chemical composition: average values:

Min. Max. Min. Max. Sugar (%) 37,80 49,20 Soluble 29,20 Soluble 39,20 Insoluble 5,40 Insoluble 13,40 Fat (%) 12,80 18,20 Total water (%) 24,50 33,10 Protein (%) 7,40 14,60 Soluble 1,30 Soluble 2,70 Insoluble 7,90 Insoluble 10,10 Water activity 0,831 Water activity 0,937

The product does lose moisture during its shelf life, so these figures may drop by 2,5 %.

Organoleptic characteristics

Colour Crust: toasted yellow to brown Moist part or pito: golden egg-yolk yellow, may have orangey or slightly brownish tones Dry part: egg-yolk yellow, may have orange tones Appearance Crust: uniform; the surface may be slightly uneven where the cake has sunk, and there may be a few small dough bubbles Moist part or pito: creamy, slightly liquid, may run when the pão de ló is cut Dry part: spongy Aroma Pão de Ló: slightly eggy, with a hint of caramel (but not burnt) Taste Pão de Ló: sweet and eggy Texture Pão de Ló: medium consistency which melts in the mouth, soft, allowing the creaminess of the runny part to be fully savoured

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

Fresh eggs, white sugar, wheat flour (type 55) and salt. The salt is optional.

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

Preparation of the mixture

During this stage, experience is crucial in determining the quality of the final product, as the baker needs to know when the mixture is ‘just right’.

Preparation and filling of the mould

The mould is lined with baking paper, which has to be carefully adjusted to fit. This requires skill and manual dexterity.

The mixture is then poured into the mould, which also requires expertise and experience on the part of the baker.

Baking

A constant eye must be kept on the ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ while it is in the oven, as the amount of pito, a distinguishing characteristic, depends on the cooking time.

Cooling

‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ is left to cool in the mould. Once it has cooled the paper is cut.

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 labelling must bear the following:

1. The words ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar – Protected Geographical Indication’ or ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar PGI’

2. The ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ logo, shown below

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The municipality of Ovar (civil parishes of Esmoriz, Cortegaça, Maceda, Arada, Ovar, São João, São Vicente and Válega).

5. Link with the geographical area

Since the late 18th century the know-how associated with the production of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ has remained within the confines of the municipality of Ovar, or Villa de Ovar as it was then known.

Production of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ is restricted to the municipality of Ovar because this is where it was traditionally made and acquired its reputation, associated with the festivities of Holy Week – as documented by the local people since 1781 – and it is a historical tradition specific to the area.

Confirmation that ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ was being made in Villa de Ovar at the end of the 18th century came from Padre Manuel Lírio, who had the opportunity to peruse the decaying records of the Irmandade dos Passos. Looking at the books, which were ‘rotting face down on the ground, the pages torn, the binding coming undone, creased and lying in a tangled heap, like filthy rags’, Padre Lírio wrote the following in Os Passos: subsídios para a história de Ovar: ‘in 1781 gifts of Pão de Ló de Ovar were offered to the priests who carried the float in the Holy Week procession. This should be kept as a testimony of how long this sweet has been in existence’.

Its reputation derives from the combination of natural and regional factors and the high quality of the eggs used with the know-how that is crucial in determining the final result.

‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ can be distinguished from other bakery products by its ‘country loaf’ shape and the creamy, yellow, light, soft cake known as ló, with a fine golden-brown crust that is slightly moist, resulting from the artisanal methods used, and by the moist part inside, known as the pito.

The method of production used to obtain a creamy, light, soft yellow cake that is moist on the inside consists of several stages, where the rituals of preparation rooted in the know-how of Ovar’s bakers are essential for getting the even bake that will ensure that the final product has the requisite characteristics.

First, to prepare the dough, the eggs, sugar and salt (optional) are beaten together for up to 20 minutes, until the mixture turns a whitish colour. The sifted flour is then added and slowly and evenly stirred in.

The know-how employed at this stage is crucial in determining the quality of the final product, as the distinctive characteristics of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ depend on it.

Next, the black or red earthenware mould is lined with paper; this is a distinctive stage specific to this product. It is lined with baking paper (100 to 120 g/m2), which has to be folded eight times to form four even pleats. This has to be done carefully so that it fits the mould properly. The pleats must be at an equal distance from one another; the paper is later trimmed with pinking shears.

Second, the mixture is transferred to the paper-lined moulds. This demonstrates the bakers’ know-how and expertise, as the right amount of mixture has to be placed in the mould in the right way for the cake to cook normally, without the mixture spilling over the paper.

Third, the cakes are baked in an electric oven at a temperature of between 140 and 200 °C, for 50 minutes to 2 hours depending on the liquid weight of product to be produced. This stage is of great importance in determining the quality of the product – success depends on the know-how employed to ensure that the cakes are baked for just the right length of time to achieve the desired texture, so they have to be watched constantly.

They are ready when the crust is golden brown and slightly moist, and the part underneath is creamy. Depending on the cooking time, the Pão de Ló will have more or less pito, making it a unique bakery product.

The specificity of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ derives from the know-how employed in preparing the mixture, transferring it to the mould and baking it for just the right length of time.

‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’, whose history goes back to the late 18th century, is the direct result of the know-how required to prepare the mixture and bake it.

Oral tradition has it that in the 19th century there were various families in Ovar making regional sweets, notably the famous ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’. In 1877, Marques Gomes, writing about Vila de Ovar in Aveiro e seu Distrito, said that ‘Aveiro’s rival sweets pão de ló and ovos molles are increasingly highly regarded’. ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ gained renown as a traditional Portuguese sweet and this was clearly because of its high quality and the fact that over time the market began to expand.

It also became more widely known as a result of shows held by the Orfeão de Ovar in 1949, 1950 and 1972.

Lingering in the memory and on the palate, since the 1980s ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ has been shown at most of Portugal’s food fairs, featuring prominently at the main events. It became popular in the capital, especially in the 1890s, because during festive periods the crews of the fragatas de Ovar [local sailing boats] would offer the boat owners and their clients gifts of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ transported in large baskets.

Pão de Ló Celeste de Ovar, produced and distributed on a wider scale from 1917, also did much to spread the fame of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’.

‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ is a unique product whose specific qualities derive from the bakers’ expertise, creating invisible ties that impart form and flavour to the places where it is made.

The reputation and renown of ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’, associated exclusively with the municipality of Ovar since the late 18th century, are well documented.

It is to be noted that the know-how associated with the production ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ has always remained within the confines of the municipality of Ovar.

Publication reference of the specification

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

http://www.dgadr.mamaot.pt/images/docs/val/dop_igp_etg/Valor/CE_Pao_lo_Ovar.pdf

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