Publication of an application for registration of a name 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

(2020/C 309/08)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘DALMATINSKA PEČENICA’

EU No: PGI-HR-02456 – 10.4.2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Dalmatinska pečenica’

2. Member State or Third Country

Croatia

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ is a preserved cured meat product without the bone, made from the trimmed longissimus dorsi muscle of the pig. It is salted or brine-cured, cold-smoked, dried and matured exclusively within the geographical area defined in point 4 of this document.

‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ is made from the refrigerated or frozen longissimus dorsi muscle of the pig (m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum), which is obtained by separating part of the loin and back from the half-carcass of the pig.

When placed on the market, ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ has the following characteristics:

external appearance: the product is cylindrical in shape, the surfaces have no cuts or other damage; the colour of the outer surface is light to dark brown, with or without light-yellow to light-brown patches of fatty tissue, which is the result of smoking;

cross-section: the product has a firm, elastic consistency and a compact structure; the cross-section is a uniform red colour which may be dark red to dark brown on the edges, with or without patches of white to light-yellow or light-brown fatty tissue, which is the result of smoking; the product is easy to slice;

taste and flavour: the product has a slightly salty taste, it is tender, succulent and melts in the mouth; it has the distinct aroma of preserved cured pork products, with a mild aroma of smoke;

chemical characteristics: the NaCl content must be no more than 7,5 %, the water content no more than 55 %, and water activity (aw) no more than 0,93.

The minimum weight of the finished product is 1,3 kg. ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ may be placed on the market whole, in pieces or in slices.

‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ is a preserved dry-cured meat product that is usually eaten without first undergoing heat treatment. The entire procedure for processing ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’, from the start of the salting/brine-curing phase to the end of the maturing phase, must take at least 45 days.

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

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

The entire production process for ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ comprises the following phases: salting or brine-curing, cold smoking, drying and maturing, all of which must take place in the geographical area defined in point 4.

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

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

When placing the product on the market whole or in any type of pre-packaging containing pieces or slices, the product must bear the name ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’, which must be clearly legible and indelible, and must stand out more clearly in terms of the size, type and colour of its lettering (typography) than any other inscription, including the production batch (series) number and the name of the producer. Adjectives such as ‘true’, ‘traditional’, ‘craft’, ‘typical’, ‘indigenous’, ‘home-made’, etc., or terms indicating the toponymy of the production area, must not be placed alongside the name ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of production of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ is confined to within the administrative boundaries of the following counties, towns and municipalities:

— Lika-Senj County: the area of the town of Novalja.

— Zadar County: the areas of the towns of Benkovac, Biograd, Nin, Obrovac, Pag and Zadar, and the municipalities of Bibinje, Galovac, Jasenice, Kali, Kolan, Kukljica, Lišane Ostrovičke, Novigrad, Pakoštane, Pašman, Polača, Poličnik, Posedarje, Povljana, Preko, Privlaka, Ražanac, Sali, Stankovci, Starigrad, Sukošan, Sveti Filip i Jakov, Škabrnja, Tkon, Vir, Vrsi and Zemunik Donji.

— The entire area of Dubrovnik-Neretva, Split-Dalmatia and Šibenik-Knin Counties.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ and its geographical area is based on the product’s reputation and quality, which stem from the traditional know-how and skills of local producers and from the area’s natural factors.

‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ has specific organoleptic properties. In particular, it has a slightly salty taste, is tender, succulent and melts in the mouth, and has the smell and aroma of fermented pork, with a mild smoky aroma. The characteristic cylindrical shape and colour of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ and its mild smoky aroma are the result of its processing procedure and specific smoking method. The product’s slightly salty, tender, succulent and melt-in-the-mouth taste, and its smell and aroma, are the result of the specific know-how and skills of local producers and Dalmatia’s specific climate conditions.

Natural factors

The geographical area for the production of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ comprises Dalmatia as a whole, i.e. the long coastal belt of the central and southern Croatian coast, including the islands (Central and Southern Adriatic Croatia). It covers a surface area of some 12 260 km2 and is separated from continental Croatia to the north-west by the Velebit, Dinarides and Kamešnica mountain ranges. For the most part, Dalmatia’s topography has the typical features of a karst landscape.

Most of Dalmatia has a Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers and mild, humid winters. One of the most important features of the Dalmatian climate is the frequent winds that alternate over the region. The winds alternating in Dalmatia from October to April are the Bora – a mostly dry, cold north-easterly wind – and the Sirocco (or Jugo), which is a mostly humid, warm south-easterly wind. The mean temperature is 3–9 °C during the coldest month, January, and 22–26 °C during the warmest month, July. Although the sea is a constant source of water vapour, the high air temperatures and frequent winds give Dalmatia the lowest relative humidity level in Croatia, with an annual average of between 65 % and 75 %. Thanks to its mild climate and agreeable temperatures, the geographical area, Dalmatia, enjoys favourable conditions for drying and maturing ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’.

Human factors

The skill of preserving meat by salting and drying it had already spread throughout Dalmatia when it was under Ancient Roman rule. This skill has been passed down the generations and perfected over time. Thanks to Dalmatia’s favourable climate conditions and the constant availability of sea salt, a processing procedure was developed that would become a traditional Dalmatian practice.

The traditional know-how and skills of local producers are important in all production phases of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’. When selecting quality longissimus dorsi muscle of the pig, producers ensure that it is more or less cylindrical in shape and compact, without any major cuts or irregularities or any surface discolouration. Their skill during the salting/brine-curing phases and in determining the amount of salt/brine to be used is the product of many years of experience, and ensures that the matured ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ is not too salty and its salt content is sufficient to protect the product from deterioration.

The climate conditions of the geographical area have had a major influence on the drying of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’. Another particular skill of local inhabitants in the drying of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ was smoking (selecting firewood, the manner and duration of smoking); in dry, cold, Bora weather, they would take ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ from drying chambers or kitchens out into the air. Thanks to antioxidant activity, the smoked meat would keep for longer, helping ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ to attain its mild smoky aroma.

Although the preserving effect of smoke no longer has the same significance in present-day production, ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ still undergoes a process of smoking, using ‘cold smoke’ generated during the smouldering of hardwood, a process known as pyrolysis, i.e. the slow burning of wood and/or sawdust at low temperatures, with smoke but without flames. The cold-smoking hardwood such as hornbeam, evergreen oak or downy oak has traditionally been used as firewood in Dalmatia.

At the end of the drying phase, the producer can tell from the appearance, colour and consistency of the product exactly when is the right time for the final phase: the maturing of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’.

The unique and distinctive characteristics of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ have made it the subject of scientific studies. The main difference in the production method of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ towards similar products (such as ‘Istarski žlomprt’) is the mandatory smoking process during the initial drying phase (Marina Krvavica and others, 2016, Fizikalna svojstva i oksidativni status dalmatinske pečenice proizvedene u različitim tehnološkim uvjetima, in the journal Meso, No 5), which gives ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ its characteristic colour and mild smoky aroma.

A scientific study of the volatile aroma compounds in ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ found a high proportion of compounds derived from smoke, in particular phenols from the aromatic methoxyphenol group, including a high level of guaiacol and 4‐methylguaiacol, which, scientists believe, contribute most to the smoky aroma. Moreover, the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of smoke originate from methoxylphenols, which makes them desirable aroma ingredients. The authors of the above publication also highlight the fact that the smoking method and the temperature of the smoke have a significant influence not only on the composition of the volatile aroma compounds, but also the colour of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’. The reason is that during the pyrolysis of wood at low temperatures, aliphatic carboxylic acids and carbonyls are formed, which give smoked ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ its characteristic colour (Marina Krvavica and others, 2018, Hlapivi spojevi arome dalmatinske pečenice proizvedene različitim postupcima dimljenja, journal Meso, No 5).

‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ is recognisable above all by its mild smoky aroma. Of particular importance here is producers’ know-how and skill in selecting the right types of wood and determining the appropriate time and duration for smoking, which largely depends on weather conditions and the characteristics of the raw materials. Moderate cold-smoking of the product using hardwood is the only way for it to attain its mild smoky aroma; excessive smoking would have a negative effect not only on the aroma, but also the colour, consistency and tenderness of the product. Producers’ expertise is also important when it comes to maintaining favourable microclimate conditions (temperature, humidity and air flow) within production facilities, which must provide the optimum speed for drying and maturing, and the right intensity for biochemical processes in the product’s tissue, to ensure the product attains its specific sensory properties. Producers’ know-how and traditional production skills have endowed ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ with specific characteristics, which have helped it acquire its reputation.

Written traces of the name ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ can be found as far back as the early 1900s, when people’s enlightener Don Frano Ivanišević, in his book Poljica – narodni život i običaji 1903-1906, described how ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ was produced by local producers from the Dalmatia region, using the know-how and skills they acquired over many years in the processing of the product. Frano Ivanišević also says that ‘... the pork loin (“pečenica” in Croatian), which forms part of pork chops known in the defined geographical area as [sg.] “zarebrica” or “zarebrnik”, had long been a highly prized product which was usually sold or kept as a present; some would remove it to sell it or offer it as a gift to a friend’. This shows that in those days, ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ was produced on most farms, but not in sufficient quantities for mass sale outside the production area (F. Ivanišević, 1903-1906, Poljica – narodni život i običaji, Zagreb; Reprint Društvo Poljičana ‘Sveti Jure’ – Priko, 2006).

The name ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ also occurs in various culinary works, such as Dalmatinska kuhinja by Dika Marjanović-Radica from 1939, which describes its production method (D. Marjanović-Radica, Dalmatinska kuhinja, 1939).

The reputation of the name ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ and its link with the geographical area are also supported by the findings of a survey. When asked why they had chosen to buy ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’, fully 85,29 % of respondents said that ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ differed from similar products in terms of its quality (taste, aroma, smell, tenderness). The majority of respondents had opted to buy the product because it was a traditional product from the geographical area of Dalmatia. Most of those surveyed had been consuming ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ for more than 10 years, while more than 50 % said they had always bought it, which demonstrates the deeply-rooted tradition of production and the consumption of the product. (M. Ćaćić, 2017, Survey – Consumer opinion in Dalmatia about local traditional cured meat products).

The fact that ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ and its production method are still mentioned in specialist journals on meat products demonstrates the reputation it continues to enjoy today (Marina Krvavica and others, 2016, Fizikalna svojstva i oksidativni status dalmatinske pečenice proizvedene u različitim tehnološkim uvjetima, journal Meso, No 5).

The reputation of ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ is also demonstrated by numerous culinary events showcasing traditional cured meat products, including ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’. A culinary event held at the Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb in 2015 featured the tasting and judging of cured meat products, and ‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ won the first three prizes in the pork loin category. A newspaper article about the event, entitled ‘Dalmatia triumphs – we have the best pršut, panceta and pečenica’, was published in the weekly Nedjeljna Slobodna Dalmacija by journalist M. Šilović (M. Šilović, 2015, Trijumf Dalmacije – imamo najbolji pršut, pancetu i pečenicu. Nedjeljna Slobodna Dalmacija, 2015).

‘Dalmatinska pečenica’ has also become a recognisable delicacy and is served in many restaurants and catering establishments.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

https://poljoprivreda.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/hrana/proizvodi_u_postupku_zastite-zoi-zozp-zts/Izmijenjena%20Specifikacija%20proizvoda%20Dalmatinska%20pečenica.pdf

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