EN Official Journal of the European Union C 186/20

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

2009/C 186/10

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 from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘RICCIARELLI DI SIENA’

EC No: IT-PGI-0005-0666-18.12.2007

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Ricciarelli di Siena’

2. Member State or third country:

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product (as in Annex II):

Class 2.4: Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares.

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

The designation ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ indicates the confectionery product obtained from preparing a mixture of almonds, sugar and egg white, which is then baked in the oven. When the product is placed on the market, it has the following characteristics: shape: oval lozenge; weight: between 10 and 30 g per unit; dimensions: longest diagonal between 50 and 105 mm; shortest diagonal between 30 and 65 mm; thickness: between 13 and 20 mm; external appearance: the surface is white because of a coating of icing sugar and there may be some slight crackling; the edge is light golden-coloured; internal appearance: the dough is a light golden beige colour; consistency: soft, spongy; relative moisture: between a minimum of 8 % and a maximum of 11,5 %.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Compulsory ingredients: the ingredients used to prepare ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ are (quantities for 1 kg of dough): sweet almonds: from 35 % to 50 %; caster sugar: from 35 % to 47 %; chickens’ egg white: from 6 % to 12 %; icing sugar: from 5 % to 8 %; raising agents (ammonium salts and/or sodium salts): as needed. The use of powdered or pasteurised egg white is permitted. Optional ingredients: bitter almonds: up to a maximum of 6 % of the total mixture, as a partial substitute for the sweet almonds; glucose syrup or invert sugar: up to a maximum of 10 % of the total mixture, as a partial substitute for the caster sugar; mixed flower honey: in addition to the other sweetening matters, up to a maximum of 7 % of the mixture; flavourings: vanilla pods or vanillin, essential oils of citrus fruit, almond flavouring, used separately or in combination, as needed; candied orange zest: up to a maximum of 5 % of the mixture; rice paper: used as a base for the product; sorbic acid: according to the legislation in force. No other ingredients, additives, colourings or preservatives.

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

—

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

Processing and packaging must all be carried out in a continuous process and therefore necessarily within the area of production defined under point 4 because this is the only way of guaranteeing the flavour of the product. Maintaining the relative moisture indicated under point 3.2 is ensured by packaging the product straight after cooling. This prevents the occurrence of two opposing phenomena, which would have an adverse impact both on the product's appearance (alteration to the crust) and its softness and flavour: absorbing ambient air that is too dry causes the dough to dry out while air that is too moist makes it too yielding to the touch.

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

‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ are marketed in individual packets or packets containing several units. The freshness, softness and flavour of the product are ensured by packaging them on the spot and by the type of packaging, which also protects them against breaking. Individually packaged Ricciarelli are placed in special hermetically closed wrappers. For larger packets, the Ricciarelli are placed in hermetically closed clear trays or containers or in trays with cavities in the shape and size of the individual units, which are then wrapped in heat-sealed transparent film and usually put in cardboard or metal boxes.

3.7. Specific rules on labelling:

The label must show the wording ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ and ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ written in full or abbreviated (PGI), and the following information: the name, company name and address of the packager or producer; the logo portraying the image to be used strictly in conjunction with the Protected Geographical Indication.

The name ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ is untranslatable. The size of the logo may be adapted in proportion to suit different sizes of packaging.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The area where ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ are produced and packaged covers the entire administrative territory of the province of Siena.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The area has a high proportion of craft confectionery products, the legacy of the key role played for centuries by the local apothecaries, which were established in the Middle Ages and stocked typical local products. The sector's importance is clear not only from the number of businesses and people involved in confectionery production but also the whole industry's high export share. This success is due in large part to the traditional methods of production, using a high degree of craftsmanship.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

The specific feature of this product is the soft, compact and spongy consistency of the dough and its light golden white colour. The specificity of ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ is due to certain traditional production techniques which are particular to the designation and which can be summed up as follows:

— the leavening and baking,

— the granulometry of the dough,

— the particular softness due to the working of the dough and the use of egg white.

Ricciarelli di Siena differ from other similar products because they contain no flour or potato starch, which would lower the quality of the product. The whiteness of the dough is due solely to the presence of the sugar.

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

The undisputed reputation of ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ rests on the fact that they are typical, matchless Christmas sweetmeats. It is clear from key works on gastronomy and food traditions that for the Sienese, Christmas would not be Christmas without ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’. With the passage of time, they are now eaten at other periods of the year, particularly as a result of the huge influx of visitors and tourists from all over the world to the area. This factor has also helped to promote exports and, at the same time, loosen the link between the product and religious festivals and other special occasions. ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ used to be produced in convents and apothecaries, the only places where the spices and flavourings needed to flavour and preserve food could be found. Evidence of this tradition is still visible today in old apothecary shops in the historical centre of Siena whose frescoed ceilings with gold inscriptions extol Ricciarelli, Panforti and other typical local sweetmeats made in these shops. The Sienese novelist and playwright, Parige, recounts in one of his short stories how a Sienese nobleman, Ricciardetto della Gherardesca (whence the name Ricciarello) on his return from the Crusades introduced some Arab sweetmeats that recalled the curled shape of the Sultan's slippers. The first specific reference to the term Ricciarello was found in a long list of Tuscan sweetmeats given in the ‘Ditirambo di S.B. in onore del Caffè e dello Zucchero’ published in Livorno in 1814. It refers to ‘della lupa i Ricciarelli’, where the indication of the Sienese origin is given by the city's symbol — the wolf, or ‘lupa’.

In 1891 the first edition of Pellegrino Artusi's key work, ‘La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene’, was published, the first example of a recipe book based on national gastronomic traditions. The title of Recipe No 629, which describes how to prepare the product in question, bears the name ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’. The ingredients listed in the recipe are those still used today: ‘fine white sugar, sweet and bitter almonds, egg white, organ zest fragrance’.

Reference to publication of the specification:

The Government launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’ as a PGI in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 149 of 29 June 2005.

The full text of the product specification is available:

— on the following website: http://www.politicheagricole.it/DocumentiPubblicazioni/Search_Documenti_Elenco.htm?txtTipoDocumento=Disciplinare%20in%20esame%20UE&txtDocArgomento=Prodotti%20di%20Qualit%E0>Prodotti%20Dop,%20Igp%20e%20Stg or