EN Official Journal of the European Union C 102/8

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

2013/C 102/08

This publication confers the right to oppose the application, pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘WESTFÄLISCHER KNOCHENSCHINKEN’

EC No: DE-PGI-0005-0854-01.02.2011

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Westfälischer Knochenschinken’

2. Member State or Third Country:

Germany

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 point 1 applies:

General description:

Fresh ham from the hind leg of the pig, on the bone, salted and dried.

Colour: a strong dark pink to dark red with yellow rind.

Taste: intense but mild, can have mild smoky taste, with a hint of nuts due to the presence of the bone. The air-dried variant of ‘Westfälischer Knochenschinken’ is particularly mild and delicate in taste. Apart from the smoking stage, all stages of the process are the same for both variants of this ham.

Salt content: maximum 6,5 %.

Water content: maximum 65 % for smoked ham and maximum 62 % for air-dried ham.

At the end of the maturing period, the cut surface of the ham has a strong red colour with slight marbling.

Production process:

The entire production process, from the delivery of the raw material (whole hind leg with bone) at the place of processing to the end of the maturing stage, must take place in the defined geographical area. The minimum maturing period is six months. The minimum curing period is three weeks.

Salting: salted only by hand. Only dry curing through the ham's own brine is permitted. No injection of salt or spice brine is allowed. All surfaces of the ham are salted by hand. After salting, the ham is placed in basins. Salt is scattered between the layers. The salting period is between three and six weeks in total. During this time, the ham is repacked in its own brine every week. After this stage is complete, the ham is taken out of its own brine and placed in another basin to ‘stew’.

Soaking: after ‘stewing’, the ham may be soaked, scrubbed and finally hung.

Drying or smoking: after being hung, the ham is pre-dried or smoked, depending on the variant. If it is smoked, only beech wood may be used.

Other stages: the ham is washed and dried at intervals until it has matured enough.

Maturing: minimum maturing period of six months. Only once the ham has been fully matured can it be sold, unpacked, sliced (reprocessed) and vacuum-packed.

No phosphates or GDL (delta-gluconolactone) are used.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Whole hind leg of the pig with bone. When the ham is delivered to the place of processing by lorry, the temperature in the load compartment of the lorry must be at a maximum of 4 °C, as the core temperature of the ham must remain under 7 °C. The pH of the ham must be between 5,4 and 5,8.

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 entire production process, from the delivery of the raw material (whole hind leg with bone) at the place of processing to the end of the maturing stage, must take place in the defined geographical area.

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

—

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

When a label is applied, in addition to the legally required information, it must also show the following:

‘Westfälischer Knochenschinken’ PGI;

EU PGI logo.

Only the information in the product specification may be displayed on the label. No information may be included which could confuse the consumer.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The Westphalia-Lippe Landschaftsverband (the Münster, Detmold and Arnsberg government regions), the Lower Saxony towns of 48465 Schüttorf, 48455 Bad Bentheim and 48499 Salzbergen.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

A ham-making tradition was established in Westphalia which is still alive today. This tradition is a specificity of the geographical area which sprang from the special characteristics of this area.

The rather damp and cold temperate climate, which is influenced by the proximity of the North Sea, is ideal for pig farming; today pigs are still reared in large numbers in Westphalia. A special type of pig farming was carried out in Westphalia in centuries gone by. The pigs were allowed to run wild in the Westphalian oak forests; they flourished in this natural environment. This farming method meant that practically everyone could own at least one pig and make ham; it also resulted in large, healthy pigs whose meat was not too fatty.

This type of meat production produced excellent results and, although it is no longer carried out in this way today due to conservation issues and population density, it gave birth to a special tradition and local know-how in areas such as meat processing and ham-making.

The climate is ideal for making smoked ham but air-dried ham was also, and still is, produced. Traditionally, ham-making began in the cool winter months, partly because cool temperatures were required for the early stages in particular, and partly so that the ham could be ready and sliced for the asparagus season at the beginning of May. Although today modern facilities mean that ham can be produced throughout the year, ham is still made using traditional methods, which have been passed down from generation to generation, and which still contribute to the high quality of Westphalian ham to this day. Quality meat is still valued today; even now, the meat is salted only by hand and the traditional maturing period is much longer than is usual on the market due to the strong local ham-making tradition.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

Westphalia has been well-known for centuries for producing high quality ham and it has a good reputation with consumers inside and outside the region.

Westphalian ham on the bone is the original top quality variant of this ham. Its high quality is due to the fact that the whole leg is used with the bone in it. Moreover, as the injection of brine is prohibited, the ham on the bone needs a longer curing period of at least three weeks because the salt must be absorbed naturally by the ham and the bone. The maturing period is also longer for salting on the bone because the ham dries more slowly. It lasts at least six months, which is much longer than any other ham marketed under other well-known brands. Ham matured on the bone also acquires a special taste with a hint of nuts.

With regard to its history: even the Romans knew that the best ham was made in Westphalia. They would go to any lengths to transport the processed ham on its bone by horse and on foot along the Rhine and over the Alps into Italy. In the 12th century, there was great demand in Cologne for Westphalian ham which was sold in its main market. The city of Dortmund presented Kaiser Sigismund (1368-1437, only elected king in 1410) with 12 legs of ham. The Kaiser is reported to have been more pleased with this gift of ham than with a golden bowl presented by the city of Cologne. The reputation of Westphalian ham can be seen in the north-facing stained-glass window (made around 1500) of the church of St Mary of the Meadow built around 1400 in Soest. It depicts a ‘Westphalian Last Supper’, with beer and Westphalian ham instead of bread and wine. Heinrich Heine called Westphalia the ‘home of ham’.

In the Dutch/German-French wars of 1674-1678, the threat of pillaging and billeting was averted through the transport of several loads of ham from the Westphalian Sauerland region to Vienna.

The long tradition behind Westphalian ham can also be seen in local expressions. When someone speaks of a ‘Westphalian heaven’ in a Westphalian farmhouse, they mean the area above the open fire where the ham used to be hung for smoking.

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 reputation of this product is anchored in its geographical area. The centuries-long tradition of ham-making in Westphalia was born of an ideal environment which went hand-in-hand with the know-how of the local producers and was instrumental in the production of Westphalian ham on the bone, a top quality product with a characteristic taste. This ham has a reputation for being a regional speciality which goes well beyond its borders, and it owes much of this reputation to its geographical birthplace. Its reputation is built on a genuine tradition of ham-making which has been shaped in particular by the longer maturing period needed by this ham than is usual with other hams.

The specific local methods used in the production of this ham also mean that the observable characteristics of the ham have been influenced by the geographical area. In particular, the longer curing and maturing periods which are typical of the area have resulted in a lower water content which has influenced the physical characteristics of the ham (consistency, firmness and specific weight), its chemical characteristics (in particular, a low water content and, dependent on that, a relatively high content of other substances such as fats and proteins) and, dependent on that, its organoleptic characteristics. All these characteristics differ from those of other hams.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/17403

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

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.

(3) See footnote 2.