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

(2021/C 421/09)

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 of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’

EU No: PGI-FR-02429 – 17 August 2018

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’

2. Member State or Third Country

France

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

‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ is a dry-cured triangle-, trapezium- or teardrop-shaped charcuterie product. The whole pieces, which always have the rind left on, are cut into almost rectangular slices, revealing several layers of muscle marbled with fat.

Smoking gives it a typical amber colour which is not necessarily uniform throughout the product. It may also have a natural bloom of mould that is either whitish or green to ash-grey in colour.

Inside the colour varies between burgundy (the lean layers of meat) and white (the layers of fat).

The initial aroma is an intense combination of smokiness and pepperiness. This is followed by notes of dry-cured, aged meat.

The alternating layers of lean meat and fat give it a mouthfeel that is firm and creamy at the same time. A characteristic of this product is that it strikes just the right balance between saltiness, dry-cured meat and fat, complemented by a powerful peppery note and a smoky taste that, though long and persistent, does not overpower the ensemble of flavours.

Chemical and physical characteristics

— water-soluble carbohydrates: ≤ 1 %

— moisture content on a fat-free basis: ≤ 76 %

— total fat: 30-60 %

Each piece is between 15 and 25 cm wide and between 15 and 35 cm long, with a weight of between 500 g and 2 kg.

‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ is marketed whole, in portions or sliced.

It is sold either unpackaged or film-wrapped, vacuum-packed or in modified-atmosphere packaging.

Portions (100-350 g) and slices are sold film-wrapped, vacuum-packed or in modified-atmosphere packaging.

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

The raw materials used to make ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ are obtained from pigs meeting the following requirements:

— none of the pigs may be affected by the Rn- allele and the rate of halothane susceptibility must be less than 3 %;

— the feed ration given to the pigs in the growing/finishing stages must have a linoleic acid content of less than 1,9 %;

— the pigs must have at least 2 hours’ lairage time after delivery to the abattoir before they are slaughtered;

— the pigs must have a hot carcass weight of ≥ 75 kg;

— ultimate pH (measured from the semimembranosus of the hind leg) must be between 5,50 and 6,20;

— none of the following visual defects may be present: bloodspots, abscesses, staining with faecal dirt or conveyor lubricant, serious defects of colour or consistency;

— the pork fat must be firm and white;

— the meat must be pinkish to red in colour.

The piece of the cut carcass used to make ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ is the pork jowl with the skin fully intact. The jowl is cut and trimmed to form a triangle, trapezium or teardrop shape.

Each trimmed piece weighs between 750 g and 3 kg.

The cuts of pork are to be delivered fresh or frozen.

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

The entire process of making ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’, from salting to dry-curing, must take place in the geographical area.

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

Once the product has been portioned or sliced it must be packaged using film-wrapping, vacuum-packing or modified-atmosphere packaging.

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

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4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area for the protected geographical indication ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ consists of the two departments of Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link between the geographical area and ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ is largely based on traditional know-how and specific characteristics.

‘Ile de Beauté’ (‘Isle of Beauty’) is a nickname often used for the French administrative region of Corsica, a mountainous island in the Mediterranean.

Corsica has a Mediterranean climate, characterised by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The island is buffeted by two dominant winds: the nocturnal a tramuntana brings cool nights, and the diurnal u maestrale makes the days dry.

The local soil and climate combine to create ideal conditions for forest growth. Corsica is therefore a region of forests, with broadleaved trees – chestnut, oak and beech in particular – particularly rife across the entire island. A wooded area of 401 817 ha gives Corsica an overall forest cover rate of 46 %, well above the national average of 26,9 %. The most common broadleaved trees are oak trees, notably holm oak, which accounts for 22 % of the island’s tree cover. Cork oak can mainly be found in the centre and south of the island, making up around 15 % of its forests. An area of more than 200 000 hectares is covered with maquis shrubland, often growing up to 5 or 6 metres high and forming a ‘forest’ in itself. Beech trees – a typical species of the shaded slopes at the supra-Mediterranean level – can be found at elevations of 1 000 m and above. The chestnut tree, which is particularly suited to Corsica’s natural environment, can be found throughout the island, from right on the shoreline all the way up to 1 200 m above sea level.

The conditions of island life have led the Corsican people to develop ways of making charcuterie that are tailored to the local climate and forest resources.

It is because of Corsica’s dry, windy climate that the dry-salting method of curing pork has been favoured over the cooking of charcuterie practised in northern France.

Making ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ is one of the oldest pork preservation traditions and is practised throughout Corsica. It is one of the products eaten in the medium term after the pig is slaughtered. Cured meats have always played an important role in the Corsican diet and, consequently, its culture. ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ is dry-salted and left to rest in the salting room for a specified period depending on its weight.. Mastering this stage is important to ensure the stabilisation and preservation of the product. Dry-salting naturally emerged as the most suitable curing method for Corsica, as a way of preserving meat so that it can be eaten throughout the year requiring very little equipment.

The use of large amounts of black pepper (5-15 g per kg for whole pieces and 1-5 g per kg when pieces are to be sliced) shows how the curing process has been influenced by the fact that temperatures are high for much of the year: pepper was originally used as a natural insect repellent and has over time become one of the key features of ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’.

This is a hardwood-smoked product, which sets it apart from other products where the tendency is to use softwood for smoking. The wood comes from local broadleaved trees, the most commonly used species being those closest at hand and most widely available: oak, chestnut, beech, strawberry tree and heathers. This is a traditional practice that in the past was generally linked to chestnut-growing, which played an important role in the island’s agriculture. Local hardwood has always been used to smoke charcuterie because these species can be found throughout the island and because hardwood is more fire-resistant and gives off much less residue when burnt than softwood. This results in a ‘mild’ and very subtle smoking process, avoiding the saturation of taste that might come from using softwood. Smoking also makes it possible to preserve the product and finishes off its external protection from insects. Smoking meat is a custom found particularly in areas where Germanic tribes settled in large numbers. This tradition of smoking meat that has developed throughout Corsica is therefore quite unusual, as smoking is rarely practised in the rest of the Mediterranean basin.

Finally, natural ventilation is used in the dry-curing process. This stage brings out the product’s organoleptic characteristics.

‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ is one of Corsica’s flagship products, the result of local know-how that reflects the island, its culture and its customs. The use of specific production methods passed down from generation to generation sets it apart from other products. This know-how is what gives it its characteristics:

— its typical amber (brown to golden) colour, not necessarily uniform throughout the product;

— an initial intense aroma combining smokiness and pepperiness, followed by notes of dry-cured and aged meat;

— just the right balance between saltiness, dry-cured meat and fat;

— a powerful peppery note which prolongs the assault on the palate, bolstering and extending the other flavours;

— a smoky taste that, though long and persistent, does not overpower the ensemble of flavours.

The specific method used to make ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ has been shaped by the island’s climate and natural resources: dry-salting, the use of black pepper in large quantities, hardwood-smoking using wood from local trees, and using natural ventilation in the dry-curing process are all practices that have been shaped by Corsica’s dry and windy climate, the conditions of island life, and the extent of the island’s forest cover.

Mastering the dry-salting technique results in a product with a balanced salty flavour and a long shelf life.

The use of large amounts of black pepper gives the product the powerful peppery note that is a distinguishing feature of ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’.

Hardwood-smoking over wood from local trees (chestnut, oak, beech, etc.) gives the product a very complex palette of aromatic notes (a long and persistent smoky taste in the mouth), which is another major characteristic of ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’. It also gives the product its sustained smoky aroma and typical amber colour.

The use of natural ventilation in the drying room during the dry-curing process helps to stabilise and preserve the product and shape its organoleptic characteristics (striking the right balance between saltiness, dried meat and fat).

Know-how has been passed down from generation to generation, helped by the fact that Corsica is an island, a factor that has also enabled the characteristics of ‘Bulagna de l’Ile de Beauté’ to be preserved.

Reference to publication of the product specification

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

https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-BulagnaIdB-RepCOM2.pdf

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