Publication of an application for registration pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 8(1) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2082/92 on certificates of specific character
Date: 2001-08-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Finland, bakery, foodstuff, location of production, product designation, product quality

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Publication of an application for registration pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 8(1)
of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2082/92 on certificates of specific character

(2001/C 235/04)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 8 and 9 of the
abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to the application must be submitted via the competent
authority in the Member State concerned within a time limit of five months from the date of this
publication. Supporting arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under points 4.2, 4.3
and 4.4, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2082/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2082/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF A SPECIFIC PRODUCT

National application number: (cid:151)

1. Competent authority

Name:

Maa- ja mets(cid:228)talousministeri(cid:246) (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)

Address: PL (PO Box) 30

FIN-00023 Valtioneuvosto

Tel.

Fax

(358-9) 16 01

(358-9) 160 91 66.

2. Applicant group

2.1. Name:

Suomen Kalaruoan Yst(cid:228)v(cid:228)t ry (The friends of Finnish fish dishes)

2.2. Address: PL (PO Box) 132

FIN-00251 Helsinki

Tel.

(358-9) 49 75 86

2.3. Composition: Producer/processor (

)

other (x).

3. Type of product: Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other bakers’ wares

4. Summary of product specificiation

(summary of requirements under Article 6(2))

4.1. Name: Kalakukko.

4.2. Specific production or manufacturing method: Kalakukko preparation is divided into two separate

stages: preparation of the dough base and preparation of the filling.

Preparation of the dough base

Mix the flours (mainly rye flour, a little wheat flour and perhaps some barley flour). Add water
carefully so that the dough does not become too runny. Add salt and melted butter. For about 1 kg
of flour, you will need about 80-100 g of melted butter for the dough. Shape the dough into a
round or oval between 15 and 40 cm across and about 1,5 cm thick at the centre, thinning out a
little towards the sides. The centre of the dough shape can be sprinkled with about 1 soupspoon
(30 g) of rye flour to prevent liquid draining out of the filling from passing through the dough.

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Preparation of the filling

Place the washed and dried fish in a compact heap in the middle of the dough shape. The filling
can contain whole small fish such as perch, whitefish, roach or smelt. Large fish like salmon
should be filleted before adding to the filling. Salt the layers of fish and put pats of butter between
them. Cover the mound of fish with slices of bacon, and sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of salt on top.

The next step is to close the kalakukko. Draw two sides of the dough up over the filling. Use your
fingers, moistened with a little water, to glue the two sides together water. The kalakukko is then
fully closed by drawing up the other ends of the dough. To finish off, use a knife and some water
to form a round or oval shape.

Kalakukkos used to be baked using the residual heat of the bread oven after normal baking. They
were left in it overnight. Nowadays kalakukko is baked at 250-300 (cid:176)C for between 20 minutes and
one hour, making sure that the dough crust does not split. The crust is patched with more dough,
if necessary. The kalakukko is then taken out of the oven and the oven temperature is reduced to
between 125 and 150 (cid:176)C. It is smeared with melted butter and may also be covered in tinfoil. The
filling begins to cook in the moderate oven; this takes between four and six hours. After baking,
the kalakukko was traditionally wrapped in a newspaper or woollen cloth, where it would be left
to mature for two or three hours. Kalakukkos are nowadays matured in an oven set at less than
100 (cid:176)C.

Kalakukko must not be baked at too high a temperature, because it results in a rather dry kukko
with a hard crust, the organoleptic qualities of which do not correspond to the traditional
kalakukko.

The temperature inside the kalakukko during baking rises to above 65 (cid:176)C, thereby deactivating the
decomposer enzymes and microbes in the fresh fish and other raw ingredients. Kalakukkos keep
perfectly if they are well protected and stored in a cold place.

The good quality and conservation of the modern kalakukko is ensured through careful watching,
rapid cooling after baking, protective wrapping and a low storage temperature.

4.3. Traditional character: The way kalakukko is prepared is said to go back to when agriculture began
to replace fishing and hunting. People in the region of J(cid:228)rvi-Suomi (lakeland Finland) were looking
for a way of using small, difficult-to-prepare fish such as whitefish, perch, roach and smelt. The
idea was to cook the fish inside a crust made of rye dough. Then, as pig farming became more
widespread, it was discovered that bacon slices increased the energy value and gave the kalakukko
more flavour. Kalakukko was a meal in itself which the Finns took with them to eat when working
in the forest or on the land away from where they lived.

To make kalakukko, traditionally fish and meat are cooked together. The tradition of making
kalakukko, which originated in Savo and Karelia, is said to go back to the Middle Ages.

After the Second World War, part of Karelia passed to what was then the Soviet Union, and the
population of the region was moved to other parts of Finland. Thus the art and tradition of
making kalakukko spread throughout Finland. However, it is in the provinces of Savo and Karelia
that the tradition of this dish remains strongest.

4.4. Description of the product: Kalakukko is a dish based on baked bread and is round or oval in
shape. The rye casing is thick and impervious, its surface hard and firm as a result of being baked
at a high temperature for a short time. The crust forms a kind of packaging and the filling can
(cid:145)stew(cid:146) whilst retaining its flavour and tenderness.

The crust prevents the filling from drying out (and protects the micro-organisms present) during
transport, storage and sale. The crust and filling combine to make kalakukko a meal in itself.

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4.5. Minimum requirements and inspection procedures to which specific character is subject

Inspection covers the following points:

The production facility makes sure during the preparation stage that the dough is rolled out, as
stated in point 4.2 above, into round or oval shapes, that the fish filling is placed in a compact
heap at the middle of the dough, is covered with bacon and that the kalakukko is closed by folding
the edges of the pastry over the filling, all these being essential ingredients in the traditional way of
making this product.

The production facility also makes sure during preparation that the kalakukko is baked in a very
hot oven (250-300 (cid:176)C), as stated in point 4.2 above, then at a reduced temperature (125-150 (cid:176)C),
and finally on a very low heat (less than 100 degrees). Baking in this way preserves the moistness
of the kalakukko filling and enhances its flavour.

Samples are taken of the final product at the production and distribution stages to establish its
chemical and organoleptic properties (using official standard procedures, such as IDF or ISO). Its
microbiological properties are also checked to calculate bacteria levels.

5. Request for reservation pursuant to Article 13(2): Yes.

EC No: S/FI/00013/98.08.26.

Date of receipt of the full application: 7 July 2000.