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
Date: 2008-08-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Hungary, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, meat product, mode of production, product designation

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OTHER ACTS

COMMISSION

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

(2008/C 206/10)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation
(EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date
of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘BUDAPESTI TÉLISZALÁMI’

EC No: HU-PGI-005-0396-21.10.2004

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Responsible Department in the Member State:

Name:

Földművelésügyi és Vidékfejlesztési Minisztérium – Élelmiszerlánc-biztonsági, Állat- és
Növényegészségügyi Főosztály

Address: H-1055 Budapest, Kossuth Lajos tér 11

Tel.

Fax

(36-1) 301-4419 or (36-1) 301-4486

(36-1) 301-4808

E-mail:

ZoborE@fvm.hu

2. Group:

Name:

Address:

Tel.

Fax

HERZ Szalámigyár Zrt.

H-1097 Budapest, Gubacsi út 13

(36-1) 215-7489

(36-1) 216-7485

E-mail:

herzrt@herz.hu

Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

In accordance with Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, this is an exceptional case as there is
only one producer in this field. The conditions set out in Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EC)
No 1898/2006 have been met.

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

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3.

Type of product:

Class 1.2 — Group: Meat products

4.

Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1. Name:

‘Budapesti téliszalámi’

4.2. Description: Budapesti téliszalámi (Budapest winter salami) is made using meat carved from heavy (more
than 150 kg) castrated male pigs or non-breeding females more than one year old from the Mangalitsa,
Cornwall, Berkshire, Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Hampshire and Pietrain breeds or their crosses, and
the firm pork fat of the above breeds or their crosses. Boars castrated as adults which have fathered
litters may not be used.

Budapesti téliszalámi is a smoked, fermented, dried meat product made from ingredients evenly cut into
small pieces and mixed together, and comprises pork meat chopped into approximately 4 mm sized
pieces and pork fat chopped into approximately 2 mm sized pieces mixed evenly with seasoning and
stuffed in horse intestines or artificial casings. Cylindrical in shape, its surface is evenly covered with
greyish-white noble mould. Table salt, a curing agent (a mixture of table salt and sodium nitrate) and
spices (white pepper, sweet paprika and allspice) are added to taste, with the flavour of the allspice
dominant.

The salami is long and cylindrical in shape, with an even thickness and a diameter of at least 40 mm
and no more than 85 mm. The casing is free from indentations, evenly covered with a greyish-white
noble mould and adheres well to the filling. It is compact yet elastic and easy to slice, firm but not too
hard. The cut surface is light, mosaiced with uniformly mixed light brown/red meat granules and pale
fat granules.

It is sold whole or sliced. Whole salamis are wrapped in cellophane in approximately 54 cm long
‘normal’, approximately 33 cm long ‘midi’, approximately 19 cm long ‘tourist’ and approximately
16 cm long ‘mini’ sizes. Sliced salami is sold in trays wrapped in vacuum foil or protective gas atmo-
sphere packaging.

4.3. Geographical area: Budapesti téliszalámi is produced in Budapest, within 1 km of the Danube.

4.4. Proof of origin: Proof of origin in the geographical area is provided by the following:

The half carcases delivered to the butchery bear ENAR (Egységes Nyilvántartási és Azonosítási Rendszer —
Integrated Identification and Registration System) ear tag numbers. The origin of the half carcases
arriving at the factory can be traced using the butchery records. Products made from the parts of each
half carcass are given item numbers, enabling them to be traced and identified at any time during the
production process starting from their delivery to the factory. The item numbers are present in each
step of the production process in the form of ear tag numbers, marking plates and paste numbers.
Documents produced during processing and finished product inspection also refer back to individual
item numbers.

As regards the place of manufacture, the producer must at all times be able to prove that production
— or at least, all the operations from the chopping up of the raw materials through the smoking, as
far as the drying — has taken place in Budapest, in an area within 1 km of the Danube.

4.5. Method of production: The products are made using leg, loin, shoulder, rib, flank and tenderloin, and the
firm belly fat and chaps with the glands removed, taken from half carcases of crosses of the breeds
listed above, cut (only by hand), boned and with tendons, heads and trotters removed.

The meat, cooled to 0 … – 4 °C and the fat, cooled to – 3 … – 7 °C, are weighed and chopped by
machine into 2-4 mm pieces. Seasoning takes place during the chopping and mixing, using salt, white
pepper, sweet paprika, allspice, and curing salt is also added. The resulting salami paste is vacuum-filled
by machine into an intestine casing, the ends of the individual salamis are closed and tied, and they are
placed in a frame. Horse intestines or water vapour permeable synthetic casings are used.

After filling, the salami is smoked. This takes from 12 to 20 days at a maximum of 16 °C over a
smothered hardwood billet fire using mainly beech billets.

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The next stage is fermentation and drying of the smoked product to allow the formation of mould.
During this process the salamis are placed in the fermenting/drying facility, where the natural micro-
flora in the room attaches itself to the surface. No starter cultures are used for mould formation during
salami production. Temperature and humidity conditions (10-14 °C, relative humidity above 86 %) for
the formation of the mould layer enable and promote the growth of the mould and the formation
of an even covering on the salami. The fermentation/drying requires great care; the high pH value of
Budapesti téliszalámi — more than 5 — means it must be dried slowly. The relative humidity of the air
for fermentation/drying is between 45 % and 95 % and the air flow is set so that the diffusion impetus
(the difference between the relative and balanced humidity) does not exceed 4-5 %. This requires a
combination of air flow from the external environment (the open air) and that which can be produced
with air conditioning.

The fermentation/drying process takes 2-3 months, so that the total time needed for the salami from
filling to being ready for cutting is at least 90 days.

4.6. Link: Salami has been made in Budapest since the end of the 19th century. Whilst in the past this
activity was carried out by a number of companies (Dozzi, Antal Kreische, Meduna, Ármin Herz and
sons), the only salami manufacturer still operating there today is the HERZ Szalámigyár Zrt. founded
by Ármin Herz and sons.

In the 19th century, Budapesti téliszalámi (Budapest winter salami) — as the name suggests — was made
only in the winter. It was not yet possible to cool drying rooms or regulate the humidity of rooms arti-
ficially. The damp air in the vicinity of the Danube was used for mould formation and drying; this was
ideal for the development of the mould coating which characterises Budapesti téliszalámi. Optimal air
conditions for the fermentation stage were ensured by opening or closing the windows of
the
fermenting rooms. The product continues to be manufactured at a site beside the Danube and fermen-
tation takes place within 1 km of the line of the river, which determines the atmospheric conditions in
this zone. The air here is always damper and (apart from in winter) somewhat cooler; it is also cleaner,
as the area close to the Danube enjoys continuous air movement. The relative humidity is approxi-
mately 10 % higher and the temperature fluctuation approximately 2 °C less than in areas further away.

The damper air which results from evaporation across the wide expanse of water has led in this geogra-
phical location to the formation of a particular combination of moulds — a mixture of various types
of Penicillinum and Aspergillus in a fixed proportion — which gives the greyish-characteristic white
colour to the layer of mould which forms on the product. The mould is characteristic and unique and
bears the scent of the Danube, and there is none of the intense, unpleasant ammonia smell of salamis
made with mould starters. The mould spores in the microflora of the fermenting rooms are everywhere
present in the air and find their way by means of air currents onto the surface of the salami, where
they multiply. This characteristic ‘home-grown mould flora’ determines the product's organoleptic
properties (smell, taste, appearance); it also prevents the salami from drying out rapidly, whilst the
opaque surface prevents it from quickly growing rancid.

It should be noted that the mould flora which forms the mould layer on Budapesti téliszalámi, which has
been made using the same technique and ingredients for more than 110 years, consists of mould
which is not inhibited by the smoked surface and thus clings easily to the surface of the salami and
multiplies. This is not possible using mould starter cultures, due to their sensitivity to smoke.

Smoking is still done using cold smoke from a smothered hardwood billet fire (using mainly dry beech
billets),
just as in the 19th century. The thoroughly dried billets are still moved into place on
hand-manoeuvred metal smoking carts which follow a fixed path, as in the past.

Fermenting takes place in multi-level fermenting rooms and is directed by the master salami maker. To
this day the ‘home-grown mould flora’ remains able to develop and multiply in any of the fermenting
rooms, regardless of what kind of building they are in, as the right conditions are created by the micro-
climate formed by the surface of the Danube and the parameters provided for fermenting. That said,
the buildings currently in use were constructed from small bricks, with the masonry on the inside plas-
tered and whitewashed. The humidity permeability of the brick walls is extremely good, which contri-
butes to even, continuous dehydration. The internal construction of the smoking and fermenting
rooms is of the ‘Prussian mitre’ design, with brick arches between I-beams located at 1,2 m intervals.
This arrangement means there is a large dead space above the salami drying apparatus; this ensures the
even circulation of air and also promotes even dehydration.

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4.7. Inspection body:

Name:

Fővárosi és Pest Megyei Mezőgazdasági Szakigazgatási Hivatal Élelmiszerlánc-biztonsági és
Állategészségügyi Igazgatóság

Address: H-1135 Budapest, Lehel út 43-47

Tel.

Fax

(36-1) 239-0330

(36-1) 350-6117

E-mail:

hajosa@oai.hu, fovaros@oai.hu

4.8. Labelling: Name of product: ‘Budapesti téliszalámi’.

The word ‘Salami’ may be used together with the registered name ‘Budapesti téliszalámi’ on products
intended for export.

After Community registration the words ‘protected geographical
abbreviation must appear on the packaging together with the relevant Community symbol.

indication’ or the corresponding