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: 2012-02-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Germany, agricultural product, designation of origin, foodstuff, market gardening, product designation








C_2012044EN.01004501.xml










16.2.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 44/45





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
2012/C 44/10
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.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


‘FILDERKRAUT/FILDERSPITZKRAUT’


EC No: DE-PGI-0005-0822-09.09.2010


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’
2.   Member State or third country:

Germany
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:







Class 1.6:


Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed




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

Both in the trade and in common language, ‘Filderkraut’ means a pointed white cabbage grown in the Filder area. Colloquially, ‘Filderkraut’ is also referred to as ‘Filderspitzkraut’. ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ (Brassica oleracea var. capitata for. alba subv. Conica) is a very tasty subvariety of white cabbage with a characteristic ‘point’ which has become a rarity. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family and has fewer and finer leaf ribs than the round cabbage.
The shape of the pointed cabbage varies with the particular holding on which ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkrau’t is propagated. However, the striking feature they all share is their pointed head. The shapes range from what looks like a round cabbage with a point stuck on top to large, very pronounced conical tips. The shape and thus, in part, the different stalk and head structure, depend on the individual holding. The heads can be up to 50 cm in size and often weigh over 8 kg.
3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

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

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

To safeguard the reputation of ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ based on its origin, the white cabbage subvariety Brassica oleracea var. capitata for. alba subv. Conica must be grown in the identified geographical area.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

—
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

South of the city of Stuttgart (in Baden-Württemberg) lies a plateau covering an area of 22 000 ha. It is called the ‘Filder’ or, colloquially, the ‘Filder plateau’. Its heavy loamy clay loess soils (‘Filder loam’) are particularly well-suited to growing various types of cabbage. Geologically and commercially, the Filder plateau forms a unit in its own right. Its geographical boundaries are formed by the valley of the Neckar river to the south-east and north-east, the steep slopes down to the Stuttgart basin and the Nesenbach valley to the north, and the Schönbuch forest hills to the west and south-west.
The geographical area covers the districts and municipalities of Aichtal, Denkendorf, Filderstadt, Köngen, Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Neuhausen auf den Fildern, Ostfildern and Wolfschlugen and the following districts of Stuttgart: Birkach, Degerloch, Möhringen, Plieningen, Sillenbuch and Vaihingen.
5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ has a centuries-old tradition and cabbage growing in the Filder area has a long history. As early as 500 years ago monks at the monastery in Denkendorf were growing pointed cabbage, which would eventually become a speciality of the Filder plateau. The earliest documentary reference to cabbage growing in the Filder area dates back to 1501 in a store ledger at Salem monastery (quoted from the Leinfelden-Echterdingen town archives, 1995: Das Filderkraut. Stadt Filderstadt und Leinfelden-Echterdingen). The earliest written reference to ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ is by the Bernhausen parish priest Bischoff in a document from 1772, writing about cabbage growing in the Filder area: ‘The white, pointed cabbage is the only (cabbage) grown here’ (quoted from Grabinger 1974: Bernhausen, Ortsgeschichte Bernhausen, p. 200).
The unique soil structure of the Filder plateau, consisting of the thick Filder loam topsoil, a mixture of loess, loess loam and weathered loam from the black Jura beta formations, together with an abundant nutrient supply and a constantly high moisture content and its special microclimate, provide excellent growing conditions for ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ (http://www.leinfelden-echterdingen.de, Geschichte des Filderkrauts; Christine Metzger, Deutschland Spezialitätenküche, 1999, p. 293). As early as 1924, a dissertation corroborated the link between water supply through the loess loam soils and the yield physiology of ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ (Frauendörfer, von Siegmund, 1924: Der Krautanbau auf den Fildern bei Stuttgart, University of Hohenheim dissertation). Since time immemorial, the white cabbage subvariety ‘Filderspitzkraut’ in particular has been grown only in the Filder area because it is not regarded as being so successful in other areas (Steng, G. (1947): Das Filderkraut: Eine pflanzenbaul. u. pflanzenzüchter. Studie, University of Hohenheim dissertation, p. 3). The soils in the Filder area are predominantly high-performance soils with a high filter and buffer capacity and a predominantly high retention potential (University of Stuttgart, ILPÖ/IER (2001): Naturraum Nr. 106 Folder. Naturraumsteckbrief. Materialien zum Landschaftsrahmenprogramm, Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology, University of Stuttgart). The Filder plateau, which has a relatively low precipitation and is exposed to the wind, has a comparatively uniform climate. With an average annual temperature of 8,5 °C (January: – 0,5 °C; July: 17,5 °C; average annual amplitude 18 °C), the plateau is similar to the Neckar basin catchment area. Accordingly, despite its slightly higher elevation, the Filder area is, on the whole, slightly warmer than the lias formations of the central foothills of the Alps, where cold winter air advection from the higher Alps makes itself felt in a marked fall in average January temperatures (– 1,5 °C). The Filder region has the characteristics of a ‘garden city climatope’ with green open spaces and low-density development. These properties shape the physical processes in the air layer close to the ground (Town of Ostfildern (Ed.) (2008): Landschafts- und Umweltplan Ostfildern 2020, Ostfildern/Stuttgart, p. 36 ff.). Compared to the surrounding area, local warming is relatively low and there is marked cooling overnight. The distance from the Alps also affects precipitation, with a long-term average of 650-700 mm favourably spread over the main growing season: around 65 % of annual precipitation falls between May and October (Institute for Regional Studies (1967): Die naturräumliche Einheiten auf Blatt 170 Stuttgart. F. Huttenlocher and H. Dongus Eds. Federal Institution for Regional Studies and Spatial Research, Bad Godesberg, p. 23; LfU (1987): Methodik der Naturraumbewertung: dargestellt am Beispiel des Naturraums Filder, Baden-Württemberg State Institute for Environmental Protection (LfU), Karlsruhe Institute of Ecology and Nature Protection).
5.2.   Specificity of the product:

‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ is a prized regional speciality well known in the Stuttgart area and beyond, whose reputation is based essentially on its close link to the defined area of origin. Classical, original ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ has a large, heavy head often weighing more than 8 kg and up to 50 cm in size. Many farms in the Filder area have been growing and propagating their own types of pointed cabbage independently for generations (terra fusca Ingenieure 2003: Filderkraut- derzeitige Situation, Survey, February 2003; terra fusca Ingenieure, Stuttgart; Smolka, R.S. (2010): Bestandsanalyse und Erzeugererhebung zu den Perspektiven des Filderkrauts Brassica oleracea var. capitata for. alba subv. Conica, Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Economics and Environment). As in the past, ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ is still used today predominantly for making sauerkraut, mainly in small businesses. However, the tradition of making sauerkraut from old family recipes is still kept alive in some households. In recent years cabbage has also been grown in the Filder area specifically for the fresh market. These are smaller and lighter to meet market demand.
Pointed white cabbage (Latin name: Brassica oleracea var. capitata for. alba subv. Conica):







shape


:


pointed, almost conical head;




colour


:


whitish green;




leaves


:


fine leaf ribs;




stalk


:


short and smooth.




As early as the 19th century, ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ was already famous throughout the region and beyond for its excellent taste: ‘There are many varieties but the one that stands out here is the tasty, very white, pointed Filderkraut […]’ (Martens von, K., 1864: Handbuch der Militärverpflegung im Frieden und Krieg — 2nd edition — Rioger'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung). Lengerke, von, A. 1841: Landwirtschaftliche Statistik der deutschen Bundesstaaten — Vol. 2 — Westermann, wrote: ‘Filderkraut is particularly appreciated for its tender leaves, its white colour and above all its superior taste, which is what distinguishes it from the produce grown in other regions’. The good reputation of ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ continues to the present day and it remains the emblem of the Filder area (Stadt Filderstadt, Stadt Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Geschichtswerkstatt Filderstadt, 1995, p. 5). Connoisseurs appreciate its taste, tenderness and fine-ribbed structure (cf. Christine Metzger, Deutschland Spezialitätenküche 1999, p. 293; Buroh, N., Schermer, B., 2007: Das Teubner Buch — deutsche Küche — Westermann-Studios — Gräfe and Unzer, p. 77; Gorys, E., 2001: Das neue Küchen Lexikon. Von Aachener Printen bis Zwischenrippenstück — 7th edition — Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, p. 547; Stitz, M. Swoboda, I., 2006: Kulinarisch Reisen Deutschland — Mair Dumont Marco Polo, p. 254).
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 causal link between ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ and its geographical area is the result of the special reputation which it enjoys as a result of its origin. ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ has a centuries-old tradition. Together with the native variety used and the traditional small holdings in the defined geographical area, these special features also enhance the quality of ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’. For example, a dissertation from 1924 refers to the special environmental conditions for growing cabbage in the Filder area (Frauendörfer, von, S. (1924): Der Krautanbau auf den Fildern bei Stuttgart, University of Hohenheim dissertation). The farmers’ traditional ties to the land in the Filder area are reflected in the fact that the seeds for ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ have often been propagated independently as the individual holding’s ‘own variety’. These conditions in the defined geographical area have nurtured a centuries-old tradition of growing ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ with its typical shape and specific features which is still highly valued today for its taste, tenderness and fine-ribbed structure, is well-known to consumers as a regional speciality and enjoys an excellent reputation. In 1884 the Filder-Bote newspaper wrote: ‘Our good old, ever popular Filderkraut, which has been transported far and wide by horse-drawn carriage and steam, has found a new market: thousands and thousands of them are being cut, preserved, packed in barrels and sent across the ocean to America’ (Filder-Bote newspaper of 7 October 1884, No 118). The current renown and reputation of ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ are evidenced by its position as a permanent feature in various festivals and customs in the region. Every year since 1979 the more than 400-year-old tradition of cabbage growing in the Filder area has been celebrated in the town of Leinfelden-Echterdingen by about 50 000 visitors to Germany’s largest cabbage festival. A traditional harvest festival display reminds visitors to the main agricultural show and the Cannstatt festival of the way in which ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’ has shaped the region. Also, pointed cabbage is the adopted emblem and logo of one of the carnival associations, the ‘Filderer’ (cf. http://www.leinfelden-echterdingen.de, Geschichte des Filderkrauts; http://www.schmeck-den-sueden.de). Lastly, ‘Filderkraut/Filderspitzkraut’’s reputation is also reflected in music and literature (‘Schwäbische Sauerkrautkantate’ by Emil Kübler 1939, and books by Frank Snyders, Johann Baptist Hofner and Otto Groß; Filderstädter Schriftenreihe Vol. 10, 1995: Das Filderkraut, p. 70, p. 58 and p. 157).

Reference to publication of the specification:

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

Markenblatt Heft (Trade Mark Journal) No 11 of 19 March 2010, Part 7a-aa, p. 4243
(http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/13250)


(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.