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: 2012-10-06
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Portugal, confectionery product, designation of origin, foodstuff, product designation








C_2012302EN.01003101.xml










6.10.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 302/31





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 302/15
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


‘PASTEL DE TENTÚGAL’


EC No: PT-PGI-0005-0938-09-12.01.2012


PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Pastel de Tentúgal’
2.   Member State or Third Country:

Portugal
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Product type:







Class 2.4.


Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares




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

This is a sweet pastry originally produced in convents, the thin dough of which (0,06-0,15 mm) is made using a combination of water and flour and the creamy filling from a combination of egg yolks and eggs with sugar syrup. The product may be presented either as a thin tube (‘palito’), a miniature tube, a crescent or a miniature crescent, with the following physical, chemical and sensory characteristics.

Table 1


Average physical parameters for the various types of ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’










 


Tube


Crescent


Miniature tube


Miniature crescent




Parameters


Average values




Weight (grams)


70,0-90,0


80,0-110,0


30,0-60,0


40,0-60,0




Width (cm)


4,0-6,0


6,0-7,5


3,0-4,0


4,5-5,5




Length (cm)


13,0-15,0


10,0-14,0


9,0-12,0


7,5-10,0




Height (cm)


2,5-4,0


3,0-6,0


1,5-2,5


3,0-4,0








Table 2


Average chemical parameters for ‘tube’ and ‘crescent’ types of ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’








‘Pastel de Tentúgal’




Parameters


Tube


Crescent




Water activity (aw)


0,836-0,894


0,836-0,894




Moisture %


26,0-31,0


22,0-30,0




Protein (%)


9,2-10,5


9,5-12,5




Fat (%)


7,7-13,0


10,5-23,0




Carbohydrates (%)


50,0-54,0


42,0-50,0




Total ash (%)


0,5


0,8-1,2




Calorie content kcal/100g


314,0-358,0


340-420








Table 3


Sensory characteristics








 


Tube or miniature tube


Crescent or miniature crescent




External appearance


A sweet formed of almost transparent layered pastry, rectangular in shape with crimped at each end; straw yellow to toasted yellow in colour. Presentation: optional dusting of icing sugar or granulated sugar


A sweet formed of layered, thin, almost transparent, pleated pastry; straw yellow to toasted yellow in colour, in a crescent shape with larger or smaller crimped ends. Optional dusting of icing sugar or granulated sugar and cinnamon




Internal appearance


Pastry filling is yellow to chestnut yellow in colour (due to the presence of cinnamon); filling is grainy and consistent and does not run when the product is cut but is easy to bite and melts in the mouth


Pastry filling is yellow to chestnut yellow in colour (due to the presence of cinnamon and toasted almonds); filling is grainy and consistent and does not run when the product is cut but is easy to bite and melts in the mouth




Texture


Layered, both delicate and crispy


Layered, both delicate and crispy




Consistency


Creamy but yet consistent


Creamy but yet consistent




Flavour


Sweet, comprising flavours of egg, sugar and cinnamon


Sweet, comprising flavours of egg, sugar, toasted almonds and cinnamon




3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

Pastry: water, wheat flour types 45 or 55 (high levels of the proteins gliadin and glutenin), resulting in a pastry which is viscoelastic and cohesive.
Filling: egg yolk (pasteurised or from fresh eggs), eggs (pasteurised or fresh), sugar, margarine with 10 % butter, cinnamon and almond.
3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

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


Production of pastry

This is a process whose success is very much dependent on the knowledge acquired by those involved in the production of this product. Even though a recipe exists for this type of pastry, on a day-to-day basis, climatic conditions and the stability of the flour may give rise to unexpected circumstances, requiring active intervention on the part of those producing the pastry.

Preparation of the filling

This is another part of the process in which the know-how of those involved in production is key, since the assessment of whether the filling is ‘right’ is done in an empirical manner and is in part dependent on know-how.

Shaping the pastry

When shaping the pastry in a tube or crescent shape, the know-how of those involved in the production process is very important, since immense skill and manual dexterity is required in order to obtain uniform dimensions, keeping the pastry in one piece while ensuring that the characteristic crimped ends are firm and of appropriate size.
After this stage, the ‘pastel’ can be finalised (baked) on the premises of the recipient outside of the restricted area, since this stage in the production process does not require specific knowledge.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

—
3.7.   Specific rules on labelling:

The following must appear on the label:






—


‘Pastel de Tentúgal — Indicação Geográfica Protegida’ or ‘Pastel de Tentúgal IGP’ (following Community registration),










—


EU logo (following Community registration),










—


‘Pastel de Tentúgal’ logo:







4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area in which ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’ is produced is restricted to the small town of Tentúgal and is bounded to the east by the town of Lamarosa (municipality of Coimbra), to the north by the village of Portela, to the west by the village of Póvoa de Santa Cristina (parish of Tentúgal) and by the town of Meãs (municipality of Montemor-o-Velho) and to the south by the ‘Vala Real’ waterway.
5.   Link with the geographical area:

Since the 16th century, the know-how associated with the production of ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’ has never travelled beyond the confines of the town. Therefore, in order to obtain a product with the specific characteristics providing this product with its reputation, the stages of production for the pastry and filling and the shaping of the ‘pastel’ only take place in Tentúgal, the town whose name the product bears.
5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

Production of ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’ is restricted exclusively to the town of Tentúgal. This is due both to the significant climatic factors (specifically, the mild temperatures and high levels of relative humidity in the air) and the fact that the name of the product shares that of the restricted area in which the product is well known, the latter being directly linked to the certainty of the origin of this product — the Convent of Our Lady of the Nativity — manufactured by the sisters of the Carmelite Order who resided there between 1565 and 1898.
Tentúgal’s proximity to the ocean (the town of Figueira da Foz) and the fact that the River Mondego flows only a few kilometres away both create a set of natural conditions such as mild temperatures and high levels of relative humidity in the air. These are factors which significantly facilitate the production and manipulation, without large amounts of wastage, of a fine, crispy, almost transparent pastry comprising only water and flour.
The proximity of the sea and the river serves to regulate temperatures, providing Tentúgal with milder temperatures all year round: winter temperatures are not excessively low (in 2010, the monthly average in the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho was between 10 °C and 20 °C), whilst summer temperatures are not excessively high (average maximum in 2010: 26 °C).
As a rule, the region of the Lower Mondego valley, in which Tentúgal is situated, experiences high levels of relative humidity throughout the year, varying on average between 70 % in spring and summer and 87 % in autumn and winter, resulting in summers which are not very dry.
This climate facilitates both the production of the dough (low levels of humidity would make it harder to pull the dough, risking tearing it at an early stage) or handling it (without humidity handling the dough when shaping the ‘pastel’ would not be possible).
In addition to the importance of climate, it should be noted that, owing to the sale of sweet cakes and tarts at the Convent of Our Lady of Carmo, reference has been made to the reputation of ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’ as early as 1860. This reputation stems from the combination of natural factors and the know-how which have shaped the product in question. In fact, over four centuries, the women of Tentúgal have acquired expertise on the best way of producing the pastry and filling for this product and how to shape this ‘pastel’. The result is a unique sweet which has acquired a reputation directly linked to the place from which it originates.
5.2.   Specificity of the product:

The specific qualities of ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’ are derived firstly from the production method used to obtain a delicate and fine dough, with a thickness of between 0,06 mm and 0,15 mm. Comprising only water and wheat flour, the dough undergoes several stages in which production customs play a great part, including the way in which it is handled in order to achieve the desired thickness. This almost artisan method of production, with the exception of the kneading which is carried out mechanically, is entirely dependent on the know-how acquired in Tentúgal, constrained as it is by the characteristics of the flour and the climatic conditions.
Specifically as regards the pastry production process, initially the dough (comprising nothing more than water and flour) is prepared in a mechanical mixer, in order to achieve a uniform dough. It is then placed on a round board made from an appropriate material.
It then is placed in a wooden platform located on the floor covered with white sheets and is then stretched to its maximum in order to obtain a fine and almost transparent texture. This is the most important point in the production process; appropriate training and sensitivity is necessary to avoid tearing the dough before it has reached the desired thickness.
The dough is dried at room temperature, using fans or by use of a blowtorch to accelerate the drying process in days where humidity is higher. Once the dough has reached the recommended humidity levels, it is cut into a circular shape and picked up by hand, before being placed in trays made from a suitable material and covered with a dry white cloth. A damp cloth is placed above this cloth in order to prevent the dough from drying. The dough has a texture similar to tracing paper although it is finer.
Secondly, the expertise employed when handling this dough is fundamental to the shaping of the ‘pastel’; the result is a product whose thin layers are placed in such a way that the filling does not escape.
Thirdly, the extremely fine, almost transparent dough layers, together with the egg-based creamy texture, provides an external and internal appearance, a consistency, flavour and texture which are individual and which make it a unique product.
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):

In addition to the importance of climate, it should be noted that this product shares the name of the restricted area in which it is well known. This is directly linked to the certainty of the origin of the product in the Convent of Our Lady of the Nativity, where it was manufactured by the sisters of the Carmelite Order who resided there between 1565 and 1898. Since the late 16th century, it was at the Convent where the knowledge and expertise was acquired which has given rise to a unique product, something which has been attested in many sources found in a wide range of publications.
One such example is Augusto Fonseca’s book ‘Velharias de Coimbra’ which states that prior to 1860 a seller named Rosa would sell ‘the highly appreciated pastéis de Tentúgal’ under the ‘Arco do Bispo’ (Coimbra). António Nobre, a Portuguese poet who studied in Coimbra between 1888 and 1890 wrote in his poem ‘Carta a Manuel’ that he would travel to Tentúgal every month to visit a pretty nun to buy cakes. The 1891 work ‘Conimbricense’ refers to the ‘renowned’‘pastéis de Tentúgal’ made in the Convent which had to be tried at least once in your life. In works describing the 1884 Exposição Distrital de Coimbra (Coimbra District Exhibition), reference is made to the ‘delicious’‘pastéis de Tentúgal’. These historical references confirm the Convent as the origin of this product and also provide an understanding of how this ‘pastel’ has long enjoyed a superb reputation. The adjectives used to describe this product are extremely positive and help us understand how even in the 19th century ‘pastéis de Tentúgal’ enjoyed a wide-spread and favourable reputation.
The work ‘O Doceiro Moderno’ by J. M. Sousa Monteiro (late 19th century) describes these types of ‘pastéis’ as having a ‘recipe unique to the local area … although we explain how to layer the pastry, which is the hardest part’. In Carlos Bento da Maia’s work ‘Tratado Completo de Cozinha e de Copa’, the first edition of which dates back to 1904, reference is made to the recipe for ‘pastéis de Tentúgal’, describing the dough as needing to be pulled until achieving the ‘thickness and transparency of tissue paper’. He also commented on the dough production process saying that ‘from the description of the process, it is evident that less dextrous hands cannot achieve it properly …’
Subsequently, António Maria de Oliveira Belo, in his 1936 work ‘Culinária Portuguesa’, described ‘pastéis de Tentúgal’ as being very hard to make owing to the difficulty in preparing the dough, something which could only be achieved through long experience.
These three examples of references from published works on cooking support our claim that the specific nature of the process for producing this ‘pastel’ requires a very specific know-how, which the women of Tentúgal have acquired over many years.
Therefore, the combination of natural factors and know-how have contributed in a decisive manner to the production of a unique type of sweet. The temperature and humidity, two natural active pre-conditions for the production of ‘pastéis de Tentúgal’, together with the know-how originating from this Convent, which has been developed over four centuries and which has made the product what it is today, and in respect of which skills and experience which made it possible to make up for natural factors when optimum natural circumstances are not present. Traditional products create a special relationship with the place where they originate, whether because of material or cultural reasons, establishing links which despite being invisible, give flavour and shape to the places where they are made.
It should be noted that the know-how relating to the production of the ‘Pastel de Tentúgal’ has never left the confines of the town of Tentúgal.

Publication reference of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
http://www.gpp.pt/Valor/DOP_IGP_ETG.html


(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.