Publication of an application 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
Date: 2015-10-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Andalusia, Spain, confectionery, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products




C_2015338EN.01001001.xml










13.10.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 338/10





Publication of an application 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
(2015/C 338/07)
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).
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘POLVORONES DE ESTEPA’


EU No: ES-PGI-0005-01218 – 24.03.2014


PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Name


‘Polvorones de Estepa’

2.   Member State/Third Country

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 2.3. Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

The name ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ has traditionally been used to denote a type of Christmas confection, made in Estepa. ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ have been made using the same recipe for over a hundred years. They may be packaged either on their own or together with other typical Christmas confections.
‘Polvorones’ are baked dough pieces, obtained through mixing the following raw materials: wheat flour, lard, icing/powdered sugar, almonds, cinnamon and natural flavourings (lemon or vanilla), alternatively cloves may be used.
Depending on the almond content, the product may be classified as either:






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Home-made










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Almond/traditional




They are a toasted chestnut colour, fine-textured, soft and crunchy, firm on the outside and soft inside, with a slightly cracked surface and smooth on the palate. They are oblong in shape, with a covering of icing sugar on top, and are no more than 4 cm wide, 7 cm long and 2,5 cm high, weighing no more than 50 grams each.
Products bearing the name ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ must also meet the following physico-chemical parameters:
—   Moisture content: less than 7,5 %
—   pH: less than 6,5.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Polvorones de Estepa’ are made using the following raw materials in the proportions indicated: wheat flour (40-50 %), lard (20-25 %), icing/powdered sugar (22-27 %), cinnamon (0,1-1 %), natural flavourings (0,01-1 %), cloves (0-1 %) and almonds (≥ 8 % for the traditional/almond variety and ≥ 15 % for the home-made variety).
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The production process begins with the selection of the raw materials.
After these have been suitably prepared, the mixture is kneaded and then cut into pieces for baking. The ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ are then cooled to lower their temperature to below 10 °C prior to packaging.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product to which the registered name refers

Packaging must take place in the geographical area in order to safeguard the quality of the product, preventing it from drying out, becoming rancid or breaking owing to its fragility, etc. The product is packaged individually just after being made, using one of the following methods:






—


mechanically on the flow-pack line, in heat-sealed paper, or










—


manually or mechanically, in tissue paper twisted on both sides.




Packaging must take place once the product has cooled, so as to preserve the physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics described in point 3.2, making it easier to handle and avoiding the possible condensation of water vapour inside the wrappers.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product to which the registered name refers

Both individual wrappers and boxes containing only protected products must bear labels that must include the words ‘Protected Geographical Indication’, the name ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ and the logo for the registered name, as indicated below.
‘Polvorones de Estepa’ included in assortments with products not covered by the PGI may be identified as such on their individual wrappers and may bear the PGI logo. Nevertheless, on the outside of the box, they may only be referred to in the contents of the box as ‘Polvorones de Estepa IGP’, and the PGI logo may not be used.



4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The municipality of Estepa, in the province of Seville.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ and the geographical area is based on the product’s reputation. That reputation is over a century old. In that time, the confections have been made to the same recipe. As a result, directly or indirectly, a great number of the population of Estepa is involved in their manufacture during the pre-Christmas period, September to December.
‘Polvorones de Estepa’ date back to the 16th century. Documents in the archives of the Convent of Santa Clara in Estepa show that confectioners were employed to meet the demand from Seville and Madrid, where they sent their products. The convent has records which refer to the preparation of ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ according to old recipes: they were made from a mixture of cereals and the excess lard left over from slaughter in December, which explains why this confection has always been eaten at Christmas time. They were produced in homes using moulds which gave them the shape in which they are still made.
Micaela Ruiz Téllez, known as La Colchona, invented the ‘polvorón’ as we know it today. She was born in Estepa in 1824 and died in 1901. She had the idea that would be the basis of the ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ as we know them today. Thanks to a method of baking that dried only the outside part, the confection remained soft on the inside without spoiling. She also perfected the process of refining and toasting the flour, making it smoother than in the original recipe.
We have evidence of the product being sold under the protected name dating back to the Third Feria del Campo in Madrid in 1959.
The following references to publications provide proof of the product’s reputation:
‘Polvorones de Estepa’ are included as traditional products in the INVENTARIO ESPAÑOL DE PRODUCTOS TRADICIONALES [Spanish Inventory of Traditional Products], a project funded by the European Union with the aim of showcasing Europe’s food and agricultural heritage, published in 1996. ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ are also catalogued in the volume CATALOGACIÓN Y CARACTERIZACIÓN DE LOS PRODUCTOS TÍPICOS AGROALIMENTARIOS DE ANDALUCÍA [Cataloguing and Description of Typical Andalusian Agri-Food Products]
The GUÍA ALIMENTACIÓN MEDITERRÁNEA [Guide to Mediterranean Food], published by the Public Fishing and Farming Development Company of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture and Food, includes ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ among the food items belonging to the Mediterranean diet, declared intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2010.
Some of the countless references in the press are given below.






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The January 1987 edition of Gastronomía y Enología magazine discussed ‘Polvorones de Estepa’, their tradition and their link to Estepa, as well as their prestige and reputation.










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On 20 December 1989, the newspaper El Correo de Andalucía referred to ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ and their link with Christmas.










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On 30 September 1989, the magazine Alforja related the history of ‘Polvorones de Estepa’ and their century-old recipe.










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The October 1991 edition of Financial Food magazine published an extensive review of the confectionery of Estepa, with references to ‘Polvorones de Estepa’.










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The newspapers Diario de Córdoba and ABC, of 7 December 2007 and 26 December 2008 respectively, both include references to ‘Polvorones de Estepa’, and their consumption during the Christmas period, then being given as gifts to passengers on the AVE railway lines.










—


On 27 December 2013, the New York Times newspaper mentioned the ‘polvorón’ made in the city of Estepa, their recipe, history and tradition.





Reference to publication of the product specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)
The full text of the PGI specification is available at:
http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/portal/export/sites/default/comun/galerias/galeriaDescargas/cap/industrias-agroalimentarias/denominacion-de-origen/Pliegos/Pliego_Polvorones_Estepa.pdf
or via the homepage of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development
(http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/portal), by following the navigation pathway: ‘Industrias Agroalimentarias’/‘Calidad y Promoción’/‘Denominaciones de Calidad’/‘Productos de panadería y repostería’; the specifications are located under the name of the Quality Designation.


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.