Publication of an application for registration of a name 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 2023/C 245/09
Date: 2023-07-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Cluj, Romania, consumer information, designation of origin, dried product, labelling, meat product, pigmeat, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, salted product, smoked product




C_2023245EN.01001001.xml










12.7.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 245/10






Publication of an application for registration of a name 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
(2023/C 245/09)
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) within three months from the date of this publication.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

’Salinate de Turda'


EU No: PGI-RO-02825 — 15.12.2021


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name

‘Salinate de Turda’
2.   Member State or Third Country

Romania
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Salinate de Turda’ designates a dry-cured smoked pork product made using the anatomical cuts known as ceafă [neck], cotlet [loin], piept [belly] and pulpă [leg], which are brined in natural spring brine (known locally as mărătoare or murătoare), combined with seasoning mix, sugars and lactic starter cultures, then matured for 5-7 days, hardwood-smoked (beech-smoked) and matured/dry-cured for 20-28 days.
The following ingredients are used to make ‘Salinate de Turda’:






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Fresh, chilled or frozen pork from the carcasses of healthy pigs, slaughtered in accordance with the law (fully bled out and immediately chilled), cut and boned to give the four anatomical cuts;










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Natural spring brine, a homogeneous saline solution that is naturally occurring in the county of Cluj. Quality control must be performed when the brine is delivered to the production facility to ensure that the NaCl content is between 20 % and 35 %, depending on the season. Making ‘Salinate de Turda’ using natural spring brine at a concentration of 18-22 % improves its shelf life, texture, taste, smell and colour;










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Seasoning mix (salt, mustard, juniper, pepper, bay leaves, garlic, allspice, cinnamon), sugars, lactic starter cultures.




The quality characteristics of ‘Salinate de Turda’ are as follows:






—


it has an external appearance determined by the characteristics of the anatomical cut of pork used as the raw material, with a dark red external colour, a uniform appearance and predominant dark red colour in the case of the pulpă, a less uniform appearance and predominant light red colour in the case of the piept, a reddish colour with a touch of marbling (small flecks of fat scattered through the muscle) in the case of the ceafă, and a uniform dark red colouring with no fat making up the composition in the case of the cotlet; its surface is not sticky and it is free of mould or foreign matter;










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in cross-section its colour ranges from dark to light red, while its consistency is firm and slightly springy and it does not disintegrate when cut;










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its taste and smell are salty and characteristic of the production process, and it has the typical aroma of hardwood-smoked meat products;










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in terms of physical and chemical characteristics it has a maximum NaCl content of 9 %, a maximum moisture content of 55 %, a minimum total protein content of 15 % and a maximum fat content of 48 %.




‘Salinate de Turda’ is packaged whole or in slices.
‘Salinate de Turda’ comes in four types, one for each of the anatomical cuts of pork used as its raw material: ceafă, cotlet, piept or pulpă.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

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

All the specific steps in the production of ‘Salinate de Turda’ take place in the identified geographical area. They are: preparing the raw materials/ingredients, cutting, boning and selecting meat, brining in natural spring brine from the geographical area, seasoning (tumbling), the first maturation (5-7 days at a temperature of between 2 °C and 8 °C until the product has a pH of 5,6-5,7), a short (maximum 60 minutes) period of hardwood-smoking (with beech wood smoking dust) at a temperature of 45-50 °C, and the second maturation (dry-curing) in controlled conditions (temperature of 14 °C, relative humidity of 80 %) for 20-28 days until the pH is approximately 5,3-5,5.
3.5.   Rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

—
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

Labels must include the name ‘Salinate de Turda’ and the words Indicație Geografică Protejată (protected geographical indication) or the acronym IGP (PGI) – adapted to the language of the country where the product is marketed – along with the Inspection and Certification Body’s symbol.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

In administrative terms, the ‘Salinate de Turda’ area consists of the municipality of Turda and the communes of Mihai Viteazu, Tureni and Ploscoș in the county of Cluj.












KEY






HARTA JUDETULUI CLUJ



MAP OF CLUJ COUNTY





JUDETUL XXX



XXX COUNTY





INFORMAȚII GENERALE



GENERAL INFORMATION





suprafața totală: 6 674,4  kmp



total area: 6 674,4  km2






populația județului: 703 267  locuitori



county population: 703 267  inhabitants





5 municipii



5 municipalities





un oraș



one city





75 de comune



75 communes




5.   Link with the geographical area

The quality and characteristics of ‘Salinate de Turda’ result from the natural and/or human factors in the area, and there is a great deal of literature attesting to this.

Specificity of the product

The product’s unique organoleptic characteristics – and in particular its specific taste and smell and the texture and consistency caused by the use of natural spring brine in the production process – are what makes ‘Salinate de Turda’ unique. The benefit of brining is that the salt penetrates the meat faster and more evenly, while the quality of the brine tenderises the meat and lends the product its specific consistency (succulence, springiness and texture).
The key characteristics of the ‘Salinate de Turda’ production method are the fact that brining is performed using brine from the natural springs found in Micești (commune of Tureni), Valea Florilor (commune of Ploscoș) and Valea Sărată (municipality of Turda) in the county of Cluj, an age-old practice in the Turda area (where there are many wells for drawing brine for such uses).
The brining process, using natural spring brine from the geographical area with a significant calcium and magnesium content (on average natural spring brine has a calcium content of approximately 500 mg/l and a magnesium content of around 130 mg/l, compared to 250 mg/l and 6,5 mg/l, respectively, in brine prepared artificially by dissolving salt in water), means that magnesium chloride and calcium chloride take the place of sodium chloride, giving a dry-cured meat product that is lower in sodium chloride. This is also favoured by the characteristic biochemical processes of proteins and fats that take place during tumbling as a result of ion exchange processes brought about by the increase in osmotic pressure caused by the natural spring brine. Brining encourages activity in the enzymes that are produced by salt-resistant lactic acid bacteria, which are supplied the microelements they need by the natural spring brine and help to optimise fermentation processes during maturation. The product treated and matured in this way acquires characteristics that set it apart from other meat products made using similar processes, mainly in terms of its specific consistency (springiness, texture, tenderness) and colour, as well as the uniform distribution of liquids (such as moisture and saline solution) in the tissue.
The following specific steps make up the ‘Salinate de Turda’ production process: preparing the raw materials/ingredients, cutting (the pork used to make ‘Salinate de Turda’ must come from pigs that have reached around pork weight), boning and selecting the meat; brining in natural spring brine from the geographical area; seasoning (tumbling); the first maturation in controlled conditions (5-7 days); a short (maximum 60 minutes) period of hardwood-smoking (with beech wood smoking dust) at a temperature of 45-50 °C; and the second maturation (dry-curing) in controlled conditions for 20-28 days.
Natural hardwood-smoking has been in use since ancient times. It also gives the products a specific taste and aroma.
Preparing the product for delivery (slicing, portioning, packaging) is not a specific step in the production process and is performed to market and customer requirements.

Specificity of the geographical origin


Natural factors

An underground Tortonian salt deposit with a sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration of 98,1-99 % effloresces in the Sărata and Băile Turda area near the city of Turda.
The geographical area in which ‘Salinate de Turda’ is made comprises the areas of Turda, Mihai Viteazu, Ploscoș and Tureni, where the presence of salt is the main feature of the subsoil.
In all of the areas studied the subsoil has enormous reserves of salt relatively close to the surface, and there is even a popular belief that all of the areas in question are connected by the same salt vein. A great many salt water springs caused by rainwater infiltration into the salt mountains can be found in Turda and the neighbouring communes, the majority of them in areas where erosion has created openings in the salt mountains (Valea Sărată Turda, Valea Florilor, Micești).

Human factors

The presence of brine springs meant that the people of Turda and the neighbouring communes have always had easy access to a salt supply. The traditional ways of making use of salt, which are still employed today, involve using brine (known colloquially as murătoare, saramură, slatină or sare lichidă [liquid salt]) in food for both humans and animals, as well as to treat certain illnesses.
Ethnographic research has been conducted with the aim of finding out how the impact of natural brine springs was viewed by village communities in the geographical area for ‘Salinate de Turda’, charting the ‘specific ethnographic landscape’ shaped within those communities by the existence or non-existence of sources of salt (brine springs), and recording the traditional ways in which villagers exploit salt sources and process and use the salt at home in their day-to-day lives.
There is a great deal of literature on the use of natural brine springs by the local people in food preparation. From the multitude of available sources, here are some that describe the existence and uses of natural brine springs:






1.


‘In the village of Micești in the county of Cluj, there is a spring with concentrated saltwater known as mărătoare. This brine spring points to the presence of an underground salt mountain. Brine from the spring is collected in a well, lined with thick planks of wood, with the brine level reaching the surface. One explanation for the Micești phenomenon is that it is caused by rainwater washing over the salt mountain and seeping up to the surface highly salinised. According to professionals this water is highly suitable for culinary use. This water is of exceptional quality for use in the food industry. Another gift that nature has given the villagers of Micești is the mud from around the springs, which they use to alleviate rheumatic pain.’










2.


‘Salt is an underground resource present in the commune of Ploscoș, exploited on the surface (through small mines), including by the Romans. There are brine springs in Ploscoș, and the brine from them has been used by the locals since ancient times. The oval-shaped salt mountain of Valea Florilor is very close to the surface, at a depth of 0.5 metres in some places.’










3.


‘The use of brine has become a custom or tradition in most of these places, and even today there are still households where table salt, though available in the shops, is never used in food. The elders learned to appreciate the value of salt because as children they listened to their predecessors’ tales of how difficult life was when access to salt or brine was banned or restricted. They also learnt how to put the brine to good use in the home, and they consider it better than any salt bought commercially: a precious foodstuff, a gift from nature.’










4.


‘One of Europe’s saltiest springs can be found around 20 kilometres from Cluj-Napoca. The people of Micești in the county of Cluj have not bought a single gram of salt for several decades, since the discovery of one of Europe’s saltiest springs near the village. The villagers use brine to prepare food both for themselves and for their livestock. “Two or three spoonfuls of this water go into the soup pot,” says Vasile Todea, the mayor of the commune of Tureni, the administrative territory to which Micești belongs. He recounts how he brings a barrel of brine home every year to feed his family and farmyard animals for the whole year. Natural spring brine is also used to preserve food, notably pork from the pig slaughter that takes place each winter.’ (2007)










5.


‘The village is home to a spring containing concentrated saltwater (mărătoare) that owes its existence to an underground salt mountain. Brine from the spring is collected in a well, lined with thick planks of wood, with the brine level reaching the surface. Brine from here was systematically distributed to the surrounding villages (Tureni, Ceanu Mic, Rediu, Martinești, Comsești, Vâlcelor, Petreștii de Jos, Deleni, Livada, Plaiuri, Agriș, Crăiești and Săliste) and used in cooking and to cure pork. As the spring was in the public domain, the people of Micești could access it free of charge, while those who came from other villages were charged a fee. This practice remained in place almost until the outbreak of the Second World War. The brine spring is still in use today.’










6.


‘The commune’s network of watercourses consists of several streams with boggy areas in the Boju-Valea Florilor-Ploscoş stretch, and salt water in the Valea Florilor basin. Here there is also a flat terrain covered with halophilic vegetation, specific to this saline area. The salt formation measures 300 metres in diameter and is located near the surface – at a depth of 4-5 metres in some places. In the southern part of the area there is a saltwater well used by the local people for domestic purposes, as reported by the mayor of the commune of Ploscoș, Truța Aurel, in 2013.’










7.


‘Back then, the children of Turda would go bathing almost daily. Near Băi there was also a spring known as the “brine spring”, containing salt water that some people would take home to brine food for the winter in. That brine had a very high salt concentration and crystals would quickly form in the locals’ buckets. People from communes around the town would also come to the spring, which, like the rest of the surrounding area, was located on a salt deposit.’










8.


‘A valuable asset for the whole area, and particularly for culinary use, was the brine spring, well fitted out and watched over by a guard from the Turda mayor’s office. The salt-saturated water was used to preserve food, playing an indispensable role in the traditional pig slaughter. Following this tradition, many Turda people use the Micești brine spring in their household activities because it is better at tenderising pork and pork fat.’





Causal link

The link between ‘Salinate de Turda’ meat products and the production area is due to the long-standing local tradition of using brining and smoking to cure pork for the winter months following the traditional pig slaughter, something that has been known about since ancient times. Natural spring brine collected from springs in the local area (Micești, Valea Florilor, Valea Sărată Turda) is used for this curing process.
Among the key characteristics of the production method are the fact that brining is performed using brine from the natural springs found in the geographical area.
In terms of its organoleptic characteristics, it is the tenderness and succulence of the meat, preserved through the methods used for natural brining, seasoning (tumbling) and maturing in controlled conditions (humidity, temperature), that set apart this product apart from other similar ones.
The quality and characteristics of ‘Salinate de Turda’ result from the natural and/or human factors in the area, and there is bibliographical proof of this.
The method used to prepare meat products using natural spring brine has been passed down from generation to generation and honed over time. With natural spring brine being used so frequently, people developed a taste for the flavours it brings to meat products – and not only meat products – and the tradition lives on as a result.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.madr.ro/docs/ind-alimentara/2021/Salinate-de-Turda/caiet-de-sarcini-Salinate-de-Turda-2021.pdf


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.