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
Date: 2024-01-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Sweden, Västerbotten county, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, meat product, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, smoked product








C_202401231EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2024/1231


31.1.2024






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
(C/2024/1231)

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

’Vindelnrökt skinka'


EU No: PGI-SE-02654 — 20.1.2021
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) of PGI

’Vindelnrökt skinka'
2.   Member State or Third Country

Sweden
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


                  ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ is a whole-muscle ham from a pig (Sus domestica) hot-smoked in the traditional manner in smoke kilns heated with alder wood. ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ is placed in a net or smoked in a flat position.
The characteristics of ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ are:
Hams smoked in a flat position
Appearance: boned cut ham with a rough surface and an irregular shape and thickness. The colour is brown with shades ranging from hazelnut shell to roasted coffee bean (NCS 8010-Y50R/7020-Y70R). The fat and tendons on the outer side have warm tones of cinnamon (NCS 3020-Y30R).
Weight: 3–6 kg
Hams placed in a net
Appearance: a well-formed whole-muscle ham with a uniform and homogeneous shape. It is of a light burnt brown colour with shades of hazelnut shell (NCS S6020-Y20R).
Weight: 1–3 kg
The following applies to ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ that is smoked in a flat position or placed in a net:
Cut surface: an even old-rose colour (NCS S1010R), where the shades vary slightly depending on the cut, with fat that is off-white (NCS S0505-Y20R).
Texture: firm, easy to slice to the desired thickness with either a knife or a cutting machine.
Aroma: the aroma has notes of smoke from a campfire, smoky whisky and smoked wet alder wood and tar. It is complex and strong but not sharp. The inner side has an agreeable aroma of cooked pork. Rich scents with some sweetness rounded off with pleasant notes of smoky whisky.
Flavour: a full flavour with a distinct and balanced saltiness, a marked, slightly acidic smoky taste with notes of hardwood, a delicate bitterness and a subtle residual basic sweetness from pork supported by umami.
Aftertaste: the aroma and flavour are interrelated, meaning that the powerful aromatic experience is reflected in the lingering aftertaste of smoke and umami.
Mouthfeel: pleasantly firm to the bite; the fat together with the smoked meat result in an intense but not sharp eating experience and in a certain creaminess. The fat helps to enhance the tasting experience when eating the smoked meat.
Protein content: 20–28 g/100 g
Fat content: 3–4,5 g/100 g
Carbohydrates: 0,0–0,6 g/100 g
The cutting into portions or slicing of ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ may only take place after smoking.

                  ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ is made from a whole boneless ham (‘butiksskinka’) that has been cleaned with a knife or from ham in the form of cuts (topside, silverside, rump, knuckle and roll). The raw material comes from pigs reared in Sweden. Thanks to Sweden’s stricter animal welfare legislation, pigs reared in Sweden have good living conditions. Tail docking is prohibited. Owing to the good health of the animals and low use of antibiotics, the pigmeat is of high quality, contains no antibiotics, trichinae or salmonella, and the presence of multiresistant bacteria is rare.
Other additives: nitrite curing salt (E250): 99,4 % sodium chloride (NaCl) and 0,6 % sodium nitrite (NaNO2).
Debarked alder wood (Alnus sp.) is used for the smoking. Alder chips may be used in the smoking process as a supplement, but they must never replace debarked alder wood.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The pigs for slaughter are reared on feed consisting of approximately 30 % barley, 55 % wheat and 15 % protein concentrate (mainly field beans / soybean, rapeseed by-products, vitamins and minerals).
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The entire production process, from the salting of the raw material to the smoking and cutting into portions, must take place within the geographical area specified in point 4.
3.5.   Specific 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

—
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ consists of the parish of Degerfors in the province of Västerbotten.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between the specific characteristics of ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ and the production area is based on the human factors associated with the traditional practice in the geographical area of smoking ham in brickwork kilns heated with alder wood.

Specificity of the product

The specific characteristics of ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ come from artisanal skills, the quality of the raw material and the special smoking process. The characteristics differ significantly from those found in conventionally smoked hams.
As a result of the special smoking process, ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ has a full, marked and slightly acidic smoky taste with notes of hardwood and a delicate bitterness.
The powerful and complex aroma has distinct notes of campfire, smoky whisky, wet alder wood smoke and tar. The intense aromatic experience is reflected in the lingering aftertaste.

                  ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ does not contain any added sweeteners, which are a common ingredient to attenuate the somewhat bitter taste that can occur in hams smoked in gas-fired smoke kilns.
Unlike many other hams on the market, ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ holds together well during smoking without having to be stuffed, for example, into collagen casings.

Specificities of the production area

The production area of ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ is located at 64 degrees north latitude. The area has a cold, temperate climate with precipitation throughout the year and cold summers (Dfc according to the Köppen climate classification). The average temperature ranges from – 12 °C in January to 15 °C in July, while precipitation is from circa 35 mm per month in February–April to 75 mm in August. During the winter half-year, precipitation mainly takes the form of snow.
Two of Sweden’s biggest rivers, the Ume and the Vindel, flow through the production area. Alder trees (Alnus sp.), which are used to smoke ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’, grow abundantly near the rivers.

Link with human factors associated with the geographical area


                  ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ is smoked in brickwork kilns heated with alder wood, as is the tradition in the geographical area. Brickwork kilns have their individual properties, which the cure smoker must take into account during the smoking process. In addition, the efficiency of the smoke kilns is influenced by ambient factors such as the temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure. Therefore the cure smoker must adapt the smoking process to the prevailing ambient factors. For example, at high pressure, low external temperature or high atmospheric humidity, more wood is used and it takes longer to smoke ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’.
In order for the hams to be smoked evenly, regardless of their size, the cure smoker must hang the hams in the smoke kiln using a special method adapted to the smoke kiln in question. The cure smoker must also make sure to hang the hams so that they are not touching one another. This allows even smoking of all the surfaces.
When smoking the hams, the cure smoker constantly checks the temperature and the atmospheric humidity in the smoke kilns. In order to avoid excessively high temperatures in the kiln, the alder wood must be somewhat moist. The cure smoker determines the moisture content of the wood by feeling how heavy it is. If the atmospheric humidity in the kiln nevertheless decreases, the cure smoker can correct this by adding steam.
The cure smoker determines when the smoking of ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ is completed by measuring the core temperature and feeling the ham. The surface must feel moist and the ham must have a semi-hard consistency and dark brown tone. The colour intensifies and becomes darker as the ham cools, while the consistency becomes firmer and the surface drier.
Thanks to the characteristic properties imparted by the special smoking process, ‘Vindelnrökt skinka’ has gained a very good reputation among both consumers and restaurateurs, particularly in the northern part of Sweden. This reputation has been built gradually since the late 1910s.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/globalassets/foretag-regler-kontroll/livsmedelsinformation-markning-halsopastaenden/skyddade-beteckningar/ansokan-produktspecifikaiton-vindelnrokt-skinka.pdf


(1)  
            OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/1231/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)