Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
Date: 2024-07-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Castile-Leon, Spain, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, meat product, product designation, quality control of agricultural products




C_202404674EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/4674


22.7.2024






Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
(C/2024/4674)

Following this publication, the authorities of a Member State or of a third country, or a natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and established or resident in a third country, may lodge, in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) an opposition with the Commission within 3 months from the date of this publication.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

’Torrezno de Soria'


EU No: PGI-ES-03038 — 27.11.2023
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

’ Torrezno de Soria'
2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain
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


                  ‘Torrezno de Soria’ is a rectangular meat product made from fresh pork belly from white pigs, with the skin on, to which salt is added; it is cured and may be coated with paprika and other spices.
The fresh belly used to produce the ‘Torrezno de Soria’ comes from the ribs/ventral part of the pig between the end of the front shoulder and the start of the back legs.

                  ‘Torrezno de Soria’ has the following characteristics:
Morphological characteristics:






—


Thickness: up to 6 cm.










—


Rectangular shape: 25 to 55 cm long and 15 to 35 cm wide.










—


Structure of the cut (in this order): made up of skin, the three usual constituent layers (fatty, lean, fatty) and the possibility of leaving a fine lean layer at the top.




Physical and chemical characteristics:






 


Parameter










 


Spectrum










 


Moisture (g/100 g)










 


at least 20 % and no more than 40 %










 


Protein (g/100 g)










 


at least 15 % and no more than 25 %










 


Fat (g/100 g)










 


at least 35 % and no more than 60 %










 


Chloride (g/100 g)










 


Less than 3 %










 


Fat/protein ratio










 


1,6 < Fr/p < 3,5




The product may be placed on the market:






—


as a single whole, packaged or unpackaged,










—


in sizes equal to or greater than 100 g, in chunks or slices, always packaged.





                  ‘Torrenzo de Soria’ is fit for consumption after heat treatment.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

There are no specific requirements applicable to feed.
The following ingredients are used in the production of ‘Torrezno de Soria’:






—


Fresh pork belly from white pigs










—


Edible salt




Optional:






—


Sweet paprika










—


Garlic, pepper and oregano










—


Dextrose










—


Additives authorised:






—


or preservatives: Nitrites and nitrates:










—


or antioxidants: ascorbic acid and ascorbates








Prerequisites for the raw materials:
The piece of fresh pork belly must have the following characteristics:






i.


Rectangular shape, at least 15 x 35 cm and no more than 25 x 55 cm.










ii.


The final structure of the cut is made up of skin, the three usual layers (fatty, lean, fatty) and the possibility of leaving a fine lean layer at the top. The fresh belly must be no more than 8 cm thick. The skin is not removed.




The fresh belly used must include the skin, must be hairless, must be well insulated and must be free from any blemishes that may affect quality (e.g. bruising, blood stains).
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The production process includes the stages of receiving the belly, then salting, scrubbing (optional), seasoning (optional) and curing. ‘Torrezno de Soria’ is made exclusively in meat-processing plants that are subject to inspection, entered in the relevant registers and are located in the defined geographical area.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

The product must be sliced and packaged in the defined geographical area in order to ensure that the product is can be traced and monitored.
The product shall be placed on the market:






—


either as a single whole, packaged or unpackaged, or










—


in packs equal to or greater than 100 g, in chunks or slices, always packaged.




This is justified by the need to ensure traceability and control of the product.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

All cuts and/or packages containing ‘Torrezno de Soria’ released for consumption must bear a seal of guarantee containing, as a minimum, the logo of the designation including the terms ‘Protected Geographical Indication’, ‘Torrezno de Soria’, the EU symbol for protected geographical indication and the identification number. The seal must be affixed in such a way that it cannot be re-used.
The logo of the designation ‘Torrezno de Soria’ is as follows:





4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The defined geographical area covers the entire province of Soria
5.   Link with the geographical area

The defined geographical area and the product ‘Torrezno de Soria’ are connected by its reputation and the specific characteristics of the product.

               ‘Torrezno de Soria’ is a meat product made from fresh pork belly from white pigs. It is cured, rectangular in shape and formed of three layers (fatty, lean, fatty) and an optional lean layer on the top in addition to the skin. This profile lends the product its balanced fatty/lean ratio, which makes it suitable for frying.
The specific characteristics of the fresh pork belly used to make ‘Torrezno de Soria’ have their origins in traditional slaughter in Soria, in which a piece of pork is obtained that is traditionally referred in the region to as the ‘intima’ (intimate) or the ‘alma’ (soul), as described by Pedro Iglesia Hernández (1991) in his book ‘
               La matanza en tierra Sorianas
               ’ [Slaughter in the land of Soria]. The author stresses the importance of slaughter in Soria in the 1950s. He describes the ritual in great detail and demonstrates that, in the province, slaughter has a distinct identity (p. 49). He goes on to say:

               ‘The common practice throughout most of the province is, rather than opening the pig in half with a single central cut, to cut from the breast along the convex lines that merge into the inner thighs and to extract a fusiform piece of pork fat in the shape of a cuttlefish, which is known as la íntima [literally, “the intimate”], the alma [fat obtained from the section between the neck and the lower belly of the pig, which translates as “the soul”] and the entrealma[fat obtained from the lower belly, which translates as “the inter-soul”] (p. 80).
Iglesia then describes the cut, making a distinction between the fat, including the streaky part obtained from different sections of the pig, and the torreznos (rashers) obtained from la íntima (p 86 and 87). He draws attention to the fact that this piece (la íntima) “is streaky fat, which gives it its distinctive aroma” (p. 116).
The pork belly and the torrezno have for decades formed an integral part of the lives and customs of the people of Soria. This is evidenced by the first written records dating back to 1964, linking the torrezno to Soria (España en paz
               ’ [Spain in peacetime] Manuel García Matos, 1964, p 88) in which the author refers to the torrezno as part of the diet in the Soria region: ‘
               Gachas [a thick gruel] made from grass-pea flour with minced fat, and the tasty and traditional torrezno are part of people’s daily diet in Soria.’
            
Other literature details the gastronomic tradition of the torrezno in Soria, which confirms the exclusive nature of this way of handling the pig in order obtain la íntima or alma, the aim of which was to obtain the torrezno by frying it:
In Oncala Ayer y Hoy (Oncala yesterday and today), which forms part of Soria Thematic Collection No 40 (Soria Provincial Council, 1999) shows how the torrezno is part of the diet and how, on the first day of the pig’s slaughter, people ate torreznos from la íntima (p. 299).
The book ‘
               Por el renacimiento de la tradición. XXV aniversario de las jornadas ritogastronómicas de la matanza en el Virrey
               ’ [Rebirth of tradition - 25th anniversary of the gastronomic rites stemming from slaughter in Virrey] (1999), by Miguel Moreno - who has gained the title ‘Chronicler of Soria’ - refers to the custom in Soria of extracting el alma and turning it into torrezno del alma. Moreno was responsible for inaugurating the 1976 edition of the above-mentioned days of rites and specifically referred in Section IV to ‘
               torreznillos de entrealma
               ’, so called because they looked like little ‘
               torreznos
               ’ (p. 25).
In De fogones y Pitanzas Sorianas (1997) [The Kitchens and Foods of Soria], about the cuisine of Soria, the Goig Soler brothers refer to ‘celebrating delicacies that characterise Soria such as the torrezno
               ’ and note that on the first day after slaughter ‘people had torreznos del alma for lunch’ (p. 7).
The ‘Torrezno de Soria’ has progressed from being a merely local delicacy to gain prominence at national and international level thanks to the development of tourism, as visitors to the region began to sing the praises of its torreznos, and then spread the word on the internet and social media.

               ‘Torrezno de Soria’ has received a number of awards such as the gastronomy prize of Gastronomy and Food Academy of Castile-León, the La Posada prize in 2015 for ‘the best project in Soria’, awarded by El Mundo newspaper; and the Food prize of the Campo Awards (2021) held by Norte de Castilla newspaper.

               ‘Torrezno de Soria’ also appears in Carlos Díaz Güell’s food book ‘
               Los 100 grandes platos de la cocina española
               ’ [100 great Spanish dishes] (2021), to which 60 Spanish gourmets and food critics contributed.

               ‘Torrezno de Soria’ has been featured in the media, including on peak-time television.
On the TV programme Un país para comérselo [a Country for Eating], an episode entitled ‘Discover the secrets of the ‘Torrezno de Soria’ (24 December 2014), ‘Torrezno de Soria’ is referred to as the torrezno del alma. In another mainstream TV programme on Spanish national TV, Celebrity Masterchef 4 (shown on 16 October 2019), the contestants took a skills test in which they made ‘Torrezno de Soria’.
It has also been featured in specialist media and supplements:
An article on ‘Torrezno de Soria’ in El Comodista, the special gastronomy supplement of El País newspaper, entitled ‘the Triumphant Return of the Torrezno’ (Casteleiro 2018), went into detail about the excellence of the product: ‘The torrezno is moving up in the world. We take a look at one of the current gastronomic phenomena and tell you where to find the best.’
            
In another article entitled ‘The best torrezno in the world’ (2022) in the gastronomy section of Fuera de Serie magazine, published by Expansión journal, Cristina Acebal wrote:


                  ‘They say that Castile-León is Spain’s larder, and it is from that larder that Soria gets its finest work, the torrezno. A thin strip of tender, pink fat enveloped by a tasty, crispy, golden crust... “Torrezno de Soria” is one of the gastronomic jewels not only of Castile-León but of Spain as a whole.’
               

An article was published in ORIGEN magazine on 16 December 2016 entitled ‘Torrezno de Soria - food product of the day’, which said: ‘If there is one food product that is inextricably linked to the province of Soria it is the torrezno
               ’.
¡HOLA! magazine's Cookery Special (Almudi, 2022) describes the ‘Torrezno de Soria’ as follows:


                  ‘Golden, very crispy crust, lean, tender and very tasty, with a perfect balance of intertwined flesh and fat... sinking one’s teeth into a “Torrezno de Soria” is one of those food experiences that all food lovers should try at least once; there are many producers making torreznos, but the ones in this province of Castile are in a different league altogether.’
               

Also, ‘Torrezno de Soria’ has garnered the attention and recognition of major food critics such as Carlos Maribona (food section, La Verdad, 21 January 2021), who wrote:


                  ‘... if we are talking about rich fats, there is surely nothing better than a good torrezno... As I am sure you know, the most celebrated torreznos are the ones from Soria, which are so highly prized there that they are even covered by a guarantee mark, “Torrezno de Soria”
                  ’.

Lastly, such is its importance, the ‘Torrezno de Soria’ is a feature of cultural events such as the Jornadas Ritogastronómicas de la Matanza [Gastronomic Rites stemming from slaughter] which since 1975 has taken place in Burgo de Osma, Soria, and has formed part of the Castile-León Festival of Tourist Interest since 1985. The ‘Torrezno de Soria’ features on the tasting menu offered during the festival. As a nod to tradition and history, the dish is called the ‘
               torrezno del alma from Soria’.
A competition has been held in Soria since 2014 called El Mejor Torrezno del Mundo [the Best Torrezno in the World], a festival celebrating the ‘Torrezno de Soria’, which, year on year, attracts increasing numbers of tourists and participating hospitality venues.

Reference to publication of the product specification


https://www.itacyl.es/web/guest/calidad-diferenciada/dop-e-igp/listado-dop-agroalimentarias



(1)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11.4.2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4674/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)