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: 2025-02-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Košice region, Prešov region, Slovakia, consumer information, designation of origin, fruit product, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202501171EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/1171


20.2.2025






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/2025/1171)

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


                     ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’
                  


EU No: PDO-SK-03207 – 15.3.2024
                  


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) (of PDO or PGI)


               ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’
            
2.   Member State or Third Country

Slovakia
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product (listed in Annex XI)

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed
3.2.   Combined nomenclature code

20 – PREPARATIONS OF VEGETABLES, FRUIT, NUTS OR OTHER PARTS OF PLANTS
2007 – Jams, fruit jellies, marmalades, fruit or nut purée and fruit or nut pastes, obtained by cooking, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter

                  2007 10  – Homogenised preparations

                  2007 10 10  – With a sugar content exceeding 13 % by weight
3.3.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies


                  ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’ is a jam made from freshly picked rosehips. It is characterised by its uniform consistency, with no clumps having formed in the jam and with no remnants of the rosehip shells or the perianth. The shells form part of the final product, thus increasing its nutritional value, as they contain the most vitamins. The finished product contains only rosehips and no other fruit, with no added preservatives or thickening agents. It is strained twice to achieve the best possible consistency and quality.
Analytical characteristics
The jam is pasteurised. Its sugar content is 35 % per kilogram of rosehips and can vary by up to 15 % either way depending on the time of harvest.
Organoleptic properties
Colour: dark orange to dark red depending on when the rosehips are picked (September to November).
Aroma: pleasant aroma of rosehips, no burnt smell or smell of fermentation. A later harvest may result in hints of a smoky aroma.
Taste: sweet-sour taste of well-ripened rosehips.
3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

Healthy, ripe rosehips are used for production. The varieties picked grow wild in the defined geographical area.
3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

All stages in the production of ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’, from the picking of the rosehips to the cooking of the jam, must take place in the defined geographical area.
The production process takes place in the following stages:






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picking of rosehips by hand;










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sorting, separation and washing;










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heat treatment;










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straining, twice;










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cooking slowly to achieve the required thickness;










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pouring into jars.




3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Spišský šípkový lekvár must be packaged in the defined geographical area in order to protect the product’s authenticity and quality and to ensure it is traceable and can be checked.
Only in this way can quality be preserved and any changes to the physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics prevented.
The jam is poured into the jars while still hot, which means the packaging forms part of the production process.
3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

—
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The defined geographical area is located in the north-eastern part of Slovakia, in the area of the Poprad and Hornád basins, the Hnilec valley and the surrounding mountains. The geographical area comprises the districts of Levoča, Poprad, Kežmarok and Spišská Nová Ves.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The causal link for ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’ is based on the producers’ know-how and the product’s specific quality and characteristics resulting from the natural and human factors present in the geographical area.
Specificity of the geographical area
It has a predominantly mountainous landscape and a rather harsh climate. The geographical area is located at between 450 m and 900 m above sea level and is characterised by lower average daytime and night-time temperatures during the growing season. The dew that forms due to the large difference between daytime and night-time temperatures helps during drier periods. The lower temperatures in the area limit the cultivation of some agricultural crops. Forests and pastures make up a significant proportion of the area. Mountain meadows can be found at higher altitudes.
Rosehips, however, do very well in the defined geographical area and the harsher climate. Not only are they a hardy crop, but certain factors such as early frosts also contribute to the specificity of the product, with the rosehips becoming sweeter, softer and better suited to the production of the jam.
Sometime between September and November, the drop in temperature becomes evident, and this is the ideal time to pick the rosehips and process them.
Know-how
The local population took an available natural resource – rosehips – and began to process them either into rosehip purée, i.e. a semi-finished product with no added sugar, known as eče-peče, or into a finished product, jam. Experience has shown that rosehips that have gone through the first frost are sweeter and better suited to the production of the jam. These rosehips can be processed more quickly as their shells are softer, which reduces cooking time, speeds up manual straining and increases the yield of rosehip purée. However, this is not a condition for production (see point 3.3). Rosehip purée and jam is made exclusively by hand.
Know-how is also involved in the need to process the freshly picked rosehips, resulting in a well-known and prized product, especially with regard to the natural character of the production process.
Rosehip jam is unusual in that it takes more time and energy to make than jams from other fruits. The thorny rosehips must first be picked, then cleaned, cooked, strained once to remove the seeds and again to remove the hairs and perianth. The jam is pasteurised by slowly cooking the rosehip purée in smaller vessels, causing the water to evaporate and giving the rosehip jam the required thickness. The jam is then poured into jars while hot.
Specific quality and characteristics of the product

               ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’ is a consistent product obtained from rosehips picked by hand when fully ripe, carefully sorted and slowly cooked in stainless-steel vessels while being stirred frequently. As water evaporates, ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’ thickens. The specificity of the product lies in the natural production process, based on the fact that the fruit is concentrated using thermal evaporation without the use of thickening agents, colouring agents or preservatives, as well as its 100 % fruit content. The early-morning frosts make the rosehips sweeter, so less sugar is needed to flavour the jam. Softer rosehips reduce the jam’s heat-treatment time, which not only helps to preserve its vitamin content but also contributes to its colour, aroma and taste. Straining the jam twice ensures uniform consistency and quality.
Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDOs) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristics of the product (for PGIs)
In the defined geographical area, not enough other fruits were available due to the mountainous terrain and harsh climate. People therefore sought to use the available local resources, not only for their own consumption but also to turn it into a means of earning a living. The rosehips grow in inaccessible or hard-to-access places, but in a very favourable, clean environment.
The jam’s specific characteristics result from its preparation exclusively by hand, i.e. the picking and processing method. The skill and dexterity of the people from the defined geographical area producing ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’ have developed on the basis of knowledge and experience passed from one generation to the next, and this is reflected in the quality of the final product. The fact that the rosehips are picked by hand and that the product is made without the use of thickening agents or preservatives lends ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’ its characteristic aroma and taste.
The product has become very popular and much sought-after due to its characteristics, which are determined by the fact it is picked by hand and by the preparation method. The product’s quality is also evidenced by the fact that in 2018, it was awarded a certificate permitting it to use the ‘Spiš regional product’ label, which recognises it as a unique product in the region, one using traditional practices and involving a high proportion of manual work. ‘Spišský šípkový lekvár’ has been chosen as a gift to be given at embassies, therefore acting as a representative of Slovakia’s culinary specialities and traditions.
The preparation and production of the product is based on historical recipes passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation, takes place in the defined geographical area and is historically linked to that area.

Reference to publication of the specification


https://www.indprop.gov.sk/swift_data/source/2023/CHOP_CHZO/specifikacia/zmeny_chop_specifikacia_spissky.pdf



(1)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 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/2025/1171/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)