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: 2025-08-11
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Türkiye, confectionery product, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202504515EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/4515


11.8.2025






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/2025/4515)

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 three months from the date of this publication.
The product specification referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (2) is available in the Union register of geographical indications.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Maraş Çöreği’
                  


EU No: PGI-TR-02597 – 16.3.2020
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) (of PDO or PGI)


               ‘Maraş Çöreği’
            
2.   Member State or Third Country

Türkiye
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 2.3 Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionary, biscuits, and other baker’s ware.

Combined Nomenclature code







—



                        1905  - Bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits and other bakers' wares, whether or not containing cocoa; communion wafers, empty cachets of a kind suitable for pharmaceutical use, sealing wafers, rice paper and similar products




3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies


                  ‘Maraş Çöreği’ is a local biscuit that is food-specific to Kahramanmaraş due to its ingredients and baking technique. It is made of flour, margarine, salt, Nigella sativa seed, fresh yeast and water.
Physical characteristics: round, cream-coloured biscuits between 10 and 15 cm in diameter, with an overall indented surface. The average thickness of the ‘Maraş Çöreği’ after cooking is 8 mm.
Ingredients for ‘Maraş Çöreği’:






Ingredients


Amount




Flour


10  Kg




Margarine


4  Kg




Salt


120 -130  Gr





Nigella sativa seed


20 -30  Gr




Fresh yeast


250  Gr




Water


4  Lt










 


Aroma: Nigella sativa seed and salt










 


Flavour: mildly salty










 


Colour: creamy golden colour










 


Texture: packed and grainy










 


Shape: round with surface indentations




3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)







 


Flour: Standard wheat flour










 


Margarine: Vegetable based margarine










 


Salt: Fine grained salt










 



Nigella sativa seeds: Fresh, free from residual hulls or plant matter










 


Yeast: Fresh live yeast










 


Water: Fresh and potable




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

The preparation of the dough, the forming, the baking and cooling of the ‘Maraş Çöreği’ must all take place within the geographical area. The rolling pin used in the production of ‘Maraş Çöreği’ must be made of hornbeam wood, as it provides specific textural and structural characteristics that contribute to the distinctiveness of the product. This unique rolling technique ensures the characteristic indentations that define the final texture of ‘Maraş Çöreği’. It must be baked in a wood-fired stone oven using oak wood.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to


                  ‘Maraş Çöreği’ can be marketed by weight or by portion in trays or packages. If it is packaged, cardboard boxes can be used, but these must be lined with tin foil or a similarly waterproof material.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

Labels must include the following:






—


The name of the designation 
                           ‘Maraş Çöreği’
                        ,










—


Trade name and address or short name and address or registered mark of the producer,










—


European Union PGI logo,










—


The contents of the product, ratio of components net amount of the product, recommended consumption date, storage and usage information, serial number or batch number, production authorisation date.




4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of production is the whole Kahramanmaraş province.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The causal link is based on the product characteristics originating from the geographical area, natural factors and human factors. ‘Maraş Çöreği’ is baked and consumed in large amounts by the people of Kahramanmaraş, especially during Ramadan when local people fast. ‘Maraş Çöreği’ has been an integral part of Kahramanmaraş culinary culture for centuries, with historical records indicating its presence since the Ottoman period. It is traditionally prepared during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr and plays an essential role in religious and social gatherings. In the past, ‘Maraş Çöreği’ was prepared at home by the housewife for consumption by the family or for sale. Typically, someone from the family brought the prepared çöreks to the local bakery, waiting until they were baked. They were often sold to pastry shops and confectioners in order to supplement the household’s income. For the past 30 years, ‘Maraş Çöreği’ has been commercially produced in Kahramanmaraş for consumption by the local population. ‘Maraş Çöreği’ is also typically given to guests after funerals.
The key features of ‘Maraş Çöreği’ are its shape, formed using a hornbeam wooden rolling pin, its baking technique in a stone oven with oak wood, and its historic and cultural origin, namely Kahramanmaraş. Oak, especially kermes oak, gall oak (Quercus infectoria subsp. veneris) and Persian oak (Quercus brantii) is reputed to have been predominant in the forests of Kahramanmaraş city in the past, which is why oak is used for baking ‘Maraş Çöreği’ in a stone oven.
The rolling pin used in the production of ‘Maraş Çöreği’ must be 8 cm in width and 33 cm in length. The groove depth and range of the rolling pin must be 0,5 mm. It must be made of hornbeam wood, as it provides specific textural and structural characteristics that contribute to the distinctiveness of the product.

               ‘Maraş Çöreği’ is produced under conditions specific to the geographical border and requires skills that take a long time to master. For this reason, all production stages of ‘Maraş Çöreği’, which has a reputation with the province, take place within the specified geographical limit.
Craftspeople’s experience: preparing the ‘Maraş Çöreği’ dough, as well as rolling, shaping and baking it requires great skill. ‘Maraş Çöreği’ should be prepared and baked by craftspeople who have acquired the necessary skills in the Kahramanmaraş area. ‘Maraş Çöreği’ craftspeople are trained from an early age. It has been commercially produced in factories for the last 30 years in Kahramanmaraş and made available to Kahramanmaraş citizens.
The reputation of ‘Maraş Çöreği’ is supported by multiple sources. In a local products catalogue published by the Eastern Mediterranean Development Agency on 15 September 2018, author Figen Gökşen Tok states that ‘Maraş Çöreği’ is a unique local product of Kahramanmaraş, characterised by its stone oven baking technique and the use of a grooved hornbeam rolling pin. In addition, several news sources highlight the cultural and historical significance of ‘Maraş Çöreği’. On 27 March 2023, Haber Türk published an article titled ‘Tescilli Maraş Çöreği Ramazan Sofraları İçin Hazırlanıyor,’ where the continuity of the tradition was emphasised. Similarly, Anadolu Agency reported on 29 April 2022, that ‘Maraş Çöreği’ is widely consumed during Ramadan, a tradition that started during the Ottoman period. Another article published in Haber Türk on 4 July 2016, titled ‘Another Name for the Holiday in Kahramanmaraş is “Maraş Çöreği”,’ further confirms the product’s strong link with local traditions and cultural practices. These references substantiate the long-standing reputation of ‘Maraş Çöreği’ and reinforce its strong geographical indication.

Reference to publication of the specification

The Official e-Bulletin of the Turkish Patent Office;
Dossier No: C2016/089
Application date: 19 September 2016
            
Approved date: 13 June 2018
            
Registration no: 361
Page: 4


(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).

(2)  Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/4515/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)