Publication of an application for registration of a geographical indication pursuant to Article 15(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council
Date: 2025-11-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Finland, Southern Finland, Western Finland, bread, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202506074EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/6074


10.11.2025






Publication of an application for registration of a geographical indication pursuant to Article 15(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council
(C/2025/6074)

Within three months from the date of 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.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural products



                     ‘Aitoo perunarieska’
                  


EU No: PGI-FI-03318 – 13.8.2024
                  

1.   Name(s)


               ‘Aitoo perunarieska’
            
2.   Geographical indication type

PDO ☐ PGI ☒
3.   Country to which the defined geographical area belongs

Finland
4.   Description of the agricultural product

4.1.   Classification of the agricultural product in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature heading and code, as referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143

19 – PREPARATIONS OF CEREALS, FLOUR, STARCH OR MILK; PASTRYCOOKS’ PRODUCTS

                  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
4.2.   Description of the agricultural product to which the registered name applies


                  ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ is a round unleavened flatbread (‘rieska’), whose main ingredient is boiled, unpeeled potato. In addition to potatoes, the dough consists of wheat flour or other flour mixes, rape oil or colza oil, salt and possibly sugar and/or potato flakes. If additional colour or flavour is desired, other root vegetables, such as freshly grated carrots, turnips, beetroot or swedes, may be added to the dough. ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ flatbread may be made in different sizes and also from a gluten-free flour mix. The gluten-free flour used in the dough may be rice flour alone or a mix of several flours. The ingredients of the flour mixture may vary. A preservative (potassium sorbate or rowanberry extract) may be used to ensure that the product keeps well.

                  ‘Aitoo perunarieska’:






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is speckled, because the dough contains fragments of potato peel. Spots can also be seen on the flatbread after baking, especially if the potato skins were thick;










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has a genuine taste and smell of potato;










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has a dense consistency when bitten, as the flatbread is not leavened with yeast or any other raising agent.




4.3.   Derogations on sourcing of feed (for products of animal origin designated by a Protected Designation of Origin only) and restrictions on sourcing of raw materials (for processed products designated by a Protected Geographical Indication only)

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

The dough of ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ is produced and the flatbreads prepared for baking in the defined geographical area. The flatbreads are baked as quickly as possible. The baking programme depends on the thickness and size of the product to be made and the oven used. The indicative baking temperature is + 240-300 degrees, with a baking time of 12-22 minutes.
Ready-to-bake flatbreads may also be frozen uncooked in the defined geographical area and transported frozen outside the defined geographical area for baking.
4.5.   Specific rules concerning packaging, slicing, grating etc. of the agricultural product the registered name refers to


                  ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ is packaged baked or frozen uncooked in the defined geographical area in order to ensure the freshness and quality of the product.
If the flatbread is to be sold loose, the recommended packaging is a paper bag. Flatbreads delivered fresh to restaurants are supplied at cold-room temperature in the cold chain and in plastic bags.
4.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the agricultural product the registered name refers to

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5.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ consists of Pirkanmaa and Kanta-Häme.
6.   Link with the geographical area

The geographical indication ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ is based on the distinctive nature of the product and the know-how required to make it, as well as on its reputation.

Distinctive nature


                  ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ is a distinctive bakery product, as no water, yeast, eggs or dairy products are used in its production. ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ also differs from all other flatbreads made in Finland in terms of its production method, texture and taste.
What is particular about ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ is that the potatoes used as an ingredient are boiled and crushed unpeeled, without adding water. This gives the product its typical organoleptic characteristics, such as a genuine potato taste and a speckled appearance from the potato peel fragments. The consistency feels dense when bitten, as the flatbread is not leavened with yeast or any other raising agent.
Anti-browning agents need not be used for the potato used to prepare the product, as the potato is protected by its peel until the dough is made, after which the flatbread is baked.
If necessary, a preservative (potassium sorbate or rowanberry extract) may be used. If the product is additive-free and a longer shelf life is desired, it must be kept/handled in a cold chain or frozen.

Know-how

When ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ is produced, the quantity of liquid is adjusted according to the specific moisture characteristics of the potato raw material. Know-how is required to produce flatbread dough that is always of uniform quality. The potato variety is not important, as the dough can be worked to achieve a homogeneous result.
Sugar can be used during baking in order to maintain a uniform taste, as the characteristics of the potato undergo changes in the warehouse (a potato becomes approximately 10 % lighter during the warehousing period). Potato flakes may be used to increase the dry-matter content if the potatoes available are too watery to be baked.
Once the dough has been made from the ingredients, the flatbreads must be baked as soon as possible before the dough becomes too wet. For the same reason, it is not possible to make and store large quantities of dough. The interaction between potato and flour is decisive for the texture of the dough. The flour breaks down the cellular structure of the potato and, if the dough is not baked immediately, it becomes watery and loses its baking qualities. Managing this requires an in-depth understanding of the chemical and biological properties of the ingredients, and this aspect clearly distinguishes the product from fast industrial production. Dough is made several times a day if many flatbreads are baked.
Small quantities of dough remaining from the previous baking batch may be mixed with the next batch. A small quantity of dough remaining in the evening may be stored in a cold room and used for the next day’s dough. The dough also withstands freezing. When preparing the dough, it is advisable to use frozen dough for only part of the batch to be produced.
The preparation of the dough begins with washing the potatoes, boiling them unpeeled and cooling them. Before making the dough, the potatoes may be minced or they may be put in a mixer with the other ingredients and minced. In addition to the potatoes, flour is added to the dough to produce viscosity and to increase the dry-matter content. Wheat flour is most commonly used but other flour mixes – such as gluten-free flour mixes – are also possible. In addition, rape oil or colza oil, salt and possibly sugar and/or potato flakes are added to the dough.
Any other root vegetables (carrots, turnips, beetroot or swedes) are used/added to the dough freshly grated and they cook only once they are in the oven, together with the flatbreads, unlike the potatoes, which are boiled before making the dough.
Preparing the product requires special care and craftsmanship to ensure that the potatoes and flour are combined in a proportionate and optimal way. This tradition-based knowledge has been passed on and represents a unique know-how that cannot be replaced by standardised industrial methods.
The dough may be shaped by hand into flatbreads of a certain weight, which are then shaped and flattened by hand until they are thin. A variety of dough rollers may also be used to make an evenly shaped flatbread. The flatbreads are cut out of the resulting sheet of dough with a round mould.
After baking, the flatbreads are cooled before packaging. Cooling is important, because the moisture content of a flatbread is generally higher than that of bought bread bought from a shop.

Reputation

The quality of ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ has received special recognition. For example, a Finnish top chef familiar inter alia from TV programmes (e.g. as a Master Chef Finland judge) has praised the product as follows: ‘Simply brilliantly good with butter. A soft and delicious-tasting bread with the perfect amount of salt.’ (Sydän-Hämeen lehti, 2017).
A video published by the K-Citymarket food retailer in Pirkkala lauds ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ as follows: ‘Soft and mouth-watering fresh flatbreads from Aitoo. The flatbreads are handmade from potatoes that cannot be sold in shops owing to their size or shape but are an excellent ingredient for flatbread.’ (YouTube 19 August 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uom1vczcRA).
In 2024, ‘Aitoo perunarieska’ was selected as Finland’s best potato flatbread. The honorary certificate includes the following passage: ‘Gastronomy Finland’s tasting panel looks for unique artisanal products, with a taste and quality that are clearly superior to other food products in the same category on the market.’
               
The product is also showcased in an article published in the Viisi tähteä [‘Five stars’] online magazine on 25 October 2021, which presents a local producer’s range of flatbreads, one of which is ‘Aitoo perunarieska’.

                  ‘Aitoo Perunarieska’ can be served in a variety of ways. ‘Aitoo Perunarieska’ sold fresh is vegan. Eggs were removed from the recipe in 2020.

Reference to the publication of the product specification of the geographical indication


https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/globalassets/elintarvikkeet/elintarvikeala/ainesosat-ja-sisalto/nimisuojatut-tuotteet/aitoo-perunarieska-hakemus.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/2025/6074/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)