This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION ORIGINATING IN A MEMBER STATE

‘Pa de Pagès Català’

EU No: PGI-ES-0880-AM02 – 28.8.2024

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name of product

2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain

3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food – Government of Catalonia

4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

Explanation that the amendment(s) fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

This should be regarded as a standard amendment as the approved changes do not affect the protected name or the link with the environment, nor do they lead to increased restrictions on trade in the product.

1.   Deletion of the percentage of water for making the dough

In Subsection E.1, ‘Ingredients’, of the product specification, the following paragraph:

‘Water is incorporated into the dough at a rate of 60-70 % (litres of water/kg of flour), which has a decisive impact on the bread’s final moisture characteristics.’

has been replaced with:

‘The baker’s know-how and professional experience are essential when adding the amount of water needed to obtain bread with the characteristics described in Section B.

The percentage of water has been deleted as it is common for bakers to correct the amount of water empirically according to the dough’s consistency, as this is impacted by various factors, such as the flour or the temperature of the dough, which are unrelated to the formula. Setting a specific value makes it difficult for PGI producers to carry out their standard practice and operations.

This amendment affects Section 3.3, ‘Raw materials’, of the single document.

This amendment affects the single document.

2.   Deletion of the percentage of baker’s yeast

Again in Subsection E.1, ‘Ingredients’, of the product specification, the following paragraph:

‘Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae L.) in its various commercial formats may be added up to a maximum of 2 %. This quantity may be reduced by using fermentative doughs and longer fermentation times than the minimum times set out in the product specification.’

has been replaced with:

‘Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae L.) may be used in its various commercial formats.’

In a previous amendment to the product specification, the permitted baker’s yeast formats were expanded, but the maximum yeast percentage was mistakenly maintained. Given the range of existing formats (e.g. powdered or liquid), the percentage should have been adapted or deleted. Usually, in fermentation processes using a starter dough and involving long fermentation times, such as those of the bread covered by the PGI, bakers do not use yeast, and if they do it is always in small quantities. The maximum yeast percentage has therefore been deleted.

This amendment affects Section 3.3, ‘Raw materials’, of the single document.

This amendment affects the single document.

3.   Deletion of the specified temperature of the dough at the end of kneading

c)	In Subsection E.2, ‘Method of production’, the paragraph on kneading:

‘Kneading is the process whereby the ingredients of the bread are mixed, either by hand or by mechanical means. The temperature of the dough after kneading must be between 22 °C and 28 °C to ensure that the subsequent fermentation is successful.’

has been amended to read:

‘Kneading is the process whereby the ingredients of the bread are mixed, either by hand or by mechanical means.’

The change has been made due to the fact that the temperature just at the moment kneading ends is not a key element for ensuring proper fermentation, as other aspects of the production process, such as resting times and conditions, are what determine the temperature of the dough and its subsequent fermentation.

The amendment does not affect the single document.

4.   Deletion of minimum resting times and establishment of a total fermentation time

In Subsection E.2, ‘Method of production’, of the product specification, the minimum times (15 minutes) for resting the dough and resting the balls of dough have been deleted, and a total fermentation time has been established, which also includes resting stages. The paragraph:

‘Final fermentation: Once the loaf has been formed, it must be allowed to ferment on a continuous basis for at least 3 hours. If the dough or balls of dough rest for longer than the minimum of 15 minutes stipulated for each of these stages, it is possible to reduce the duration of the final fermentation stage on the basis of the extra time spent resting the dough and/or the balls of dough.

In bakeries at room temperature, the final fermentation time can be reduced by a maximum of 30 minutes during the summer to prevent overfermentation of the bread.

Fermentation takes places on a wooden or cloth surface or on baking trays, in controlled fermentation chambers or in the temperature and humidity conditions at the bakery.’

has been replaced with the following:

‘Once the loaf has been formed, it must be left to ferment on a wooden or cloth surface or on baking trays, in controlled fermentation chambers or in the temperature and humidity conditions at the bakery.

The total fermentation time must be at least 4 hours, and is considered to be the time between the end of kneading and the placing of the bread in the oven.

In bakeries at room temperature, the final fermentation time can be reduced by a maximum of 30 minutes during the summer to prevent overfermentation of the bread.’

It is considered simpler and more practical to establish only a total fermentation time, measured from the end of kneading to the start of baking. To take into account the time that may elapse between intermediate operations, the total fermentation time has been extended by half an hour, from 3.5 hours to 4 hours.

The amendment does not affect the single document.

5.   Deletion of baking temperature

In Subsection E.2, ‘Method of production’, in the paragraph on baking, the baking temperature has been deleted. The established range of 160-230 °C was a standard temperature range, and was very broad so as to cover all bread sizes (from 200 g to 3 kg). The decisive factor for baking is the use of an oven with a refractory floor, a requirement which has been kept.

This amendment affects the single document, specifically Section 3.4, ‘Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area’, in which the baking temperature has also been deleted.

This amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Pa de Pagès Català’

EU No: PGI-ES-0880-AM02 – 28.8.2024

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Pa de Pagès Català’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Combined Nomenclature code

—	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

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

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is a traditional bread, round, with a crisp crust, tender crumb and large alveoles, which must always be shaped by hand. It is produced using traditional methods, with slow fermentation, and is always baked in ovens with a refractory floor.

Bread covered by this PGI has the following characteristics:

Appearance:

It is a round, rustic-looking bread.

The crumb has large, irregular alveoles. Its colour ranges from white to cream depending on the extraction rate of the flour used and it remains soft for some time. The spongy crumb is a key feature of the product and is a result of the bakers’ expertise and long experience.

The crust is thick and crisp, toasted brown in colour, and bears cracks where it has split open during baking.

Organoleptic characteristics:

It is a very fragrant and flavoursome bread, with a certain acidity which maintains the sensation of freshness and a pleasant texture for 8-9 hours after baking.

Presentation:

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI is presented in the form of round loaves weighing between 200 g and 3 000 g, with a natural crack on the top

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

This is a traditional bread made from flour, a starter or fermentative dough, water, baker’s yeast and table salt. The flours or flour blends used can consist of any variety of the wheat family classified as medium, strong or very strong, with different extraction rates and milling methods. In addition, up to 10 % (of the total flour used in the dough) can be rye flour.

Starter or fermentative dough: a cultivated starter or fermentative dough is added. This is most commonly obtained from a previous fermentation.

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

The entire production process must take place within the defined geographical area:

a)	Kneading the dough

b)	Resting the dough

c)	At this stage the baker’s expertise is crucial to the development of the bread’s aroma. In addition, resting strengthens the protein network that develops when the dough is mixed and kneaded and makes the dough more pliable.

d)	Dividing the dough into pieces

e)	Rolling the dough pieces into balls

f)	Resting the balls of dough

g)	Shaping The shaping must be done by hand; no mechanised shaping is allowed.

h)	Fermentation

i)

Scoring

j)	Baking ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI must be baked only in ovens which have a refractory floor that diffuses the heat. Each baker will employ their expertise when adding steam, which determines the final appearance of the crust.

k)

Cooling

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

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI is sold to the public as whole, unsliced loaves. The product is sold packaged. Each loaf must be individually wrapped and bags must be made of paper or any other material that is sustainable, biodegradable and eco-friendly.

The product must be packaged in the establishment where it is sold, just before sale to the final consumer, as packaging can accelerate the spread of moisture from the crumb to the crust, so that it becomes soft and chewy, making the bread less crisp on the outside and less spongy inside.

The bread may only be cut into slices at the customer’s request at the time of sale. Loaves weighing more than 1 000 g can be sold by weight and the resulting pieces can be sliced or left unsliced.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI has its own logo to accompany the packaged final product.

The packaging used for the bread covered by the PGI must bear its serial number and must bear the PGI name ‘Pa de Pagès Català’, its logo and the EU PGI symbol.

Specific logo of the PGI:

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ covers the entire region of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.

5.   Link with the geographical area

‘Pa de Pagès Català’, more commonly known throughout the Autonomous Community as pa de pagès, is the bread with the greatest historical reputation in Catalonia.

The etymology of the name pa de pagès already gives a clear indication of the product’s rural origins. Pagès means ‘farmer’ or ‘peasant’ in Catalan. Pa de pagès was the bread made in rural areas throughout Catalonia for local consumption. It was therefore an artisan bread, as it was made in the masías (farmhouses) and in the villages. Bakers in rural areas also made pa de pagès because it kept perfectly for several days, which was ideal for country folk. Pa de pagès is round and always shaped by hand; the dough is fermented slowly and baked in an oven with a refractory floor, a tradition that has been maintained for over six hundred years.

For centuries, the tradition of pa de pagès was passed down from one generation to the next, in people’s homes and in professional bakeries. It was these rural bakers who, with the successive migrations from rural to urban areas that took place in Catalonia from the 16th to the 18th century, gradually introduced pa de pagès to consumers in the large towns and cities and the surrounding areas.

At the end of the 19th century certain historical events occurred that led to ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ becoming more widely known as the most typical Catalan bakery product. The World Fairs held in Barcelona in 1888 and 1929, which coincided with the industrialisation of Catalonia, triggered a huge migration of people from rural areas to the Catalan capital. Thousands of people left their villages in the inland and southern part of the region to make a better living in factories in Barcelona and other industrial centres such as Manresa, Reus, etc. Among them were people who had been bakers in their villages of origin or were responsible for making pa de pagès at home. Many of these people found work not in the factories, but in the town and city bakeries, which had to produce bread for an ever-growing population.

At the same time as these people became bakery workers, the bakery sector itself was changing, with the introduction of machinery and flours that were more refined than those that had been used up until then. This was when baguette-type bread began to appear, which was easier and quicker to make than the traditional pa de pagès. However, the new urban populations remained loyal to their traditional bread and asked the bakeries for pa de pagès, so the bakeries started making pa de pagès as well as modern baguette-type bread.

At that time pa de pagès was known throughout Catalonia as a traditional, artisan bread, the good old bread, which was quite different from the new types of bread. It has exactly the same reputation today, to the extent that one cannot imagine pa amb tamàquet (bread with tomato), one of the most famous Catalan specialities, being made with any other type of bread.

In the 19th and 20th centuries the method used to make pa de pagès in Barcelona and other industrial towns was gradually adopted all over Catalonia. This method has not changed and has remained essentially the same for the past 100 years, according to descendants of bread-making families throughout the region. The bread is made using slow methods and special attention is paid to how it is baked, especially when adding the steam – this is where each baker employs their expertise, which determines the final appearance of the crust.

5.1.   Specificity of the product

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is the most representative Catalan bakery speciality. It is a slow-fermentation bread, shaped exclusively by hand and baked slowly in ovens with a refractory floor. It has a crisp, toasted-brown crust, a tender, spongy crumb with large alveoles, which keeps its fresh appearance and pleasant texture for 8-9 hours after it is baked. These features result from the expertise and long experience of the Catalan bakers, and give the bread its special character, which has always been the same and has maintained its reputation over time.

5.2.   Causal link between the geographical area and a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product

The features that link the product with the geographical area are mainly its historical reputation and the fact that knowledge of the production method has been transmitted unchanged from one generation of Catalan bakers to the next. Its reputation is such that ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is an essential feature of Catalan gastronomy.

In Catalonia, ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ has been recognised as a high-quality, artisan bread for centuries, and its high quality has often been the cause of dispute. Thus, Professor Antoni Riera of the University of Barcelona, in a study on the production, sale and consumption of bread in modern Catalan towns and cities in the 14th to 18th centuries, records that in Barcelona in the 18th century the bread that was brought to the city from rural areas was a cause of tension, specifically, says Riera, ‘the pa de pagès that came from the surrounding villages’. It is easy to understand the reason for the tension between the city bakers and those who came from outside the Catalan capital: pa de pagès was a better-quality bread than the bread made by the bakers in Barcelona, and so people preferred it. This is also stated by the historian Jesús Ávila regarding the bread that arrived in Barcelona from other towns and villages: ‘People preferred the bread made by the monks of Sant Jeroni in the Vall d’Hebron. As well as pa de pagès, local district breads, such as those of Valls and Reus, and long French-style baguettes also became popular, as did llonguets [a typical Catalan bread roll]’. As this shows, historians have regarded ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as a quality product specific to Catalonia at least from the 18th century onwards.

Other bread-making specialists, gourmets and historians (F. Tejero, X. Barriga, J. C. Capel, E. Rosset, P. Roca) repeatedly refer to ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as a specific Catalan product.

It is also interesting to see how early on this bread became a distinct feature in Spanish painting. One of the oldest depictions of ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is in the mural paintings of Pia Almoina de Lleida (14th-15th centuries), which show large round loaves on the tables of the poor, different from the types of bread eaten by the more affluent classes at that time. Other examples that must be mentioned are specific works featuring the shapes of traditional Catalan bread, by Picasso and Dalí (early and mid 20th century) and still lifes done by less internationally well-known painters in the second half of the 20th century.

It must be pointed out how the fame of ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ has led to similar breads also being called pa de pagès, as in the Balearic Islands, or provinces neighbouring Catalonia such as Huesca and Castellón. This is mentioned by José Carlos Capel (El pan. Elaboración, formas, mitos, ritos y gastronomía, Barcelona, Montserrat Mateu, 1991), a scholar and writer on Spanish eating habits and a food critic, who states that ‘the name pan de payès is used to denote bread which, in appearance and taste, is trying to imitate, usually without success, this excellent Catalan bread’.

The official bread price lists that used to be published by the Spanish provinces under the supervision of the state authorities show how firmly rooted pa de pagès is in Catalonia. Until bread prices were liberalised in 1986, pa de payès was on the lists for the four Catalan provinces, whereas in the Balearic Islands there was only pan de flama (the common baguette-type bread) and the bread locally known as payès was not on the list.

In recent years many newspaper articles have drawn attention to the excellence of bakers throughout Catalonia who, in centuries-old traditional family bakeries, have maintained ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as one of their specialities.

Reference to publication of the product specification

http://agricultura.gencat.cat/web/.content/al_alimentacio/al02_qualitat_alimentaria/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-tramit/pliego-condiciones-igp-pa-pages-catala-modificacion.pdf

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(1)   OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.