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

‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’

EU No: PGI-PT-03046 – 6.12.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) (of PGI/PDO)

‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Portugal

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Product type

Class 2.3. Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ is a small sweet pastry, baked in the oven, composed of two distinct parts: the pastry case – known locally as the forra (‘cover’), or capa (‘cloak’), or lençol (‘sheet’); and the filling – also known locally as espécie (‘flavouring’).

Mandatory ingredients:

The pastry case – known as the forra (‘cover’), or capa (‘cloak’), or lençol (‘sheet’) – contains type 65 or 55 wheat flour, water, butter or vegetable fat, and salt;

The espécie (‘flavouring’) contains white pulses of the variety commonly known as ‘fidalgo’ beans, freshly blanched almonds, fresh and/or pasteurised egg yolks, white sugar and water.

Banned ingredients – additives, processing adjuvants, chickpeas or any pulses other than ‘fidalgo’ beans and liqueurs or other spirit drinks containing almond or almond essence.

Standard weight and dimensions:

Weight	60 to 75 grams
Height	25 to 34 mm
Base diameter	30 to 45 mm
Rim diameter	60 to 70 mm

Miniature ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ may also be produced, with dimensions ranging from one quarter to half of the usual size.

The following main characteristics distinguish ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ from other pastries made from beans:

Shape – a classic mince pie shape, so an inverted truncated cone, i.e. the diameter is smaller at the base than at the top; each individual tart fans outwards from the base to a round, slightly convex top that is larger in diameter than the base with well-defined edges.

The pastry case (base and sides) is straw yellow in colour with a matt finish, fine in thickness and with a smooth, well-formed and uniform texture and a friable appearance, allowing the filling to be perceived through the pastry case.

The filling, when cut, is yellow to orange yellow; the surface of the tart is a matt golden brown, with slight variations depending on the oven temperature and baking time. The surface of the tart is rough in texture due to the sugar in the mixture rising and crystallising; the filling beneath is granular and moist, and one can taste the ground almonds as well as the beans themselves, which have a spongy consistency. The tarts have an initial clear scent and taste of almonds, and sometimes of egg yolk, behind which the beans can also be tasted.

When tasted, the pastry case is friable and crisp, but not puffy, delicately enveloping the filling without overwhelming it. The aftertaste is of almonds, as this is the predominate taste that persists in the mouth after eating the pastry.

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

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

All the stages in the manufacture of ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’, from the preparation of the pasty case and the filling to the production of the final product, including freezing where applicable, must take place in the identified geographical area.

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

The pastries are packed in each producer’s specific and individually branded plant-based greaseproof paper within one to four hours after they have cooled in order to avoid microbiological contamination or the absorption of foreign odours or any damage to the pastry case, which is thin, friable and crisp. This traditional packaging material, which has been the material of choice for the past hundred years, makes it possible to protect the product in question and give it a reliably long shelf life without compromising its flavour or qualities.

‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ that are going to be frozen are first packaged on the producer’s premises.

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

The label must bear the words ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras – Indicação Geográfica Protegida’ [Protected Geographical Indication] or ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras – IGP’ [PGI].

The following information is compulsory:

—	The producer’s/packager’s name, business name and address

—	The ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ logo, reproduced below:

The EU PGI logo, which is legally mandatory, must immediately follow the words ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’. In addition to the producers/packagers’ trademarks, the trademarks of distributors etc., as well as insignia or any other indications and specifications may appear on the labelling, but these may not be more prominent than the words ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ or be directly adjoined to the sales description ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ or the EU PGI logo.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area for the production/manufacture and packaging of ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ coincides exactly with the area of the municipality of Torres Vedras.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The causal link between ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ and the defined geographical area known administratively as the municipality of Torres Vedras is based on the pastry’s quality and its reputation, which are apparent both through history and family ties, and from consumers’ widespread familiarity with ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ and their ability to distinguish it from other pastries. Whether or not it originated in Torres Vedras, the specific local know-how, fruit of a long tradition of following ancient practices – notwithstanding very slight variations according to each producer’s ‘historical branch’ – is perhaps the ‘key’ (so characteristic of traditional confectionery) that distinguishes how ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ are manufactured and has earned this pastry its far-reaching reputation. The fine and crisp pastry case, which is not puff pastry, is the preeminent distinctive factor, and is so translucent that the filling can be seen through it. This pastry case is placed as if it were a sheet on top of the greased tart tins, pushed in using a pestle of dough and folded to prevent it from overflowing from the tin and, subsequently, to ensure the filling does not overflow from the pastry case. The pastry case is distinct in texture from the spongy quality of the beans, well mixed in with the slight graininess of the almonds, which must be pre-blanched or blanched on the producer’s premises, and then mandatorily ground on the same premises to avoid any loss of scent or flavour. Another distinctive element that has greatly contributed to the reputation of ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ is the fact that it is sold wrapped in food-grade plant-based greaseproof paper that always bears the details of the specific producer, which gives the product its particular identity and is a signal to the consumer. This greaseproof paper also maintains the pastry’s taste and qualities, which are quite distinct from those of other similar products, throughout its shelf life.

There are numerous testimonies, articles and publications attesting to the primacy, distinction, current reputation and use of the name Torres Vedras to designate the ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ produced there: ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ have been manufactured in Torres Vedras since 1840; Articles have been published in local newspapers since at least 1894, referring to Pastel de feijão as a local speciality, even calling them Pastel de feijão de Torres or Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras; in 1896, the programme of an exhibition celebrating the fourth centenary of Vasco da Gama’s first voyage to India includes ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ among the thirty-eight ‘characteristic local pastries’ that were to feature in the ‘Exposição Ethnografica Portuguesa’ [Portuguese Ethnographic Exhibition].

In 1927, an article was published in the press denouncing the existence of ‘fake pastries’ and mendacious use of the name pastel de feijão and the name Torres to designate ‘substandard products’ masquerading as the real thing. In 2001, ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ was referred to in the work ‘Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses’ [Traditional Portuguese Products], published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries. In 2010, the Revista Caminhar featured an interesting article on ‘A origem dos Pastéis de Feijão’ [The origin of Pastéis de feijão] written by Sra Da Maria Edite Robalo, the granddaughter of the great confectioner Maria Adelaide Rodrigues da Silva (known as Mázinha), who was born in 1879. The ‘Guia de Compras Produtos Tradicionais’ – 2011’ [2011 Guide to Purchasing Traditional Products], the 2014 and 2015 editions of the ‘Guia dos Bons Produtos Tradicionais’ [Guide to Fine Traditional Products] and the 2016 and 2017 Guides to Traditional Products provide descriptions of the ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ and list its producers.

‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ is also described extensively on the internet, its manufacture has been filmed, its economic weight duly documented and its producers and sales outlets listed. But there are also abusive uses of the name and false ‘recipes’.

The production of ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ requires specific know-how and expertise, which develop over time, be it through the family – by passing the baton on to close family members – or through competing to recruit pâtissiers specialised in working in Torres Vedras’s well-reputed and prestigious firms that still follow traditional practices to manufacture their pastries. The specificity of the production system has made it possible over the years to develop and preserve knowledge and know-how that is passed down from generation to generation and that cannot be found elsewhere. The manufacture of ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ makes a significant contribution to the local economy and provides considerable employment in addition to the income generated by sales of ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ both throughout Portugal and for export (in 2015, ‘there were around 20 manufacturers, including both factories and patisseries, employing a workforce of 150 staff, producing around 1.5 million pastries and generating almost one million euros annually’). The ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ has been winning gold and silver medals in national traditional pastry competitions and can be found at local, regional and national fairs and festivals. The municipality’s signature product is considered to be the bean tart that wins the local competition for the best ‘Pastel de feijão de Torres Vedras’ of the year. In addition to being marketed locally, it is marketed throughout Portugal and is sold in small shops, supermarkets and hypermarkets, at motorway service stations or rest areas and is also exported, in particular to the USA.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/images/prod_imagens/doces/docs/2024_CE_pastel_feijao_Torres_Vedras_IGP20240519.pdf

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(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).