Within 3 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 an opposition with the Commission in accordance with Article 61 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A TRADITIONAL SPECIALITY GUARANTEED

TSG-FR-2466-AM01 – 23.5.2024

1.   Name of product

Berthoud

2.   Member State or Third Country

France

3.   Heading in the product specification relating to the amendment(s)

?	Name of product

☒	Description of the product

☒	Description of the production method

?

Other

4.   Amendment(s)

—

The terms used to describe the ‘Berthoud’ container The term ‘ assiette à Berthoud ’ (‘Berthoud dish’) is replaced by the term ‘ coupelle à Berthoud ’ (‘Berthoud dish’). This amendment application is purely editorial so that the term used in the product specification corresponds to the exact term used by professionals in the sector. The ‘Berthoud’ container remains identical in terms of both dimensions and material.

—	Cutting ‘Abondance’ cheese

In addition to the option of grating ‘Abondance’ cheese or cutting it into thin strips, the option of cutting it into cubes has been added.

Many restaurants now cut ‘Abondance’ cheese into cubes (time savings resulting from greater technical simplicity).

Almost all of these are restaurants that do not have an electric grater, where cutting ‘Abondance’ cheese into strips wastes a considerable amount of time.

The vast majority of restaurants also prepare ‘Abondance’ cheese in advance, and cutting it into cubes means it keeps better than grated or sliced cheese, which tends to dry out more quickly.

Cutting ‘Abondance’ cheese into cubes does not in any way alter the final recipe for ‘Berthoud’, as the quantities of cheese used remain the same and the range of cooking time allowed by the specification still makes it possible to obtain a ‘Berthoud’ that is grilled on top and melted right through at the end of cooking from cubes.

—	Use of garlic in the recipe

In addition to the possibility of rubbing the base of the ‘Berthoud’ dish with cloves of garlic, it has been added that the dish may be rubbed with chopped or pressed garlic and/or that a small amount of chopped or pressed garlic may be placed in the bottom of the dish.

The option of using chopped or pressed garlic saves the restaurant a considerable amount of time when cooking multiple orders of ‘Berthoud’, because it is quicker to put a small amount of garlic in the bottom of the dish than to peel a garlic clove and rub the dish with it.

The final result of the recipe for ‘Berthoud’ is in no way altered, as the same taste of garlic is still present and baking the Berthoud in the oven dissolves the chopped or pressed garlic so that no pieces of garlic remain when it is eaten.

—	Use of pepper in the recipe

The words ‘pepper is added [and the dish is cooked]’ have been deleted and it has been inserted that pepper may be added before or after cooking, as restaurants that heat their oven to 200 degrees (as opposed to 180 degrees for others) prefer to add pepper after cooking so that it does not become too hot and develop a ‘toasted’ flavour.

This in no way alters the recipe for ‘Berthoud’ or its taste – the quantities remain the same and the taste of pepper is still present.

—	Cooking temperature

The maximum cooking temperature is changed from 200 °C to 240 °C.

In order to minimise customers’ waiting time at the table, restaurants do not reserve an oven exclusively for ‘Berthoud’ and cook several dishes at the same time in the same oven (including Berthoud). However, for some dishes a cooking temperature of 200 °C is not high enough and the restaurants therefore need to increase the temperature of their oven to as much as 240 °C.

This does not present a problem for ‘Berthoud’, as the range of cooking time allowed by the product specification makes it possible to obtain a ‘Berthoud’ that is grilled on top and melted right through by adapting the cooking time and temperature (for example 180 °C for 15 minutes or 240 °C for 8-10 minutes).

Moreover, a temperature of 240 °C is not too high to obtain a golden-brown surface without it burning.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A TRADITIONAL SPECIALITY GUARANTEED

‘Berthoud’

EU No: TSG-FR-2466-AM01 – 23.5.2024

Member State or Third Country: France

1.   Name(s) to be registered

‘Berthoud’

2.   Type of product (as in Annex XI)

Class 2.21. prepared meals

3.   Grounds for registration

3.1.   Whether the product

?	results from a mode of production, processing or composition corresponding to traditional practice for that product or foodstuff

☒	is produced from raw materials or ingredients that are those traditionally used. ‘Berthoud’ is an individual warm dish traditionally based on melted ‘Abondance’ PDO cheese.

3.2.   Whether the name

☒	has been traditionally used to refer to the specific product;

‘Berthoud’ is a traditional recipe that was created and given its name at the beginning of the 20th century. It was originally a common surname in the Chablais area (in the northern part of Haute-Savoie).

?	identifies the traditional character or specific character of the product.

4.   Description

4.1.   Description of the product to which the name under point 1 applies, including its main physical, chemical, microbiological or organoleptic characteristics showing the product’s specific character (Article 7(2) of Regulation (EU) No 668/2014)

‘Berthoud’ is an individual warm dish based on melted ‘Abondance’ PDO cheese.

Presentation

The product is served in an oven dish, called a ‘Berthoud dish’ [‘ coupelle à Berthoud ’], made of porcelain.

The product’s texture is that of melted cheese when hot, and the crust that forms during cooking is golden to brown in colour.

The specific characteristics of ‘Berthoud’ are varied:

1.

The basic ingredient of the recipe — ‘Abondance’ cheese: a cheese that is made of raw whole cow’s milk and derives its name from the Abondance Valley and the village of the same name. ‘Abondance’ cheese has been made for centuries and is today recognised as a Protected Designation of Origin. It has never been produced elsewhere than in the Haute-Savoie mountains. The pressed, semi-cooked paste of ‘Abondance’ gives ‘Berthoud’ a smooth and creamy texture when cooked.

2.

Other specific ingredients of the recipe — ‘Vin de Savoie’ or ‘Savoie’: a white wine with a Protected Designation of Origin, produced in the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in France. — ‘Madeira’: a liqueur wine with a Protected Designation of Origin, produced on the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. OR — ‘Port’: a liqueur wine with a Protected Designation of Origin, produced in the region of Alto Douro in Portugal. — garlic (whole cloves, chopped or pressed): used to rub the bottom of the Berthoud dish and/or to be placed in the bottom of the Berthoud dish. — nutmeg: a pinch of nutmeg may be added to the preparation. — pepper

3.

An individual serving dish ensuring that it has a particular texture ‘Berthoud’ is served as an individual portion. It is a dish that must be eaten hot and quickly as the texture changes during consumption and becomes increasingly stringy and elastic as the dish cools. Serving it individually makes it possible to eat ‘Berthoud’ more quickly than if it was in a larger dish for sharing.

4.2.   Description of the production method of the product to which the name under point 1 applies that the producers must follow including, where appropriate, the nature and characteristics of the raw materials or ingredients used, and the method by which the product is prepared (Article 7(2) of Regulation (EU) No 668/2014)

Ingredients (for one person): Mandatory ingredients:

—	‘Abondance’ PDO cheese (without the rind): minimum 180 g

—	‘Vin de Savoie’ PDO: between 3 cl and 4 cl

—	‘Madeira’ PDO or ‘Port’ PDO: between 1 cl and 2 cl

—	Garlic: whole cloves, chopped or pressed

—

Pepper

Optional ingredient:

—	Nutmeg: a pinch

No ingredients other than those referred to above may be added to ‘Berthoud’.

If other ingredients are added to the recipe, they must be served as accompaniments.

Method of production:

The method of production corresponds to the traditional recipe for ‘Berthoud’.

First, the bottom of the Berthoud dish must be rubbed with the clove of garlic, the chopped garlic or the pressed garlic, and/or chopped or pressed garlic must be placed in the bottom of the dish.

This dish must be made of porcelain and be relatively thick so that it remains hot.

It must be between 12 and 15 cm in diameter and 2,5 and 4,5 cm in height, with a bottom thickness of at least 0,7 cm.

These dimensions make it possible to homogenise the quantities of ‘Abondance’ used, give the dish a smooth and creamy texture on the inside and a grilled surface, and limit heat loss.

The rind of the ‘Abondance’ cheese must be removed, and the cheese must then be cut into thin strips, grated or cut into cubes (minimum 180 g per person) and placed in the ‘Berthoud’ dish.

‘Vin de Savoie’ and ‘Madeira’ or ‘Port’ are then poured onto it.

A pinch of nutmeg may also be added to the dish, at the cook’s discretion.

The pepper may be added before or after cooking.

Finally, the dish is cooked au gratin in a traditional oven at a temperature of between 180 and 240 degrees, for 8 to 15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the surface turns golden-brown.

The dish is served immediately and may not be re-heated. The use of a microwave oven is prohibited.

Specific characteristics of the recipe

—	Use of ‘Abondance’ cheese: to bring out its aromas optimally during cooking, ‘Abondance’ must be cut into thin strips, grated or cut into cubes after the rind has first been removed. It is never placed as a single piece in the recipient.

—	Cooking time: unlike for other cheese-based recipes, the cooking time of ‘Berthoud’ is relatively short, with 8 to 15 minutes being sufficient to obtain a golden-brown surface.

Specific labelling rules

In addition to the name ‘Berthoud’, each establishment displays the European TSG logo on its menus, in the same visual field.

The words ‘Traditional Speciality Guaranteed’ or the corresponding abbreviation ‘TSG’ may also appear on menus, either before or after the name ‘Berthoud’ and with no text in between.

4.3.   Description of the key elements establishing the product’s traditional character (Article 7(2) of Regulation (EU) No 668/2014)

The traditional character of ‘Berthoud’ is based on the use of ‘Abondance’ cheese (a PDO since 1996) as the principal ingredient (and the only cheese), as well as white wine; these have been local products from the Chablais area (north of Haute-Savoie, on the Swiss border) for centuries.

The presence, availability and long-established nature of these products in the region in which ‘Berthoud’ originates explain why they are used as ingredients in the recipe. ‘Abondance’ is the emblematic cheese of this region (it has been made there since the 12th century). White wine, for its part, has long been the main type of wine produced in Chablais, and is nowadays covered by the designation ‘Vin de Savoie’.

Other aromatic ingredients (‘Port’ or ‘Madeira’ and garlic) have also been used for at least 30 years.

‘Berthoud’ was created at the beginning of the 20th century, at the Cercle Républicain, a bistro in Concise (in Thonon-les-Bains) run by the Berthoud family, who were from the municipality of Abondance in the Abondance Valley.

The customers used to eat a dish made of melted ‘Abondance’ cheese with garlic and white wine, pepper and nutmeg. It acquired the name of the family who prepared it, becoming known as ‘Berthoud’.

The recipe for ‘Berthoud’ can be found in Eugénie Julie’s work ‘Cuisine Savoyarde: recettes traditionnelles et modernes’, Editions ATRA, pp. 25-26. The book was published in 1978, showing that the name has been used for more than 40 years.

‘Berthoud’ is mentioned in many works of the 20th century, for example:

—	in the book ‘Le Fromage d’Abondance’, Laurent Chapeau, Syndicat agricole du Val d’Abondance, p. 10, published in 1981.

—

in the books of Marie-Thérèse Hermann: — ‘La cuisine paysanne de Savoie’, Philippe Sers Publishers, p. 169, published in 1982; — ‘La Savoie traditionnelle’, Curandera Publishers, p. 37, published in 1987; — ‘Dictionnaire de la cuisine de Savoie: traditions et recettes’, Christine Bonneton Publishers, p. 21, published in 1992.

—	in a work by Roger Lallemand, ‘Les Savoies gastronomiques’, Charles Corlet Publishers, p. 32-33, published in 1988.

—	in the CNAC Guide (National Council of Culinary Arts) ‘Inventaire du patrimoine culinaire de la France Edition Rhône-Alpes, 1995’ (p. 395 concerns ‘Abondance’).

—	in Bruno Gillet’s work ‘Au fil de la Dranse’, 1992.

—	in Didier Richard’s work ‘Les gourmandises du terroir: traditions, recettes, emplettes…’, Didier-Richard Publishers, p. 58, published in 1997.

—	a work by the Francophone dietitians’ association [association des diététiciens de la langue française] entitled ‘Recettes régionales et menus équilibrés’, Solal Publishers, p. 13, published in 1997.

There is even a wrapping paper of the Fermiers Savoyards (used by professionals in the sector until 1985), which describes recipes for ‘Fondue savoyarde’, ‘Raclette’ and ‘Berthoud’.

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(1)   OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj.