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.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’

EU No: PGI-FI-02907 – 4.4.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) of PGI

‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Finland

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

Combined Nomenclature code

11 – PRODUCTS OF THE MILLING INDUSTRY; MALT; STARCHES; INULIN; WHEAT GLUTEN 1103 – Cereal groats, meal and pellets

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

‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is a cereal product made of boiled and oven-roasted cereals that are ground into a coarse powder. Its main raw ingredient is barley grains (Hordeum vulgare) or mixed barley and oat (Avena sativa) grains.

Salt may be added during preparation.

‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is a cereal product characterised by:

—	the coarse texture of the cereal product,

—	the smell of roasted grain,

—	the taste of roasted grain,

—	the brown colour of roasted grain.

This product differs from other talkkunas in that it is darker in colour and coarsely ground. The product is characterised by good shelf stability thanks to its multi-stage manufacturing process.

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

—

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

The stages of production of the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ that must take place in the defined geographical area are the cooking, drying and roasting, milling and sacking of barley and/or oat grains.

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

—

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

—

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ consists of the provinces of North Savo and South Savo.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ protected geographical indication is based on its reputation as a traditional cereal product of Savo, distinguished by its dark colour and coarse texture.

Whole barley grains or mixed barley and oat grains are boiled in water until half-cooked or until they split. After cooking, the grains are drained off. The grains are then put into an oven to dry and are finished at 250 °C to 280 °C. The dried grains are then bagged into sacks used in commercial milling operations and the sacks are stored to await grinding. Finally, the grains are ground into a coarse flour, which is characterised by no clumping. The resulting ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is fully cooked and ready for use as it is. Salt may be added during preparation.

‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ evolved from primitive flour dishes, which hundreds of years ago were prepared as dry food for expeditions and even military campaigns. The nutritious cereal kept well, and was convenient and light to transport as a ripe cereal product on long and arduous expeditions in the forested and abundant lake area of the Savo region. Talkkuna as a name indicates its eastern origins. ‘Talkkuna’ (tolokno in Russian) was borrowed from the language of Asian equestrian tribes by Slavic languages and entered the Finnish language in that form.

Porridge-like foods such as talkkuna which are mixed with water are even older cereal-based foods than bread. In Savo, talkkuna flour was mixed plain with water, for example, or boiled into a thick porridge that could be eaten with the fingers, known as keittotalkkuna [cooked talkkuna] or kopratalkkuna [‘grab’ talkkuna].

In his book Savo ja savolaiset [‘Savo and the Savo people’] (1935), Ernst Lampén described the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ as follows:

‘All reports make mention of talkkuna. They say that when the people of Savo went to work in the forest, they took a bag of talkkuna flour with them. When it was time to eat, they poured water into their caps, mixed in talkkuna flour and salt, and tucked into this porridge with gusto.’

In Savo, talkkuna is traditionally made in October after Michaelmas. Only the best barley and/or oat grains were used for the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’. They were boiled in a wash copper, placed into shingle baskets to drain and baked in an oven. The dried grains were ground with quern stones or in a mill.

‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is dried in an oven. In Savo, the masonry oven has been traditionally heated daily and weekly for cooking purposes, which is especially typical of Finland’s eastern culinary tradition. Talkkuna is a cereal product characterised by good shelf stability thanks to its multi-stage manufacturing process. If kept dry, cool and protected from strong odours, the product can be stored for up to two years.

The most typical food made from this grain mixture in Savo is porridge. Porridge made from the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ has traditionally been accompanied by tirripaisti [braised pork], because hot cereals and pork are a good flavour combination. The porridge is also enjoyed with a knob of butter. ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is also suitable as such for desserts, for example with berries.

In Savo, talkkuna flour was, for example, mixed plain with water, or boiled into a thick porridge that could be eaten with the fingers, known as keittotalkkuna [cooked talkkuna]. ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is intended precisely for this kind of cooking and thus differs from the talkkuna of Western Finland or Häme, which is ground more finely and eaten with, for example, piimä [buttermilk] or viili [a fermented milk product]. The differences in colour and texture between the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ and the talkkuna of Häme are also clear and visible to the eye. ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is darker in colour and coarser in texture than the talkkuna of Häme.

The Finnish Tourist Association’s yearbook from 1926 describes the difference between the talkkunas of Savo and Häme:

‘The Savonian enjoys his talkkuna in a dry, sticky form, so that he can eat it from the hollow of his hand. That is why Swedes in Värmland and Norwegians call it nävgröt, or “fist porridge”. In Häme, where talkkuna is also produced, it is enjoyed cold in buttermilk. Savolainen talkkuna, however, is cooked. So, there is a difference here too between these two neighbouring tribes!’

The typical raw materials of the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ are barley and oats, which were well suited for cultivation in Savo in terms of climate and soil, and became the main raw materials of talkkuna.

‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ was also known outside the borders of Savo. The Finns who moved to Värmland in central Sweden in the late 16th century and in the 17th century were mainly slash-and-burn farmers from Savo. ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ also spread to Värmland along with the Savonian immigration.

The University of Helsinki’s Savo Student Nation organises an annual talkkuna festival, talkkunajuhla, during which a large crowd eats talkkuna and tirripaisti. The talkkuna festival has a long tradition. Talkkuna was eaten for the first time at the talkkuna festival as early as 1887. The University of Helsinki’s Savo Student Nation is a student organisation that brings together students from various disciplines who come from Savo or have a connection to Savo. This is therefore a regionally well-defined student organisation, for which ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ and its origin in Savo are self-evident. The Student Nations are interdisciplinary associations of universities, whose members are united by ties to the same geographical area, such as Savo, in the case of the Savo Student Nation. Thus, the name of the talkkuna served as a celebratory dish by the Savo Student Nation did not previously need to refer specifically to Savo, because the link and the way of serving the talkkuna, which differs from other talkkunas, already indicate that it is Savolainen talkkuna. The Savo Student Nation freshers’ guide for 2023 includes a Savo-Finnish-Savo dictionary, which defines the word ‘Talakkunat’ as follows: ‘An annual party where piimä splashes and tirripaisti sizzles. Talakkunat is held in November and is the Savo Student Nation’s second biggest annual party. The secretive Kapitulj [party organising group] hosts the show.’ Further on in the freshers’ guide, the calendar of events describes Talakkunat as the Savo Student Nation’s curious second most important party. At the party, students enjoy the Kapitulj’s show and feast on talakkuna porridge with tirripaisti.

Savolainen talkkuna remains an interesting and versatile product in modern recipes. On its website, Rantalan tila [Rantala farm] has published a recipe booklet called Savolaisen talkkunan uudet kujeet [‘New ways with Savolainen talkkuna’], which contains various recipes using Savolainen talkkuna as an ingredient. For example, the recipe booklet provides ideas for desserts, vegetarian dishes or fish dishes using talkkuna.

In addition, the ‘Ateria luonnon antimista’ [‘A meal from nature’s bounty’] recipe section of the book Herkutellen Savossa [‘Enjoying food in Savo’] (2012) contains a recipe for ‘Talkkunainen marjarahka’, a dessert made with talkkuna, berries and quark, which uses Savolainen talkkuna as an ingredient. Nowadays, Savolainen talkkuna is also used as an ingredient in dessert recipes.

The cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’ is actively marketed not only at retailers but also at food fairs and consumer events. The product has featured at the following events, among others: Erämessut Ouluhalli, 16-18 May 2025; Joensuu Arena Christmas Market, 6-8 December 2024; Taste Savo at Matkus Kuopio on 17 October 2020; and Tikkurila’s country fair on 3-4 October 2020. In addition, the product was marketed at Prisma Mikkeli (retail store) on 3 May 2024.

On social media, a search for the hashtag #savolainentalkkuna returns images of a variety of products that use the cereal product ‘Savolainen talkkuna / Savolainen talakkuna’. In addition to traditional uses, consumers have found new ways of using the product, such as when baking bread and breading fish. Savolainen talkkuna is also mentioned in the Muuruvesi village association’s Christmas calendar (23 December 2017), which was published on Facebook.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/globalassets/elintarvikkeet/elintarvikeala/ainesosat-ja-sisalto/nimisuojatut-tuotteet/savolainen-talkkuna-hakemus.pdf

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(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).