Publication of the amended product specification following the approval of a minor amendment pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

(2021/C 222/08)

The European Commission has approved this minor amendment in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 6(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

The application for approval of this minor amendment can be consulted in the Commission’s eAmbrosia database.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A TRADITIONAL SPECIALITY GUARANTEED

‘KALAKUKKO’

EU No: TSG-FI-0013-AM01 – 22 June 2020

Member State: Finland

1.   Name to be registered

‘Kalakukko’

2.   Type of product [listed in Annex XI]

Class 2.24. bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares

3.   Grounds for registration

3.1.   Whether the product:

3.2.   Whether the name:

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 this Regulation)

‘Kalakukko’ is a round, oval or oblong baked good. It has a dense, fairly thick rye casing, the surface of which is first firmed up and made more consistent by briefly baking it at a high temperature. The casing seals in the fish and bacon filling during the initial (high-temperature) baking and the subsequent slow-baking, allowing the filling to cook slowly, becoming succulent and soft. The thick casing prevents the filling from drying out (and protects the latter from micro-organisms) during transport, storage and sale. The casing and filling combine to make ‘Kalakukko’ a meal in itself.

The dough is rolled out into a round, oval or oblong shape, the fish filling is piled into a compact heap at the middle of the dough and covered with bacon. It is closed by bringing the edges of the pastry up over the filling, all these elements being key to the traditional production of this fare.

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 this Regulation)

Preparation is divided into two separate stages: preparation of the dough and preparation of the filling.

Preparation of the dough

Mix the flours (mainly rye flour, a little wheat flour and perhaps some oatmeal and/or barley). Add water carefully so that the dough does not become too loose. Add salt and butter or margarine. For about 1 kg of flour, you will need about 80 – 100 g of butter or margarine for the dough. Shape the dough into a round, oval or oblong, between 15 and 50 cm across and about 1,5 cm thick at the centre, thinning out a little towards the sides. The centre of the dough shape can be sprinkled with more rye flour to prevent liquid from the filling soaking through the dough.

Filling

The filling consists of washedand dried fish (such as perch, vendace, roach, smelt or salmon). They may be unsalted or salted. Place the fish in a compact heap in the middle of the dough, either whole or in fillets. Add salt and butter/margarine between the layers of fish to taste. Cover the pile of fish with slices of bacon, and sprinkle salt on top to taste.

The next step is to close the ‘Kalakukko’. Draw two sides of the dough up over the filling. Use your fingers, moistened with a little water, to glue the two sides together. The ‘Kalakukko’ is then fully closed by drawing up the other ends of the dough. To finish off, use a knife and some water to form a round, oval or oblong shape.

The product used to be slow-baked using the residual heat of the bread oven after normal baking. They were left in it overnight. Nowadays it is baked at 250 – 300 °C for between 20 minutes and one hour, making sure that the dough casing does not split. The casing can be patched with more dough, if necessary. The ‘Kalakukko’ is then taken out of the oven and the oven temperature is reduced to between 125 and 150 °C. It is smeared with butter or margarine and may also be covered in tinfoil.

Lactose-free butter/margarine may also be used in the dough, filling and for greasing.

The filling begins to cook in the moderate oven; this takes several hours, and possibly overnight. After baking, the ‘Kalakukko’ was traditionally wrapped in a woollen cloth or newspaper, where it would be left to finish cooking for two or three hours. Nowadays this is done in an oven set at less than 100 °C or an oven drawer for two to three hours.

‘Kalakukko’ must not be slow-baked at too high a temperature, because it results in a rather dry version with a hard casing, the organoleptic qualities of which do not correspond to the traditional ‘Kalakukko’.

4.3.   Description of the key elements establishing the product’s traditional character (Article 7(2) of this Regulation)

The way ‘Kalakukko’ is prepared is said to go back to when agriculture began to replace fishing and hunting. In ‘Finnish Lakeland’ people wanted to make use of small edible fish species that were hard to prepare in other ways, such as vendace, perch, roach and smelt. The idea was to cook the fish inside a casing made of rye dough. Then, as pig farming became more widespread, it was discovered that bacon slices increased the energy value and gave the ‘Kalakukko’ more flavour. ‘Kalakukko’ made the perfect packed lunch for Finns working in forestry and agriculture who worked far from home each day. Preparation involves slow baking the fish and meat for a long time in the traditional manner. Tradition has it that it began in Savo and Karelia in the Middle Ages. After the Second World War, part of Karelia passed to the Soviet Union, and the population of the region was moved to other parts of Finland. The skill and tradition of making ‘Kalakukko’ spread with them throughout Finland. However, its traditional appeal still remains strongest in the provinces of Savo and Karelia.

(1)  OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.