25.9.2015

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 317/9

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Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2015/C 317/04)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘MORTADELLA DI PRATO’

EU No: IT-PGI-0005-01333 – 8.5.2015

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Name(s)

2.   Member State or Third Country

Italy

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

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

The name ‘Mortadella di Prato’ denotes a cold meat product made of a fine mixture of pigmeat, sea salt, garlic, spices and alchermes (or alkermes, in a quantity of between 0,3 and 0,6 %) contained in a casing and subjected to heat treatment. The product must have the following properties when released for consumption: weight: between 0,5 and 10 kg; shape: cylindrical and slightly elliptic; dimensions: length: between 8 and 70 cm; diameter between 6 and 35 cm; organoleptic characteristics: consistency of the mixture: firm and compact, soft to the palate as a result of fine grinding. external colour: pink tending to dull; internal colour: dark pink owing to the colouring action of the alchermes, with white spots attributable to the presence of cubes of fat; aroma: penetrating spicy aroma with a hint of alchermes from the outset; flavour: typical for the product in terms of the contrast between the hot and pungent flavour of the spices, garlic and sea salt and the sweet and delicate flavour of the alchermes; chemico-physical characteristics: ratio of fats to proteins: up to 1,5.

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

Feed for the pigs intended to be used to produce ‘Mortadella di Prato’ must take the form of a swill or mash and have a dry matter content of not less than 45 % up to a maximum of 80 kg live weight of the pigs, and not less than 55 % during the fattening period. The consumption of whey (a by-product of curds) and buttermilk (a by-product of butter processing) should not exceed 15 litres per animal, per day).

‘Mortadella di Prato’ is made exclusively from the following cuts of meat, in the percentages indicated: shoulder: from 40 to 50 %; subcutaneous fat: from 9 to 15 %; ham trimmings: from 10 to 20 %; capocollo: from 5 to 15 %; jowl: from 5 to 15 %; pork belly: from 5 to 10 %. Mandatory ingredients are as follows: alchermes: from 0,3 to 0,6 %; ground pepper: from 0,1 to 0,3 %; whole peppercorns: from 0,1 to 0,2 %; sea salt: from 2,0 to 3,0 %: ground spices (coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and cloves): from 0,1 to 0,25 %; garlic: from 0,08 to 0,2 %; the addition of sodium glutamate is prohibited. The meat used must come from pigs weighing not less than 160 kg (+/- 10 %) and older than nine months at the time of slaughter. The interval between the slaughter of the pigs and the processing of the meat must not be less than 24 hours and not more than 96 hours.

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

The following steps in the production of ‘Mortadella di Prato’ must take place within the geographical area and in continuous succession without intervals: trimming, grinding and kneading; filling and tying; steaming and cooking; rinsing and cooling.

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

The time between cooling/subsequent drying and packaging may not exceed 20 minutes. Apart from giving rise to a risk of microbial growth, failure to comply with this time limit would have the effect of irredeemably spoiling the product's delicate organoleptic balance, compromising its aroma and altering its characteristic pink colour.

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

‘Mortadella di Prato’ may be marketed whole or in thick or thin slices. The logo, as reproduced below, in the form of an oval image intersected towards the bottom by the outline of a rectangle that changes the oval shape, forming a single figure, must appear on the packaging in clear and legible lettering on the label.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area in which ‘Mortadella di Prato’ is produced and packaged comprises the entire territory of the municipality of Prato and the municipalities of Agliana, Quarrata and Montale in the Province of Pistoia.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The Prato area is characterised by a rational use of water from the river that crosses it, the Bisenzio, and other streams. The need to reclaim the broad and fertile flood plain and the notion of being able to exploit its water to produce energy to operate both mills and textile machinery arose in the 12th century and led to the building of the so-called gore, a large network of artificial canals that cross the Prato plain, extending to the neighbouring municipalities of Agliana, Quarrata and Montale situated in the Province of Pistoia. In addition to supplying energy, the gore and streams also allowed the development from medieval times of the Arte dei Beccai (butchers' guild), which, for hygiene reasons, required large quantities of running water, something which it had in common with the profession of dyers. It was at that time that the processing and use of pigmeat was established. It enjoyed particular renown and was an important element of the economy, representing the main food source during the winter months. Every peasant family reared their own pigs, while well-off city dwellers made use of the system of agistment, which involved entrusting animals to peasants for fattening, with the agreement that they should do ‘half of what God does’. In subsequent centuries as well, the annual consumption of pigmeat was significant, such that the ‘salsicciari’ (sausage makers) of Prato were highly reputed and made subject to a specific tax owing to the sheer scale of the turnover which the sale of their sausages was already achieving. The particular configuration of waterways in the area thus favoured the traditional proximity between the ancient dyers' profession, to which the first use of cochineal is ascribed, and that of butchers, who went on to use the celebrated ‘grana de tintore’ as a colouring and flavouring, including in sausages.

‘Mortadella di Prato’ has a reputation which is based primarily on the use of alchermes, which gives rise to a contrast between its sweet and delicate flavours and the hot and pungent flavour of the spices, garlic and sea salt, giving the product organoleptic characteristics that are entirely original. The traditional local ‘know-how’ makes the product all the more specific owing to: the choice of cuts of meat most suited to cooking, the achievement of a particular cohesion in the mixture resulting from the combination of proteins from connective tissue and the sugars contained in the alchermes, the enhanced protection of fats against rancidity resulting from the bacteriostatic and antioxidant action of the mix of spices, black pepper, garlic and sea salt, and the guarantee of a long and gradual drying of the product as a result of the fact that it is previously cooked by steaming. These are all aspects which, taken together, make the product unique in the Italian culinary landscape.

The presence of alchermes as a distinctive ingredient of ‘Mortadella di Prato’ is a clear indicator of the Prato origin and exclusivity of the product. Alchermes is a liqueur with a bright red colour obtained exclusively from cochineal, a dried and ground parasitic insect which, for centuries, has been used to dye woven fabrics, traditionally the main economic activity around the gore of the city and district of Prato. Prato's considerable familiarity with cochineal has given rise to great versatility in its use as a colouring in textiles and in food and medicinal products. In particular, it has been kept alive in the culinary use of alchermes in products ranging from meat products to local pastries (‘pesche di Prato’). This, together with the fact that producers in Prato have managed to preserve traditional production methods, has enhanced the reputation of ‘Mortadella di Prato’, which is beyond doubt and substantiated by extensive documentation. The first documents concerning ‘Mortadella di Prato’ as a product originating in the city of Prato of which we are certain date back to 1733 to the time of the beatification of Catherine of Ricci, when the nuns of the Dominican Monastery of Prato prepared a lunch for the guests in which it featured as a local speciality. ‘Mortadella di Prato’ is later mentioned by this name in 1854 in correspondence between Cesare Guasti and Giovanni Pierallini, in articles in the newspaper ‘Lo Zenzero’ from 1862, and throughout the 19th century in various economic publications (‘L'Italia economica’ from 1868, ‘l'Italia all'opera’ from 1869), in reports drawn up in Italian, English and French for the International Exhibitions in London and Paris, and in a note written by a French Police Commissioner concerning the export of the product to France (1867), confirming the reputation it had gained. In particular, a report by an official of the International Exhibition of London states that ‘Mortadella di Prato and Mortadella di Bologna lend their name to the entire genre’. There are also numerous documented references to ‘Mortadella di Prato’ from the 20th century in a range of publications including local recipe books and the national daily press, as well as in national and international gastronomy, thus demonstrating a significant growth in its reputation. Its particular characteristics have meant that the product has been mentioned in many local, national and international cookery books and gastronomic guides, including in the first edition of the ‘Guida Gastronomica d'Italia’ of the Touring Club Italiano (1931). Its reputation is also linked to the interest in the product shown by leading chefs and well-known figures from the worlds of international culture and gastronomy, such as the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. It has also been promoted as a true expression of the gastronomic tradition of Prato by associations such as the Accademia della cucina italiana (1987) and Slow Food, which has designated it as a protected food product since 2000. Since the 18th century, ‘Mortadella di Prato’ has been enjoyed with figs or in traditional cuisine as an ingredient in many local dishes, including ‘sedani alla pratese’ (Prato-style celery). The product regularly features in international fairs as well as in the ‘DiVini Profumi’ food and wine festival in Prato itself.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

The Ministry has launched the national objection procedure in respect of the recognition of the protected geographical indication ‘Mortadella del Prato’ published in Official Journal of the Italian Republic No 192 of 20 August 2014.

The text of the product specification can be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy by following this link: http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or by going directly to the homepage of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP’ (at the top right-hand side of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen), and finally by clicking on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame dell'UE’.

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

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