Publication of an application for registration of a name 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

(2023/C 56/09)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht / Nordhessische Ahle Worscht’

EU No: PGI-DE-02173 – 18.5.2016

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s)

‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht / Nordhessische Ahle Worscht’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Germany

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 under point 1 applies

‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ is an air-dried or air-dried and smoked hard pork sausage which is produced in the region of North Hessen. The consistency and mouthfeel are somewhat crumbly and more tender than in the case of typical hard sausages. This tender mouthfeel is preserved regardless of the level of drying or age of the sausage. It is sold as ‘soft’, ‘firm’, or ‘hard’ according to the degree of maturation. ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ comes in the following forms: ‘Feldkieker’, ‘Dürre Runde’ and ‘Stracke’.

As regards chemical requirements, the guidelines on meat and meat products apply as appropriate:

For ‘Stracke’ and ‘Dürre Runde’: Analysis values: meat protein that is free of connective-tissue protein: at least 12 %; meat protein that is free of connective-tissue protein, as a percentage of meat protein: histometrically at least 65 % vol., chemically at least 75 %

For ‘Feldkieker’: Analysis values: meat protein that is free of connective-tissue protein: at least 12,5 %; meat protein that is free of connective-tissue protein, as a percentage of meat protein: histometrically at least 70 % vol., chemically at least 80 %

The size and weight of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ vary depending on its form. Once filled, a fresh ‘Stracke’ weighs between 500 g and 3 000 g, a ‘Dürre Runde’ between 350 g and 1 000 g and a ‘Feldkieker’ between 800 g and 3 000 g. During the maturing process, drying causes the sausage to lose at least 30 % of its weight. The sausage is initially a dark red, with white flecks of fat visible. As the sausage matures, the red becomes more intense.

The taste is marked by a slight sourness and a distinctive mature aroma.

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

The production of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ places particular demands on meat quality. The sausage is predominantly made from dry, more solid pork from older animals. The pigs are fattened for longer than usual specifically for the production of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’. At the time of slaughter, the pigs must have an average live weight of at least 125 kg or an average carcass weight of at least 100 kg (the average carcass weight in Germany in 2016 was approximately 94 kg).

It has been proven that long transport routes entail stress for the animals, which affects the quality of the meat at slaughter. The release of the hormone adrenaline in pigs changes the development of the meat’s pH value after slaughter, and its water absorption. Both factors have a decisive impact on the maturation of the sausage and its consistency and thereby on the quality of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’. The standard transport time from farm to slaughterhouse is therefore limited to two hours. Slaughter takes place exclusively within the geographical area.

The pigs are differentiated not by breed but by carcass weight, as pigs fattened in North Hessen are predominantly crosses of a large range of breeds.

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

Slaughter takes place exclusively within the geographical area. The meat is cut up and processed at the production plant in the geographical area. The maturing process and the subsequent drying process take place in suitable environments in the geographical area.

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

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

In accordance with legal requirements. In addition, the name and address of the producer is shown either on the label on the sausage, on a directly attached display sign or by similar means.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area is North Hessen, with the following rural districts: Hersfeld-Rothenburg, Kassel, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Schwalm-Eder, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Werra-Meißner, and the city of Kassel.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link with the geographical area stems from the reputation and the distinctive quality of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’, which is attributable to the processing of freshly slaughtered pork. The production of the sausage filling must be completed at the latest 12 hours after slaughter. It is produced from boneless, low-sinew pork which is taken from the whole animal. The pork must therefore be of high quality. This includes, for example, using older pigs which have a greater carcass weight, which distinguishes ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ from the production of all other types of sausage available in Hessen.

The maturing process, which takes place in specially adapted rooms that are still traditionally built from clay today, is a further factor. The specific climate improves the quality of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’. Rooms known as ‘Wurschthimmel’ [‘sausage canopies’] are also common. Here, sausages are hung from the ceiling to mature. Climate chambers and climate rooms, in which technological equipment is used to control the temperature and humidity, are also suitable. These different maturing methods are also frequently combined.

The taste is marked by a slight sourness and a distinctive mature aroma. It is formed by reducing the pH value during maturation of the meat, by using salt and saltpetre and by slow maturation in the specific climate of the maturing rooms. The main spices used are pepper, nutmeg and additional local flavours depending on the district, such as caraway, mustard seed and garlic. The addition of local flavours does not affect the typical characteristics, the appearance or the texture of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’.

The product’s strong reputation is derived from its long tradition and particular taste and the trend for regional produce and a return to traditional products. It is reflected in the existence of numerous publications and events celebrating ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’.

In his work Nordhessisches Küchenbrevier [A guide to North Hessian cuisine], the author Heinrich Keim, alongside a collection of recipes involving ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’, also included a ‘Nordhessische Wurstologie’ [a catalogue of North Hessian sausages]. In his work Nordhessische Ahle Worscht: Eine Wurst mit Kultstatus [‘Nordhessische Ahle Worscht’: a sausage with cult status], he devoted an entire essay to the sausage speciality.

It is not only in literature that ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ continues to play a major role. Numerous activities have developed around the North Hessian sausage speciality. Various societies have been founded to preserve its original production method. The first was the Förderverein Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht e.V. in 2005. In 2004, the association Slow Food Germany added ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ to its ‘Ark of Taste’ in order to promote its traditional production method and secure it as a cultural asset.

On the initiative of the butchers’ guilds, the first ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ Championships took place in 2011, for which 130 North Hessen guild firms presented over 300 sausages and competed for awards. The competition has been held every two years since. The results are widely reported, for example in the Deutsche Handwerks Zeitung or the regional daily newspaper Hessisch-Niedersächsische Allgemeine.

Since 2011 the Förderverein Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht e.V. has organised an annual ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht Day’.

The good reputation which ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ enjoys in the region and further afield stems from the fact that it is a traditional product which has been made in the geographical area for centuries and has in the meantime gained a cult status.

Large parts of North Hessen were historically characterised by forest and agriculture, and this is still the case today. Pigs could be farmed by almost anyone, as the pigs were driven into the forest for fattening, so additional feed for the pigs was often not required. The associated home slaughter made a significant contribution towards supporting the rural population.

The publication Ahle Wurscht – Das europäische Schmeckewöhlerchen der Grimm-Heimat Nordhessen [Ahle Wurscht – the European delicacy from the home of the Brothers Grimm] traces the origins of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ all the way back to Roman times and the Hermanduri tribe, who preserved chopped meat using salt from a saltwater river (probably the Werra) and traded it with the Romans.

Home slaughtering and the lack of refrigeration meant that the freshly slaughtered meat had to be processed immediately. This is the reason for the special consistency of ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’.

The tradition of producing ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’ still exists today. Following the continued decline of home slaughter, the established butchers preserved the tradition of producing hard sausage. Knowledge regarding the production of North Hessen sausage specialities is still widespread. Every butcher still has his or her own seasoning for ‘Nordhessische Ahle Wurscht’.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/40957

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.