Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2009/C 266/10

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006. Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘MELANZANA ROSSA DI ROTONDA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0662-29.11.2007

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name:

‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’

2.   Member State or third country:

Italy

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product (Annex III):

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

The protected designation of origin (PDO) ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ is obtained from the Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda ecotype which can be traced back to the Solanum aethiopicum species, commonly known as Melanzana Rossa (Red Aubergine). The Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda, when released for consumption in the fresh state, must have the following characteristics: size of the fruit: length up to 8 cm, width up to 8 cm with a weight of up to 200 g. Colour and covering colour: light green-orange with slight greenish tones when it begins to ripen and later intense orange tending to bright red. Fruit: whole with a fresh, healthy look. Flesh: characterised by a fleshy consistency and by the fact that it does not turn black after cutting. Clean, with no visible foreign matter. Free of any foreign smell and/or taste. Free of abnormal external moisture.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

—

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

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

All the stages of preparation up to packaging and preservation of the product are carried out in the area referred to in point 4 to prevent the possibility that transport and excessive handling will bruise the fruit and break the stem, changing irreparably the organoleptic quality of the product.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

Release for consumption of the PDO Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda must take place in accordance with the following rules: the fresh product must be put on sale in containers made from material of plant origin, cardboard, recyclable plastic nets or other recyclable material permitted by Community rules. The recyclable plastic net packaging in which the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ PDO is released for consumption must not weigh over 1 kg.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

The labels affixed to the packaging must bear, in clear and legible print, the following indications:

Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda and ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ or the acronym PDO in bigger print than that used for the other indications: the name; business name and address of the packager or producer; the quantity of product contained in the packaging, expressed in accordance with the relevant rules; the logo. It is forbidden to add any description including the following adjectives: type, taste, use, picked, selected, or similar. However, the use of indications referring to companies, names, business names and private trademarks which are not laudatory in nature and are not likely to mislead the purchaser are permitted. Those indications may appear on the label in letters the height and width of which do not exceed half of those used to indicate the protected designation of origin. The logo, elliptical in shape, has an outer border formed of a salmon-coloured double concentric line and an inner border formed of a salmon-coloured line. The outer section of the logo has a white background, in the upper part of which the words ‘Melanzana Rossa’ and in the lower part of which the words ‘di Rotonda’ appear. Inside the elliptical shape with a light pink salmon background there is a stylised image of a red aubergine shaded with colours varying from red to orange and stem shaded from dark to light green. At the base are the words ‘Protected Designation of Origin’.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The production and packing area of the PDO ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ comprises: the entire area of the following municipalities in the Province of Potenza: Rotonda, Viggianello, Castelluccio Superiore, Castelluccio Inferiore.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The land on which the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ is grown is situated in a valley the basin of which is of lake origin and dates back to the Quaternary period. It is therefore of alluvial, sandy and clayey silt origin, fresh, deep and fertile with good water retention. The climate is basically mild and there is plentiful rain in the period from October to May.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

The main characteristic of the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ which very much distinguishes it from the qualitative standard of other aubergines produced in other areas is the low content of chlorogenic acid which causes the darkening of the fruit. This characteristic is of considerable importance for the agri-food and food processing industry because it serves to keep the flesh white for a long time even after cutting the fruit. Another important characteristic is its round shape similar to that of an apple and the typical orange colour with brownish/greenish tones on the fruit which distinguish it from all other aubergines.

5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

The main characteristic of the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ is the low content of chlorogenic acid which causes the darkening of the fruit after cutting. The quantity of that acid in this fruit is equal to 800 ppm, clearly lower than that in all the other products of the same species, which is 4 300 ppm. This characteristic is of considerable importance for the agri-food and food processing industry because it serves to keep the flesh white for a long time even after the fruit is cut. Another important distinctive feature is its round shape similar to a tomato, typically orange in colour with brownish/greenish tones. These characteristics make the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ unique and original, considering that its cultivation has been established in Italy exclusively in the area defined in point 4 since the 1940s. Its adaptation to the climatic conditions of the area have favoured its spread so much that it has interacted with the area and the environment responsible for its uniqueness. Directly responsible for that uniqueness and all the qualitative characteristics are certainly the specific microclimate described in point 5.1 and the natural environment for cultivation located in the heart of the Pollino National Park, characterised by the position of the land and its good quality, the purity of the very beneficial waters coming from the springs in the Park itself, the mildness of the climate, as stated by CIRELLI in his monograph of 1853: ‘the countryside has plentiful water … which is very advantageous for agriculture, and the industrious farmer of Rotonda knows how to turn it to good account … the diligence of the farmers, the mildness of the climate, the position of the land and its good quality offer more reliable elements for production, which is therefore considerable, providing annually all the products necessary for the subsistence of the inhabitants.’ The ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ was introduced at the beginning of the last century in the Municipality of Rotonda by several citizens who, having returned from the war in Africa, brought with them some specimens of this aubergine very similar to a tomato. Over the years its adaptation to the environment favoured its spread and characterisation, distinguishing it not only from other aubergines but even from those in Africa from which it originated and which were orange in colour without streaks and longer in shape. The ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ has always been consumed also preserved in oil for its particular slightly spicy taste and specific antioxidant qualities and has always been grown in the orchards of every family in the area. The annual ‘Sagra della Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ event continues to attract thousands of visitors to Rotonda and testifies to the continuous success of the product in the traditional catering world, both locally and outside the region. On a gastronomic level the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ has become a popular choice, in particular in the world of local and regional quality catering, and its reputation is fully borne out by its appearance on various television programmes, in specialised magazines and cookery books. In 2004 the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ was added to the list of traditional products of the Region of Basilicata.

Reference to publication of the specification:

This Administration has initiated the national opposition procedure by publishing the application for recognition of the ‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ as a PDO in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 219 of 20 September 2007.

The consolidated text of the product specification is available: