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 272/07)

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

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka'

EU No: PGI-SE-02824 — 14.12.2021

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka'

2.   Member State or Third Country

Sweden

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed

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

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' is a greenhouse-grown white gherkin pickled in brine and spices. The following ingredients are used: Salt (NaCl), spices, dill, preservatives (sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate) and citric acid. With the exception of the mandatory addition of dill, the composition of the spices may vary. The ratio of salt to water for the brine is traditionally determined by the producers.

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' is a perishable fresh product. 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' is sold whole or sliced.

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' has the following characteristics.

Physical properties:

Whole 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka':   Length: 120–150 mm   Diameter: 30–50 mm   Weight: 50–90 grams

Sliced 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka':   Diameter: 30–50 mm   Thickness: 5–7 mm   Surface: ridged

The following applies to both whole and sliced 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka':

Chemical characteristics:   Salt content: 10–15 %

Organoleptic characteristics:   Colour:   Skin: Warm yellowish white with green tints (NSC S0520-G60Y to S0520-G50Y).   Interior: Uniform colour on the same colour scale as the outer side of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka'. The flesh of the gherkin is lime yellow, while the core has a somewhat darker green shade than the skin.   Flavour: A pronounced saltiness that is toned down by the white gherkin’s inherent sweetness. The flavour also has a touch of fullness reminiscent of dill and caraway.   Finish: Salty with hints of dill and fresh green peas.   Aroma: A deep palette of aromas with notes of soil / underground cellar and notes of pea shoots and unspiced distilled alcohol.   Consistency: Firm and crunchy, with a slightly less firm core.   Mouthfeel: A pleasant structure and firmness to the bite. A distinctive saltiness, and a distinct crunchiness that has retained much of the freshness characteristic of the newly harvested greenhouse-grown white gherkin.

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

Raw material: Greenhouse-grown white gherkins of the Lilla Delikatessen variety. The greenhouse-grown white gherkin is 120–150 mm long and has a diameter of 30–50 mm. The newly harvested gherkin is whitish, with a light-green sheen. The skin has fine bumps and is relatively hard. The flesh of the greenhouse-grown white gherkin is lime yellow, while the relatively small core is greenish in colour.

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

The entire production process – from the cultivation of the white gherkin to the pickling of the greenhouse-grown white gherkin in brine – must take place within the geographical area indicated under point 4.

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 production area of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' consists of the province of Östergötland.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between the characteristics of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' and the geographical area is based on the human factors associated with the geographical area.

Special characteristics of the product:

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' has the same warm yellowish-white outer side, lime-yellow flesh and greenish core as the newly harvested greenhouse-grown white gherkin. The flavour and aroma are marked by the freshness typical of the newly harvested white gherkin.

As a result of its relatively hard skin and small core, 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' is much crunchier than fresh-salted gherkins made from green gherkins. The firm and crunchy consistency of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' gives it a pleasant firmness to the bite.

In 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka', the white gherkin’s inherent sweetness is balanced by a pronounced saltiness. The aroma is complex, with notes of soil, fresh pea shoots and distilled alcohol.

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' is different from other types of salted gherkin commonly on sale, as the spiced brine used for the pickling contains no added sugar or vinegar. 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' also differs from 'ättiksgurka', the sour pickled gherkin which is far more common in Sweden and has a distinct sweet-and-sour flavour of vinegar, sugar and mustard.

Human factors associated with the geographical area:

’Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' is a very typical speciality of Östergötland. In Östergötland, pickled gherkins are traditionally white and prepared in brine, while in the rest of Sweden people have preferred green gherkins pickled in a solution of vinegar, sugar and salt.

The Hagdahl Academy has awarded a prize to the producers of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' for their work to preserve this culinary tradition from Östergötland.

The origin of the regional preference for 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' in Östergötland is unknown, but at the end of the 19th century it was discovered that the white gherkin had characteristics (a harder skin and smaller core) which produced a crunchier fresh-salted gherkin than the green gherkin, provided that it is handled properly during the pickling process.

The white gherkin traditionally cultivated for the production of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' is of the Lilla Delikatessen type. The Lilla Delikatessen gherkin is grown in greenhouses in Östergötland and harvested between March and October. ‘Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka’ is therefore a seasonal product produced only from March to October.

The cultivation of Lilla Delikatessen requires particular efforts on the part of the grower. Unlike green gherkins, for example, Lilla Delikatessen is not self-pollinating. In order for the gherkin to set fruit, it needs the grower’s help with pollination, which in turn means that the gherkin plants must be pruned and trained to enable the grower to pollinate the flowers.

Growers prepare the seeds for the following year’s production of Lilla Delikatessen from the farm itself by selecting a number of gherkin plants to produce seedlings. The selection is based on the plant’s ability to produce a good harvest of white gherkins having the qualitative characteristics (colour of the gherkin, flesh and core as well as hardness of the skin and size of the core) required for the production of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka'.

The producers’ ability to preserve the colour, crunchiness and freshness typical of the newly harvested white greenhouse-grown gherkin during pickling is essential to the characteristics associated with 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka'.

For the production of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka', the white gherkins must be newly harvested. The white gherkin is therefore picked daily. In order for the white gherkin to meet the quality requirements for 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka', the newly harvested gherkin must have a length of 12 cm to 15 cm and a diameter of 3 cm to 5 cm.

The newly harvested white gherkins are washed in water, brushed and pierced so that the brine is absorbed more easily by the whole cucumber. After that the white gherkins are sorted and quality-controlled before – when producing whole 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' – they are placed whole in brine, dill and spices.

When producing sliced 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka', the washed white gherkin is cut into slices approximately 6 millimetres wide using knives that leave a ridged cut surface, after which the slices are placed in the brine, dill and spices.

In the production of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka', producers must place the newly harvested white gherkins in brine within 1 to 2 days in order to preserve the white gherkin’s characteristic colour and crunchiness. If the white gherkin is stored for longer, it softens and turns yellow in colour.

Each producer of 'Vit färsksaltad Östgötagurka' uses their own recipe when preparing the brine. The brine must traditionally contain enough salt for a hen’s egg to float in it. However, the part of the egg above the water surface was not allowed to be larger than a 25-öre coin. The brine always contains dill, but the exact composition of the spices is facultative and based on old recipes that have often been passed down from generation to generation.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/globalassets/foretag-regler-kontroll/livsmedelsinformation-markning-halsopastaenden/skyddade-beteckningar/produktbeskrivning_vit_farsksaltad-ostgotagurka_23-02-08.pdf

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.