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

2014/C 410/07

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).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs  (2)

‘FRÄNKISCHER GRÜNKERN’

EC No: DE-PDO-0005-01144 — 7.8.2013

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name

2.   Member State or Third Country

Germany

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 product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ is grains of spelt (Triticum spelta), a type of wheat, which are harvested when unripe and dried. The spelt is harvested at the beginning of the ‘dough-ripe’ stage. ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ is then preserved and given its typical aroma by drying, traditionally over a beechwood fire. All ‘Grünkern’ batches are classified in one of three possible quality grades. Class I with at least 80 %, Class II with at least 70 % and Class III with at least 60 % olive-green grains. In addition to the taste, the quality criteria include an olive-green colour, the grain structure and no impurities in the form of other types of cereal, wild oats or weed seeds. The moisture content is a maximum of 13 %.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

Only spelt of the ‘Bauländer Spelz’ variety may be used for the production of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’.

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

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

The entire production process for the cultivation, production and processing of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’, i.e. sowing, harvesting and drying, must take place in the identified geographical area.

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

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3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ must be labelled together with the appropriate Union symbol as ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ at all stages of marketing. Labels must also bear the name and address of the manufacturer. Optionally, the registration number in the protection association may be indicated.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area covers the rural districts of Hohenlohekreis, Main-Tauber-Kreis and Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg and the rural districts of Miltenberg and Würzburg in Bavaria.

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

Large parts of the area in which the product is cultivated are on land with little precipitation in the rain shadow of the Odenwald region, mainly on slopes and shallow-soil arable land not yet suitable for wheat growing, with indices from 20/25, which in part must be regarded as ‘areas with a natural handicap’. The geographical area is made up mainly of weathered limestone soils. The annual average temperature in the geographical area is 8,4 °C, and annual precipitation is 770 mm. From time immemorial, farmers have been growing spelt here on the shallow, stony soils where cultivating winter wheat is no longer a proposition. The ‘Bauland’ in the Baden region forming the core of the geographical area is the main traditional ‘Grünkern’-growing area in the world. Nowhere else has spelt been continuously cultivated for centuries for making ‘Grünkern’, right up to the present day. For generations farmers in the geographical area have been harvesting spelt, which is particularly vulnerable to unfavourable weather, at the dough stage under trees, in field margins and along tracks, and then drying it out.

Producing ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ from dough-ripe spelt involves a great deal of effort and hard work. It requires a high degree of specialist knowledge, heavy manual labour and extreme care and is thus only possible on small farms using traditional working methods. Traditional drying over a beechwood fire has been preserved right up to the present day. The harvested crop is dried by passing air through it at about 120 °C to 150 °C. It is important that the hardwood smoke fully penetrates the grain to give it its traditional taste. Traditional manually operated kilns with a perforated plate are now only seldom used. The protected heritage site of a group of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ kilns along a track on the southern edge of the town of Walldürn-Altheim (in the Neckar-Odenwald district) shows the importance which ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ had for the local population in the past. To the present day, drying is not just a matter of temperature – it requires a fine touch and the necessary level of experience. The local population’s ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ cultivation and production know-how has been passed on from one generation to the next.

Also, southern Germany is the traditional market for ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’. The earliest historical references to ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ date back to the 17th century and are to be found in storage accounts and village and town tax and rate records. ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ has been cultivated and sold as ‘green corn’ in the geographical area from as early as the middle of the 18th century. Increasingly, ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ began to be commercially traded from the middle of the 19th century. ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ production was promoted by Jewish merchants in the region, but this development was also aided by the availability of large markets. The ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ economy was given a major boost by regional customers such as the Knorr company founded in the nearby town of Heilbronn, which has been using ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ meal since the 1870s.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ is characterised by its even, glassy structure and colour, its strong, flavoursome beechwood taste and its nutty aroma. The slender grains of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ have ‘hard gluten properties’, producing a nutty aroma during drying. The ‘Bauländer Spelz’ variety was made compulsory for members of the Association of Franconian ‘Grünkern’ Producers in 1960, because it has the best aroma and the highest glassiness. ‘Bauländer Spelz’ has been authorised since 1958 and is thus one of the oldest authorised spelt varieties. According to scientific studies, this variety native to and widely spread throughout the geographical area is particularly well-suited for the production of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ as a result of its firm husk and grains, which are of benefit at the sensitive dough-ripe stage during the drying process. This robust, undemanding variety is ideally adapted to the special local and climatic conditions and still produces average yields in the agronomically disadvantaged geographical area, even without costly or complicated cultivation measures. Scientific studies by the national cereal research institute into the impact of variety, time of harvest and drying on the quality of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ confirm that, both as regards the drying process to produce an even, glassy structure and colour and the aromatic taste and ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ yields obtained, the ‘Bauländer Spelz’ variety has the advantage over other varieties for the production of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ in the defined geographical area (Zwingelberg & Münzing: ‘Grünkern – Einfluss von Sorte, Erntezeitpunkt und Darre auf die Qualitätseigenschaften’, 1991, p. 21). In addition, this native variety produces highly compact grains with a generally below-average thousand-grain weight, which benefits uniform drying and helps to achieve an even, glassy structure and colour, and which have proved their worth given their high yields, particularly in the production of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’.

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 quality and characteristic properties of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ are due mainly to the geographical conditions, including natural and human factors, in the area of origin. The specific interaction of soil conditions and climatic conditions in the geographical area in conjunction with the ‘Bauländer Spelz’ variety produce the distinct characteristics unique to the product.

The local know-how, the centuries-old tradition of production, processing and preparation of ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’, in particular the skills required for harvesting and processing on the farm, help to bring out the acclaimed organoleptic characteristics inherent to ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’. In order to preserve the culinary cultural heritage of farmers in the Bauland region, in 2010 the Slow Food foundation for biodiversity added ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ to the international ‘Presidio’ community.

‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ is also used in fine restaurants and catering in the region and beyond. The large number of recipes with ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ passed on down the generations, the oldest dating back to 1821, attest to its importance in Franconian cuisine. Activities linked to the ‘Bauland gold’, as it is known, such as the ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ festival in Kupprichhausen, which has been held since 1978, or the ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ cycle route, which is approximately 100 km long, enrich the cultural life of the region.

Both natural conditions and human factors, such as the time of harvest and the drying process, affect the characteristics of the product in a way which would not be possible in other regions. The special climatic and soil conditions in the geographical area, in conjunction with the ‘Bauländer Spelz’ variety native to the geographical area and the method for drying ‘Fränkischer Grünkern’ developed in the geographical area, thus make it possible to produce this high-quality product and build a viable industry in locations which are naturally handicapped and apply human ingenuity to adapt to the geographical conditions.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/40685

(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3)  See footnote 2.