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

2013/C 155/04

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

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

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

‘VALAŠSKÝ FRGÁL’

EC No: CZ-PGI-0005-0805-04.04.2010

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name

‘Valašský frgál’

2.   Member State or third country

Czech Republic

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

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

A round cake with a diameter of 30-32 cm. Also known colloquially as ‘vdolek’, ‘pecák’ or ‘lopaťák’, it is made from a fine yeast-based dough and has a topping.

After baking, the colour of the cake is golden, whereas that of the topping is characteristic of the topping used, with a light-coloured crumble on the surface, which may be sprinkled with gingerbread crumbs or ground cinnamon, or drizzled with butter and sprinkled with sugar.

The types of topping used are pear, curd cheese, poppyseed, jam (povidla), fruit (plum, apple, bilberry, apricot), walnut, cabbage (fresh cabbage or sauerkraut), carrot and kohlrabi. The topping accounts for about 42-48 % of the whole product.

The cake is placed on a circular paper base and most commonly packaged in a heat-shrinkable wrapper or another kind of food-grade wrapper used on the market. It may also be packaged in a carton, a plastic or wooden box or a greaseproof-paper wrapping.

Types of packaging: whole cakes: 600-700 g; halves 300-350 g; quarters: 150-175 g.

The cakes may be sold unpackaged on the premises where they are made.

‘Valašský frgál’ may also be marketed frozen. The freezing process does not alter the product’s properties. It is placed in the freezer already packaged. The frozen product may be stored at a temperature of – 18 °C or less for nine months. It is recommended that it be consumed within 24 hours after being defrosted. The necessary shelf-life and storage information is given on the packaging.

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

The following raw materials are used to make the dough: semi-coarse wheat flour or a blend of three types of flour (fine-ground, semi-coarse and coarse), beet sugar or sweetener, vegetable fats or vegetable oil or lard or butter, pasteurised or fresh egg yolks, milk powder or fresh milk or drinking water, fruit juices (lemon, apple, pear), bakers’ yeast and salt; nowadays, it is permitted to add an improver to the dough in order to keep the product fresh.

The main ingredient is flour; the proportions of the other ingredients by weight of dough must be as follows: fat (vegetable fat or oil or lard or butter) — at least 20 %; sugar or sweetener (fructose) — at least 10 % (if another sweetener is used, the amount will depend on its sweetness); egg yolks — at least 5 %. The amount of fruit juice, yeast, salt and other flavour-imparting raw materials depends on the recipe used by individual producers.

The topping must account for about 42-48 % of the total weight of a ‘Valašský frgál’ before baking.

The following raw materials are used to make the topping:

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 steps, from the making of the dough (because of the method used: as the dough contains yeast, there cannot be any delays between the individual steps in production) and the spreading of the topping to the baking of the cake and its subsequent packaging, must take place in the defined geographical area in the interests of maintaining quality and hygiene. The production of the topping itself does not have to take place in the defined area.

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

Slicing and packaging on the producer’s premises is necessitated by the nature of the product, which is intended for rapid consumption, and in order to maintain quality. If the finished product were to be transported unpackaged, its quality would be impaired owing to breaking or bending, or to the infringement of hygiene rules. Moreover, it is necessary to affix to the product packaging a label giving details of the producer, the composition of the product and all other mandatory details that guarantee that it originates in the defined area and that are used as the basis for any inspection that might be carried out.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

Producers of ‘Valašský frgál’ must indicate the name ‘Valašský frgál’ clearly on the product packaging. The protected geographical indication logo will also be placed on the packaging for the purposes of consumer information, checking by the inspection body and product traceability. If the product is sold unpackaged, it must be clearly indicated at the point of sale that ‘Valašský frgál’ is on sale there.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

Valašsko, which is a geographical region in the south-east of the Czech Republic. It comprises the following municipalities (from east to west): Velké Karlovice, Horní Bečva, Čeladná, Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem, Kozlovice, Měrkovice, Tichá, Vlčovice, Kopřivnice, Štramberk, Lichnov, Veřovice, Mořkov, Hodslavice, Straník, Kojetín, Loučka, Bernartice, Hůrka, Starojická Lhota, Vysoká, Hustopeče, Milotice, Špičky, Skalička, Horní Tešice, Rouské, Všechovice, Provodovice, Komárno, Podhradní Lhota, Rajnochovice, Držková, Rusava, Lukoveček, Fryšták, Mladcová, Zlín-Prštné, Zlín-Jaroslavice, Březnice, Želechovice, Lípa, Zádveřice, Vizovice, Slopné, Haluzice, Vlachovice, Vrbětice, Popov, Jestřábí, Štítná nad Vláří, Bylnice, Brumov, Nedašov, Nedašova Lhota, Študlov, Střelná, Francova Lhota, Valašská Senice, Hovězí, Halenkov and Nový Hrozenkov.

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

In the past, drying was the most traditional method used by the inhabitants of Valašsko to preserve fruit. For the rest of the year, the dried fruit was put to a wide variety of culinary uses. The most typical example of this was the use of dried pears to make pear jam (povidla). The use of a single kind of spread — or topping — on a ‘frgál’ is also typical for Valašsko. This is a tradition; as historical sources also state, there is never more than one type of topping on a ‘frgál’.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Valašský frgál’ differs from other cakes in particular owing to the following characteristics:

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)

This application is based both on the specificity of the product and on its reputation throughout Valašsko and beyond. The first written records of large cakes called ‘vdolek’ or ‘frgál’ are to be found in a chronicle dating from 1826 entitled Bromatologia moravo-rustica, by J.H.A. Gallaš. It contains details of cakes made from wheat or rye flour and topped with curd cheese, fruit jam (povidla) or a spread made from stewed and pureed dried pears typical of this region, which are made only in the defined area of Valašsko.

‘Valašský frgál’ is made according to traditional recipes from the defined area found in written records dating from 1826. The folk tradition of baking this specific cake is linked in particular to festive occasions such as weddings, christenings, Christmas and Easter and the end of the harvest in Valašsko. Poor families ate it only at Christmas. Wealthier families also ate it on Sundays. The size of the cake (30-32 cm in diameter) came about because the whole surface of the peel, which was used to put bread into the oven, was used. These cakes were made mainly from home-produced raw materials, in particular dried fruit, curd cheese, home-ground flour, butter, lard, linseed oil, eggs and milk.

‘Valašský frgál’ with pear topping is the most famous type, the topping being made from dried pears. Traditionally, there was a pear tree next to every building in Valašsko. The most common variety of pear was known as ovesňanka, which, although small, had succulent and very sweet flesh. Other varieties of pear, in particular those which ripen in the autumn months, were also suitable for drying. They always had to be left to ripen until the onset of the first ground frosts. The pears were then slowly dried whole in a drying chamber that was heated by burning wood, preferably from fruit trees. It was very important that they dried out thoroughly and were then stored in woven bags hung up in attics. The recipes for making povidla from dried pears and for making these large cakes with this and other toppings have been handed down from generation to generation for several centuries.

In the 19th century, the reputation of these cakes spread as far away as Prague, the capital city. When the national exhibition was held at Holešovice in Prague at the end of the 19th century, they were brought from Valašsko along with many other products and were greatly admired. ‘Valašský frgál’ has maintained its reputation to the present day (a great deal of information can be found on the internet, in the regional and national press and in tourist guides) and has won a number of awards at exhibitions and fairs (Zlatá Salima 2006 and 2008, Perla Zlínska 2006, 2007 and 2008, Trendy 2006, HIT 2006 Moderní obchod, Značka kvality KLASA in 2007).

Reference to publication of the specification

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

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website:

http://isdv.upv.cz/portal/pls/portal/portlets.ops.det?popk=1322&plang=cs

(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.