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 3/08)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘RAVIOLE DU DAUPHINÉ’

EC No: FR-PGI-0005-0583-28.12.2006

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name

‘Raviole du Dauphiné’

2.   Member State or third country

France

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 2.7 — Pasta

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

Raviole du Dauphiné are a regional speciality that come in the form of small thin squares of pasta with a soft wheat flour base, stuffed with fromage frais, hard pressed cheese (Comté PDO and/or Emmental français Est-Central PGI) and parsley browned in butter.

Raviole du Dauphiné are made by kneading the dough, mixing the stuffing and filling the dough with the stuffing. Two sheets of dough (one for the top and one for the bottom) are rolled out thin and joined together before being filled with the stuffing. The process is very quick and is followed by placing the dough into a mould to give it the distinct shape of ravioles.

This speciality is composed of:

Raviole du Dauphiné come fresh (packed in a controlled atmosphere or unpacked) or frozen.

Raviole du Dauphiné are sold in sheets of 48 precut pieces (6 × 8) when fresh (packed in a controlled environment or unpacked) and in separate pieces when frozen.

Each sheet weighs between 60 and 65 grams, which is the equivalent of between 1 and 1,5 grams per square.

The organoleptic characteristics of Raviole du Dauphiné are: succulent, thin pasta and soft, creamy stuffing, characterised by a balance between the flavour of the parsley and the cheeses.

3.3.   Raw ingredients

Raviole du Dauphiné does not contain artificial colouring or preservatives or any products to add texture such as breadcrumbs, starch or potato flakes, and is not subjected to heat treatment other than possible deep-freezing.

Pasta ingredients

Flour

The flour used has the following characteristics:

Fresh eggs

Other ingredients:

Stuffing ingredients

Fromage frais made from cow's milk, drained and pasteurised:

Hard pressed cheese

The only types of cheese that can be used to make the stuffing (for taste and traditional reasons) are:

Parsley

Parsley can be either fresh or frozen, constituting at least 4 % of the stuffing. Freeze-dried parsley cannot be used. The parsley is browned in butter.

Other ingredients:

The fresh eggs and fromage frais come from the geographical area in which the Raviole du Dauphiné is made or from the following adjacent departments: Drôme, Isère, Ardèche, Loire, Rhône, Ain or Savoie. This is for several reasons:

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

Not applicable.

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

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

Packaging of the product (in paper or cardboard or in a film-covered tray) must take place in the geographical area, as it is impossible to transport a product as fragile as raviole without it being pre-packaged. It is also necessary to preserve the organoleptic quality of the product.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

Raviole du Dauphiné is a highly localised product made in the following areas:

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The definition of geographical area is directly linked to the history of the product. In the alpine regions of Lower Dauphiné, only soft wheat used to grow; the numerous flocks of sheep, herds of goats and some cattle would produce milk for the cheeses and provide meat — a luxury reserved for wealthy city dwellers. The farmers would bring their wheat to the local miller who would open an account in flour at the bakery. In exchange, the baker would give the miller bread and soft wheat flour. Nothing was ever purchased, apart from salt, but wheat would be exchanged and people would eat root vegetables, which formed the basis of their diet.

The origins of raviole reach back into antiquity, when it was even made with turnip. Over the centuries the ingredients evolved in line with the raw ingredients available in the Dauphiné region, culminating in the recipe that is used today, namely: soft wheat flour pasta stuffed with Comté PDO and/or Emmental français Est central PGI, fresh fromage blanc and parsley.

Since it does not contain any meat, raviole was primarily eaten on fast-days. It then became a dish served at parties. It became more widespread at the beginning of the 20th century, when ‘ravioleuses’ — women who make the product — would travel from farm to farm to make some the night before a party.

In 1873, a ‘ravioleuse’, Mrs Maury, settled in Romans (which is still the main production centre for Raviole du Dauphiné), where she took over the bank café on the town hall square. She was the first to make ravioles and to let people sample them on the premises. Other ‘ravioleuses’ soon began to copy her, including Mrs Fayet.

The First World War brought an end to the consumption of ravioles and the ‘ravioleuses’ gradually disappeared.

In 1930, only a few restaurants serving ravioles remained, including that of Emile Truchet who learned to make them with the help of Mrs Fayet.

Emile Truchet made a machine to modernise the production of ravioles. In 1953, he appeared at the Romans-sur-Isère fair to make the product. It proved to be a great success, which was consolidated over the following years.

The manufacture of the first machine for making ravioles greatly increased awareness of the product and the level of production.

The producers of Raviole du Dauphiné are still located in the area where the product originated: around Romans and Royannais.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

The specificity of Raviole du Dauphiné is based on particular characteristics of the product, a know-how and the product's reputation.

The specific characteristics of the product are linked to a choice of raw ingredients and to local know-how:

Ravioles are made using ingredients of the highest quality without artificial colouring or preservatives or any product to add texture. Raviole is unique in that the thin soft wheat-based dough takes just one minute to cook in boiling water.

Raviole cannot be compared to fresh pasta as there are some criteria that give it its specificity and distinguish it from fresh pasta.

The cereal content of fresh pasta is hard semolina (Decree No 55-1175 of 31 August 1955 on pasta). The pasta in ravioles is made using soft wheat flour extracted from the wheat germ. This type of flour, which has a very low ash content, gives the pasta its characteristic white colour and its exquisite and refined taste,

The recipe used today is the same as the traditional recipe used by the ‘ravioleuses’ before the use of machines, which increased the level of production of Raviole du Dauphiné and made it more widespread.

The reputation of Raviole du Dauphiné is well-established:

The word ‘raviole’ actually comes from the word ‘rissole’. Rissoles were made of fried minced meat rolled into a ball. However, during Lent the meat was replaced by turnip (‘raves’ in French), hence the term ‘raviole’.

The exact origin of ravioles is unknown, but research proves that they go back a long way. In fact, according to research carried out by Frédéric Godefroy, the word ‘raviole’ is mentioned in a text from 1228.

Moreover, through his research (‘Dictionary of the old french language’), Godefroy established a link between ravioles and religion, as shown in the following definition: ‘raviole, olle, S. m. a piece of pasta containing minced meat and chopped turnip, eaten during Lent’.

Ravioles gradually became a dish eaten on both civil and religious holidays. They were served as a starter but also after the vegetables and poultry (mostly boiled chicken), the boiling water being used to cook the ravioles.

With the invention of the ravioles machine, which gradually replaced ‘ravioleuses’, production increased considerably, while still following the traditional cheese-based recipe.

Its thin pasta and cheese-based stuffing — distinguishing and unique characteristics — won Raviole du Dauphiné the approval of many chefs who consider it to be ‘a real delight to the palate with a miraculous taste’.

Raviole du Dauphiné can therefore be found in a large number of local recipes: ravioles en gratin, fried ravioles with salad, ravioles à la crème, morel ravioles, crayfish ravioles, etc.

Until 1975, Raviole du Dauphiné were made by small producers and ‘ravioleuses’, with a total annual production of under 100 tonnes. The main distribution channels were restaurants, caterers and small shops. At the start of the 1990s, the market for Raviole du Dauphiné expanded into supermarkets, reaching annual volumes of 1 000 tonnes. In 1997, annual production levels of raviole du Dauphiné reached 2 500 tonnes. Since then, the increase in sales has been more dynamic than ever with sales in excess of 5 000 tonnes in 2007 (5 103 tonnes between all producers, covering 5 production sites).

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

Raviole du Dauphiné is an old, renowned regional product made in the region of the Dauphiné (the first texts to mention raviole date from 1228).

The many different culinary dishes from the Dauphiné countryside are made using only products from the land, hence the use of cheeses in the ravioles instead of meat, unlike other types of pasta. Moreover, the local produce available in the Dauphiné countryside provides for the use of soft wheat flour, whereas traditional pasta is made using hard semolina.

Families would buy their flour at the bakery and, only on holidays, make: ravioles, crouzets, ‘matafans’ and ‘besiantes’. Raviole was a local culinary dish — a traditional family meal — eaten in its many different forms at parties.

Ravioles are, above all, the product of a traditional culture and know-how in the Dauphiné region (ravioleuses).

The recipe that is used today for Raviole du Dauphiné became established in the 19th century and the invention of the ravioles machine led to increased production of the product and enabled it to become more widespread.

The characteristics of Raviole du Dauphiné have been preserved thanks to the specific choice of raw ingredients and the preservation of the traditional recipe: very thin pasta that cooks very quickly and has an exceptional melt-in-the-mouth texture, and succulent, creamy stuffing.

Raviole du Dauphiné is recognised as part of the culinary heritage of the Dauphiné. A decision of the Grenoble Court of Appeal of 14 February 1989 recognised that Raviole du Dauphiné is entitled to a designation of origin, highlighting the specificity of the product, its recipe and the geographical area of production. According to an expert report, the court recognised that the specific characteristics of Raviole du Dauphiné, in terms of composition and preparation, make it an original product and a particularity of the region.

Moreover, Raviole du Dauphiné is included in the inventory of France's culinary heritage, drawn up in 1995.

Reference to publication of the specification

http://agriculture.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/cdc_igp_raviole_dauph.pdf

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.