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

(2015/C 115/05)

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

‘OGULINSKI KISELI KUPUS’/‘OGULINSKO KISELO ZELJE’

EU No: HR-PDO-0005-01233 — 27.5.2014

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s)

‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Republic of Croatia

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Product type

Class 1.6 Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ (sauerkraut from Ogulin) is a product obtained through the natural lactic acid fermentation of fresh cabbage of the indigenous Ogulin variety.

Before being placed on the market, ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ in whole or shredded form has the following organoleptic and physicochemical properties: its leaves are yellow-to-golden yellow in colour, it has an odour characteristic of a lacto-fermented product and a sour (lactic acid) taste. Its leaves are thin, translucent and very flexible, and they have thin veins. An ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ cabbage head has a very long stem, known colloquially as kocen in the defined geographical area. The stem is longer than three quarters of the head’s diameter, and its length affects the shape of the head. An ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ cabbage head is round and flattened. It is firm without being tough and is free of foreign impurities, with a NaCl content of 1,5-4 %, a lactic acid content of 0,5-2,5 % and an acetic acid content of up to 0,7 %. The weight of a head of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is at least 1 kg.

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

The raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is obtained from the Brasicceae family, the Brasica oleracea L. var. Capitata species and the indigenous Ogulin variety. The characteristics of heads used for biological fermentation are: light green-coloured outer leaves, a round and flattened head, intact, firm, free of foreign odours and with a mildly aromatic taste and odour.

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

The procedure for producing ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’, from planting and harvesting to pickling, must occur in registered establishments in the geographical area set out in point 4.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

To prevent the colour and/or taste of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ from changing, the product must be packaged within 24 hours in order to preserve and ensure its quality. The size of the packaging is 0,5 kg in the case of shredded ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ and 1,0 kg in the case of whole heads, with one head of cabbage per item of packaging.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

Regardless of the form of packaging, when the product is placed on the market the label must contain the inscription ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of the raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ and of the finished product itself covers the wider region around the town of Ogulin and the municipalities of Josipdol, Plaški, Tounj and Saborsko, i.e. the cadastral districts of Blato, Carevo polje, Cerovnik, Hreljin Ogulinski, Janja Gora, Jezero, Josipdol, Latin, Lička Jesenica, Međeđak, Modruš, Musulinski Potok, Ogulin, Oštarije, Otok Oštarijski, Plaški, Ponikve, Pothum, Petar Ogulinski, Saborsko, Skradnik, Trojvrh, Tržić Tounjski, Vitunj and Zagorje.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The specificity of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ lies in the quality of the product, which stems from the characteristics of the production area and the knowledge and skills of those producing and processing the product.

The climate, the soil type of the Ogulin area and the indigenous cabbage variety are all key factors in the production and processing of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’.

The production area of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is a microregion located in the south-west of Karlovac County, bordering Primorje-Gorski Kotar County to the west and Lika-Senj County to the south. This is the part of Croatia where the submontane subregion merges with the mountainous subregion, which is also known as ‘upland Croatia’.

The climate of the defined geographical area is predominantly continental, though it gradually changes to mountainous. This climate is noteworthy for the amount and distribution of rainfall and its mean air temperatures. Average annual precipitation (1 557 mm) is up to 50 % higher than in other cabbage-growing areas, with greater amounts of rain and even snow during winter. The average mean daily temperature during the period in which the raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is grown (April–September) is 10,1 °C, which is lower than the temperatures in other cabbage-growing areas. The minimum temperature required for growing the raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ ranges from 1 °C to 3 °C. The climate is characterised by great differences between daytime and night-time temperatures, which results in heavy dew in summer. Since the Ogulin plain has no irrigation potential, this summer dew is the key factor sustaining growth of the raw material required to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ as it ensures that the cabbage obtains sufficient moisture.

The average mean temperature in winter in the production area of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is - 5,9 °C, which is conducive to continuous fermentation in the pickling room.

Homogeneous soils with a silty loam to silty clay loam texture predominate in the Ogulin region. During winter, the considerable snowfall leads to frequent flooding of these soils, resulting in the formation of brown, deep-profile, arable soils with a favourable ratio of sand, silt and clay. This type of soil is well supplied with organic nutrients, nitrogen and potassium, as well as a sufficient amount of water, and is suited to growing the raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’. These specific pedo-climatic conditions are ideal for growing the raw material used in the production of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’.

The product ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ has specific morphological properties that set it apart from other products produced through the fermentation of fresh cabbage of other varieties. The head of the cabbage has an extremely long stem — known colloquially as kocen in the defined geographical area — with many thin, translucent and very flexible leaves with thin veins. The specificity of the product ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ lies in its round and flattened heads, its yellow-coloured leaves and the thinness of their veins. These specific features have been the subject of scientific studies (Ferdo Vešnik, Utjecaj sorte na kvalitetu kiselog kupusa (The impact of variety on the quality of pickled cabbage), 1969, Poljoprivredna znanstvena smotra No 6, pp. 3-17 and Poljoprivredna znanstvena smotra No 18, pp. 3-17).

The specificity of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ also lies in the preservation of seeds of the indigenous Ogulin cabbage variety in farms in the defined geographical area.

The human influence is also a key factor at all stages of the production of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’.

In the production areas where ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is produced, the product is exclusively hand-picked, which calls for experienced and skilled harvesters.

The raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ ripens very unevenly, resulting in uneven-sized heads. The skills of harvesters are essential here: by looking at and touching the product, they know from experience whether it is of sufficient quality in terms of appearance, firmness and size to be picked or not.

This ensures that the raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is of the quality required. The harvester decides according to the size of the head whether it should be placed in a fermentation pool for pickling, or else shredded. This is impossible to achieve with mechanical harvesting.

To ensure the raw material used to produce ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ is not damaged, the harvester sorts the heads in the field, places them into a container and transfers them — by hand — to the fermentation pool.

For pickling ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ a natural fermentation method is used, in which a mere 5-6 % clear solution of table salt is added to the cabbage, and a lactic acid is produced under anaerobic conditions, which acts as a natural preservative.

Knowledge and experience of human factors also come into play once the pickling process has ended. Each ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ cabbage head is removed from the fermentation pool by hand and, by looking at and touching the head, a decision is made whether it is sufficiently pickled.

That way, the chemical and organoleptic properties specified in point 3.2 are achieved (Ž. Kosanović, Analitičko izvješće za Ogulinski kiseli kupus (Analytical report for ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’), 2010 and Modruški zbornik, Ogulinski kiseli kupus kroz povijest (‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’ throughout history), 2008, p. 160).

The specificity of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’ has prompted producers and processors in the Ogulin area to start packaging the product and placing it on the market in vacuum-packed form. Vacuum-packed sour cabbage heads first appeared on the market under the name ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’ in 1973 (Ogulinski kiseli kupus kroz povijest, Modruški zbornik, year 2. Katedra Čakavskog sabora Modruše, 2008, p. 153).

Pedo-climatic factors have had a significant effect on creating the specific quality of ‘Ogulinski kiseli kupus’/‘Ogulinsko kiselo zelje’. To this day, the microclimate of the production area has played a key role in the choice of cultivars. This is confirmed by the ecotypes that have evolved in the corresponding regions: Ogulin, Ivankovac and others (Ružica Lešić, Povrćarstvo (Vegetable growing), 2002, pp. 175 and 178).

In the words of Kosanović ‘[…] the variety of this cabbage planted in more remote regions achieved a much lower yield and lower quality than the variety planted on the Ogulin plain. Starting in 1973, this was done in several locations and on several occasions. From then until around 1980, “Ogulinski kiseli kupus” was planted in the area around Ljubljana, Ilirska Bistrica, Varaždin, Križevci, Zemun, Futog, Velika Kladuša, Zadar, Privlaka (near Vinkovci), and elsewhere. Nowhere did “Ogulinski kiseli kupus” achieve the same yield or quality as on the Ogulin plain. The influence of the area’s soil and climate is obvious […]’ (Ž. Kosanović Ogulinski kupus kroz povijest, Modruški zbornik, year 2. Katedra čakavskog sabora, 2008, p. 132).

Reference to publication of the product specification

(Article 6(1) second subparagraph of this Regulation)

http://www.mps.hr/UserDocsImages/HRANA/OGULINSKO%20KISELO%20ZELJE/Izmijenjena%20Specifikacija%20proizvoda.pdf

(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.