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

(2021/C 149/06)

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

’Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’

EU No: PGI-HU-02475 – 4 July 2018

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

’Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Hungary

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

The protected geographical indication ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ denotes the fresh local variety of the underground mushroom species of summer truffle (Tuber aestivum Vittad.) gathered in the designated geographical area.

Morphological characteristics of ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’:

The fruiting body varies in size: the minimum recommended marketing size is that of a walnut; there is no upper limit. The minimum weight of the fruiting body recommended for use is 40 g.

In most cases it has a more or less regular spherical shape, usually without any recess at the base of the tuber.

The colour of the outer shell ranges from blackish-brown to black. Its exterior is rough, covered with black surface scales, which are often large (312 mm), pyramid-shaped (5-7-sided), prominent, firm, sharp-edged, usually flattened on top, scored diagonally, striated lengthways, and attached firmly to the gleba.

The flesh inside the mushroom has a firm consistency and has white- to tan coloured streaks running through it. During ripening its colour is initially whitish, then a yellowy dirty grey, pale hazel, and finally deep chocolate brown. The well-ripened fruiting body is rather darker, a yellowy brown to red colour.

Organoleptic characteristics of ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’:

It has a unique, pleasant aroma. When collected, its aroma is initially reminiscent of cooked corn or roasted and fermented barley malt, accompanied by a pleasant scent of freshly mown grass. During harvesting and storage, the aroma changes, but it retains its distinctive pleasant scent of freshly mown grass.

The taste itself is intense, and more reminiscent of delicious walnut.

‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ grows from late May to late August, unlike other truffles, which can be picked until late November.

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

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

The mushroom must be grown and gathered in the production area.

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

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

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4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area for ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ encompasses the administrative area of the following municipalities: Jászivány, Jászkisér, Jászdózsa, Jászapáti, Jászágó, Jászárokszállás, Jászjákóhalma, Jásztelek and Jászszentandrás, as well as the municipalities of Besenyszög and Újszász, which are adjacent to the Jászság region, despite not forming a contiguous production area, since they encompass the area where ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ occurs naturally, i.e. which has the type of soil suited to growing it.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ and the geographical area is based on the product’s reputation and quality.

Specificity of the geographical area

The Jászság lies in the administrative area of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County in the north-western corner of the Great Hungarian Plain. It forms part of the Central Tisza region, and is located between the Zagyva and Tarna rivers, which are tributaries of the Tisza. In geological and botanical terms, it is a natural sub-region that forms part of the Tisza plain. It takes its name from the Jász (Jassic) people who settled here in the 13th century.

‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ grows naturally in the root system mainly of oak, hazel and hornbeam trees, but it also grows in plantations, known as ‘Trifla’ (truffle) gardens. The truffle gardens of the Jászság are typically found in oak woods.

The specific characteristics of ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ are shaped by the natural soil properties and the composition of the plant species that typify the area. Most of this sub-region, which forms a rich surface-water basin, has a high groundwater level, which, together with the black chernozem soil, provides a unique opportunity for ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ to grow.

The soil conditions of the Jászság are extremely favourable for planting and growing summer truffles. The salinising solonetz soil to the east of the region, extending down to the Tisza river, is covered by meadow and alluvial soils of varied composition, pH-neutral or weakly basic, hard, clayey but humus-rich soil, which has a chernozem soil cover.

Specificity of the product

The fruiting body of ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ has a relatively regular shape and grows abundantly and evenly. This is thanks to the common oak forests found in the Jászság region, the excellent-quality chernozem soil typical of the pre afforestation steppe, the high ground water level close to the surface, the climate, and coexistence with other plant species.

During ripening, the mushroom exudes a unique, increasingly full-bodied and strong aroma of freshly mown grass and cooked corn, which may be mixed with other scents, depending on the production area: smoky undergrowth, hazelnut, tobacco, marzipan, or dark chocolate.

Another interesting characteristic that sets the mushroom apart is that it is at its best between July and mid-August. Unlike other Hungarian or foreign summer truffles, ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ is usually over by mid- to late August. Truffle picking may be in full swing in other areas at this time, but those truffles will have a different quality and aroma. During this period, ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ will have a pleasant scent of hay, and the fruiting body will be a more marketable size.

Link between the geographical area and the product’s quality and reputation

Thanks to the humus-rich chernozem soil and the plant communities that have developed here, more cumarin is produced in this area during the entire vegetation period, giving ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ the scent of freshly mown grass. The aroma, which changes continuously during ripening, becoming more full-bodied and strong, is formed mainly as a result of the region’s humus-rich chernozem cover.

Thanks to artificial afforestation, habitats producing excellent-quality truffles are developing in the Jászság, where they coexist with protected orchid species, which also have a beneficial influence on the distinctive aroma of ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’.

To preserve the traditions of Hungarian truffle gatherers, the country’s first, and Europe’s second, truffle museum was opened in Jászszentandrás in 2002. Each year, the Magyar Szarvasgombász Szövetség [Hungarian Truffle Gatherers’ Federation] holds an event to mark the start of the season. Jászszentandrás holds the honorary title of Hungary’s truffle capital. The Jászsági Hollós László Trifflász Egyesület [Jászság László Hollós Truffle Gatherers’ Association] was founded here in 2004, with the aim of protecting natural habitats and helping to regulate truffle-gathering by law. For the past five years, the International Police Association (IPA) and the local authority, as well as the Hungarian Truffle Gatherers’ Federation and the Szent László Szarvasgomba Lovagrend (St Leslie Order of Knights of the Truffle), have joined forces to organise a cooking competition for truffle-based dishes, which enjoys increasing popularity. At the competition, the organisers give each competitor one ‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ truffle.

‘Jászsági nyári szarvasgomba’ is also commonly known by other epithets, such as ‘Jászság black pearl’, ‘Jászság gold’, or ‘Jász truffle’, which shows the high regard in which the product is held in the region. These titles are also increasingly common in the media.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

https://gi.kormany.hu/foldrajzi-arujelzok

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.