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

2010/C 321/11

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

‘LIQUIRIZIA DI CALABRIA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0644-24.09.2007

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Name:

‘Liquirizia di Calabria’

2.   Member State or Third Country:

Italy

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Type of product:

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

‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ Protected Designation of Origin is reserved exclusively for fresh or dried liquorice and its extract. Such liquorice must come from cultivated or wild Glycyrrhiza glabra plants (family: Leguminosae), specifically the ‘typica’ variety known in Calabria as ‘Cordara’.

On release for consumption ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ PDO must have the following characteristics:

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only):

—

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 stages in production, from growing to harvesting, as well as drying and processing, must take place in the area defined in point 4.

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

‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ PDO may be marketed in packages made of cardboard, glass, metal, ceramic, polypropylene and high-density polyethylene and all materials permitted under the laws in force regarding the packaging of foodstuffs. Packages may weigh between 5 g and 25 kg. All packages must be sealed in such a way that opening the package breaks the seal.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

The label must feature the designation's logo, the serial number assigned by the inspection body and the date of packaging of the products contained in the individual packages. The logo of ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ PDO depicts a stylised lozenge with equal sides and 90° angles. The minimum printing size of the whole logo is 0,5 cm high and wide. The logo may be printed in any colour.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The production area of ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ includes all the municipal areas set out in detail in the production specification, where Glycyrrhiza glabra plants of the ‘typica’ variety, known in Calabria as ‘Cordara’, grow wild or are cultivated, up to an altitude of 650 m above sea level. This area is bounded to the north by the Pollino Massif, which slopes down gently to the north east to Rocca Imperiale. It is thus separated from the Basilicata region. The area covers the lands in the Crati Valley that give onto the right and left banks of the river, which runs from south to north and flows into Ionian Sea to the north east having crossed the Sibari Plain. On the Tyrrhenian side, the areas concerned are those which, running from north to south, are located between the municipalities of Falconara Albanese and Nicotera. On the Ionian side, the areas included are those running from the area in the north bounding the Sibari Plain, the broad plain in Crotone Province, reaching as far as the extreme tip of Calabria.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

The historical liquorice production area was coastal Calabria, in particular the main area between the municipalities of Villa Piana, Cerchiara di Calabria, Cassano-Sibari, Corigliano Calabro and Rossano (all situated in the Sibari plain), thanks to the natural condition of the soils on the plain, which are stony, pH neutral and characterised by siliceous substances. The climate characteristics of the Sibari Plain, where liquorice production is still mainly concentrated, are suitable for the dissemination of this plant, owing to the proximity of the mountains and the absence of wind trajectories, with the nearby Pollino and Sila Massifs acting as a natural barrier. The liquorice plants grow wild and are cultivated along the coasts and spread from the plains on the coasts of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Lamezia, Falerna, Nocera Tirenese, etc.) and the Ionian Sea (Crotone, Isola Capo Rizzuto, Chiaravalle, Badolato, Roccella Jonica, etc.) to the inland hilly areas. They are disseminated via the valleys of the main Calabrian rivers to the inland hills which, owing to their specific configuration, enjoy the beneficial effects of the sea, meaning that the liquorice is present with the same characteristics quite a number of kilometres from the shore. The climate, which is decidedly Mediterranean, with long, hot and dry summers and mild winters, means that Glycyrrhiza glabra, ‘typica’ variety (‘Cordara’) is evenly spread throughout the area under consideration.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

Compared to varieties that are chemically and physically similar to it, ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ PDO is decidedly different in terms of the presence of secondary metabolites, including the active principle that defines its commercial and pharmacognostic characteristics, glycyrrhizin. This is a saponin, the percentage of which in ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ is lower, on average, than in those similar species and varieties, which is why ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ is sought after on the market. The findings of recent studies have further highlighted the difference between ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ and liquorice from neighbouring regions in terms of its glycyrrhizic acid content which, as stated, is distinctly lower than that contained in roots from other regions, and also in terms of its lower sugar content.

Another study carried out into the volatile fraction showed the clear difference between the composition of ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ and that of liquorices from other parts of Italy and from abroad. Lastly, a comparison with liquorice extracts from other countries showed that ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ has a different qualitative and quantitative composition as far as phenolic compounds are concerned.

In particular, it showed that ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ has a minimal percentage of liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin and significant percentages of licochalcone A, which is absent in other samples or jointly present with licochalcone B.

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):

Calabria is a region which, owing to its configuration and topography, has characteristics that are absolutely unique as compared to all the other regions in Italy.

The extreme extension of the Italian peninsula, Calabria is itself considered a long, narrow peninsula surrounded by the sea along approximately 800 km of coastline. While in some ways it can be compared with Puglia, in other ways it is completely different. Indeed, Calabria is divided lengthways into two parts by high Apennine mountain chains, a factor that is absolutely unique among the regions of Italy.

Its configuration and topography mean that Calabria has biological, soil and climate conditions that are absolutely unique and distinctive as compared to the rest of the peninsula in terms of average temperatures, temperature range, humidity, rainfall, precipitation, wind, sunshine hours and intensity and thus soil temperature. These factors have been widely demonstrated by numerous scientific studies. Over the course of the centuries, the distinctive habitat has subjected the species to strong pressure to adapt, thus affecting its development by conditioning its composition and nutritional and aromatic characteristics. This gave rise to a specific chemotype, ‘Liqurizia di Calabria’.

This specific type of liquorice is identified with the Calabria region; indeed, it was well known as far back as the 17th century, as demonstrated by many documents including the famous ‘Trattato di teurapeutica e farmacologia’ (‘Treatise on Therapeutics and Pharmacology’) Vol. I (1903), which states that ‘… the species from which they originate is Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Leguminosae Papilionaceae), which belongs to the south west of Europe. Sometimes the medicinal root is known as Calabria Liquorice (“Liquirizia di Calabria”) to distinguish it from Russian liquorice, which is lighter in colour and produced from Glycyrrhiza glandulifera or echinata, which is found in south east Europe’.

In addition, the 14th Edition of the famous Encyclopaedia Britannica (1928) stated that ‘… the preparation of the juice is a widely extended industry along the Mediterranean coast but the quality best appreciated in Great Britain is Made in Calabria …’.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica's assessment is supported by a report by the US Department of State entitled ‘The Licorice Plant’ (1985).

The designation ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ refers to a complex ‘product’ which is the result of interaction with human activities that have been handed down over the centuries and become a veritable tradition of the Calabria region, as can be seen in the depiction by Saint-Non in the late 18th century, and in ‘Stato delle persone in Calabria. I concari’. (‘State of the People of Calabria. Liquorice Makers’) (1864) by Vincenzo Padulo, the SVIMEZ (Association for the Development of Industry in Southern Italy) document ‘Piante officinali in Calabria: presupposti e prospettive’ (‘Medicinal Plants in Calabria: Foundations and Prospects’) (1951), ‘Pece e liquirizia nei casali cosentini del Settecento: forma d’industrie e forze di lavoro’ (‘Pitch and Liquorice on Farmsteads in the Cosenza Area in the 18th century: Forms of Industry and Labour Forces’) (1980) by Augusto Placanica, ‘I ‘Conci’ e la produzione del succo di liquerizia in Calabria’ (‘Liquorice Workshops and Liquorice Production in Calabria’) (1986) by Gennaro Matacena, ‘La dolce industria. Conci e liquirizia in provincia di Cosenza dal XVIII al XX secolo’ (‘The Sweet Industry. Liquorice Workshops and Liquorice in the Province of Cosenza from the 18th to the 20th Centuries’) (1991) by Vittorio Marzi et al., and in many other texts published from the 18th century to the present day.

In the second half of the 18th century, liquorice growing in Calabria extended all along the Ionian coast, in particular along the northern borders with Basilicata and on the vast Sibari Plain, where it grew abundantly, as far as Crotone and Reggio Calabria. However, it also abounded in the Crati Valley which runs from Cosenza into the Sibari Plain, and along wide stretches of the Tyrrhenian coast.

Reference to Publication of the Specification:

The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Liquirizia di Calabria’ PDO in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 180 of 4 August 2007. The full text of the production specification is available on the following website:

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.