Summary:
Original Link:
Original Article:
Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.
SINGLE DOCUMENT
‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’
EU No: PDO-HR+SI-02859 – 4.8.2022
PDO (X) PGI ( )
1. Name(s) (PDO)
‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’
2. Member State or Third Country
Croatia and Slovenia
3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff
3.1. Type of product
Class 1.3. Cheeses
Combined Nomenclature code
— 04 – DAIRY PRODUCE; BIRDS’ EGGS; NATURAL HONEY; EDIBLE PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED OR INCLUDED
0406 – Cheese and curd
3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies
‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’ is a hard, full-fat cheese obtained through the coagulation of raw or pasteurised sheep’s milk using rennet, with the separation of the whey.
It may be placed on the market after at least 60 days of ripening, but no later than after 12 months of ripening, provided that it has the following characteristics:
– Dry matter: minimum 60 %.
– Fat in dry matter: minimum 45 %.
– Shape: cylindrical.
– Measurements: cylinder with a diameter of 16 cm to 22 cm and a height of 6 cm to 9 cm.
– Weight: between 1.8 kg and 4.5 kg, depending on the size of the cheese.
– Rind: smooth, with a yellow-brown to brown, uniform colour. It may be protected using a colourless polymer coating for cheese.
– Texture: slightly elastic but sliceable, to slightly crumbly.
– Cross-section: ivory to straw-coloured, generally closed, but may also have evenly distributed, irregular openings of up to 4 mm in size.
– Flavour and odour: a full flavour that provides a feeling of nutritiousness (fullness); salty and spicy, with a pronounced fragrant note of sheep’s milk and the plant species on which the sheep feed. The long-aged cheeses melt in the mouth when consumed, and the flavours become stronger. With longer ageing, the cheese takes on a typically spicy, full and nutritious flavour, and the cheese’s fragrant impression of sheep’s milk is reinforced during ripening as a result of lipolysis and the release of short-chain fatty acids that are typical of sheep’s milk and later of the cheese itself.
The cheese is best consumed within 12 months of being placed on the market.
3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)
Animal feed
The sheep feed by grazing on pastures, with a possible supplement of dehydrated clover, hay, a concentrated feed mix for dairy sheep, and cereals and meal. The use of a vitamin-mineral supplement is also permitted in feeding. The maximum proportion of concentrated feed mix allowed in the sheep’s ration is 20 % of the total daily ration expressed in dry matter. Feed for the sheep may also be produced outside the production area, but only up to a maximum of 40 % of the total daily ration expressed in dry matter. The coarse part of the daily ration produced outside the area defined in point 4 may amount to a maximum of 20 % of the dry matter of the total daily ration, and may be used only in periods when there is a lack of coarse fodder due to bad weather conditions. This restriction ensures a sufficient representation of the local flora in the daily ration, which will give the product a characteristic aroma. It also allows sheep farmers to procure coarse fodder outside the production area in periods when bad weather conditions prevent them from producing sufficient feed for the animals.
It is forbidden to feed the sheep ensilaged fodder.
Raw materials
‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’ is produced using raw or pasteurised milk obtained from sheep of any breed, provided that they are reared exclusively in the geographical area referred to in point 4.
Salt and rennet are also used in the production of the cheese; lysozyme and starter cultures may also be used.
The milk must be processed within 48 hours of milking and be cooled to a temperature of not more than 6 °C within a maximum of 2 hours.
3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area
All stages in the production of ‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’ must take place within the geographical area referred to in point 4.
3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to
The traceability of each individual cheese wheel is based on a serial number entered on the casein mark, which is destroyed when the cheese is cut up, sliced or grated, breaking the traceability of the product and making it impossible to determine its origin. The producers themselves must therefore carry out the portioning, grating and packaging of the cheese, keeping the prescribed records to maintain and guarantee the traceability of the product and minimise the possibility of misuse of the protected designation of origin ‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’.
The portioning, grating and packaging of ‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’ must take place within the geographical area referred to in point 4 in order to ensure the traceability and quality of the product, which is no longer in its original, complete form.
3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to
Before being placed on the market, the ripened cheese must be labelled with the product name ‘Istarski ovčji sir’ or ‘Istrski ovčji sir’, the graphic representation of which must be displayed more clearly in terms of the size, type and colour of the letters than any other inscription. The height of the letters of the other inscriptions must not exceed 70 % of the height of the letters of the product name.
4. Concise definition of the geographical area
The geographical area of production of ‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’ begins at the port of Preluk, on the border between the towns of Rijeka and Opatija, covering parts of Croatia and Slovenia as defined in the official specification.
5. Link with the geographical area
The specific characteristics and quality of ‘Istarski ovčji sir / Istrski ovčji sir’ are the result of the semi-extensive way in which the sheep are reared, the composition of the milk of the native Istriana sheep, and the long tradition and skill of making sheep’s cheese in this region. The geographical, climatic, and natural features, combined with the traditional practices, contribute to the unique quality and flavor of this cheese.