Czech Foods and Farm Produce Accorded Name Protection by the European Union

Since the CR’s accession to the European Union, Czech manufacturers have applied to the EU for protected designation of origin, the traditional speciality guaranteed status and the protected geographical indication status for a number of their products to be protected against counterfeiting.

After joining the European Union in 2004, the Czech Republic, after application, obtained the right to use the protected geographical indication for its generally known products, such as České Budějovice Beer, Žatec Hops, Třeboň Carp, Pardubice Gingerbread, Hořice Tubes, and Olomouc Stinky Cheese. Gradually, regional and even local and less-known, or completely unknown products, such as Czech Caraway Seed,Chod Beer, Březnice Lager, Znojmo Beer, Všestary Onions, and Chelčice-Lhenice Fruit, were added to the list. What does the situation look like today? The following are the most important Czech products accorded the protected geographical indication status.

PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

Hořice Tubes – rolled wafers, the manufacture of which began in Hořice in 1812, when a Napoleon’s cook reportedly made a recipe for making them readily available.

Lomnice Biscuits – unlike dietary biscuits, they are sweet slices; in 1927, they gained the highest award for a food product at the World Exhibition in Paris. Pardubice Gingerbread – honey pastry, manufactured in Pardubice since the 14th century. Beer from ChodováPlaná – brewed by the Chodovar brewery. It owes its unique taste to mineralised water and storage in 800-year old cellars. Karlovy Vary Biscuit – a unique product linked with Karlovy Vary, made with local thermal water and salt. Beer from ČeskéBudějovice – The right to use the geographical indication ČeskéBudějovice Beer, Budějovice Beer and Budějovice Burghers’ Brew was created in 2004. The České Budějovice Beer trademark is used by Budějovice Budvar, the indication Budějovice Burghers’ Brew belongs to the Budějovice Burghers’ Brewery and both brewers may use the name Budějovice Beer.

Štramberk Ears – Special bakery product made of flour, sugar, eggs, water, baking powder, spices, and honey or caramel. The dough is rolled out into small circular scones, which are rolled up into the shape of cones after baking.

Třeboň Carp – The Třeboň carp has very good meat with a minimum content of fat and a specific taste.

Cereals are used for their fattening. The Třeboň Carp indication has been used for more than a hundred years.

Všestary Onions – The conditions in the village of Všestary and its environs are ideal for onion growing. Všestary onions are exceptional for their high iron content (about 25 % more than other onions) and they contain practically no noxious agents. Czech Beer – To obtain the Czech Beer designation, the beer must meet three conditions: to be brewed on the territory of the Czech Republic, use traditional raw materials and exclusive traditional technologies. Two-phase fermentation – the main fermentation process must be separated from maturing – is also a condition. Žatec Hops – This protected indication only applies to semi-early red fine-aroma Žatec hops cultivated in the Žatec hop-growing region, which is situated in a “rain shadow”. The climatic conditions, together with the geographical position and soil composition combine to create ideal conditions for hop cultivation. Žatec hops are cultivated in the traditional region for more than a thousand years.

Pohořelice Carp – South Bohemia has the Třeboň carp, South Moravia the Pohořelice carp. The entire production process, from swabbing to growth and feeding takes place exclusively in the fishpond area around Pohořelice. The fish feed on natural food from the ponds; additional feeding with cereals takes place at certain times of the year, with granules being used only exceptionally. Novošice Sauerkraut – The specific properties of

Novošice sauerkraut, which distinguish it from other sauerkrauts, are given by the locality, in which it grown, and by the original recipe. The cabbage is first sliced, salted, and flavoured with caraway and mustard seed, after which it is placed in vats. There it is treaded as in olden times. This is followed by six-day fermentation. The result is golden yellow sauerkraut with its typical acid to finely bitter taste, which has a high C-vitamin content. Czech Caraway Seed – Czech caraway seed is much in demand on world markets, where it enjoys high acclaim. Three caraway seed varieties cultivated in the Přibyslav region – Record, Prochan, and Kepron – are valued especially for their typical aroma. Caraway seeds began to appear in the Vysočina Region about 150 years ago. Currently, caraway is grown in the whole of the Czech Republic on about 1600 hectares. Chamomilla Bohemica – This Latin name is the protected geographical indication assigned by the EU to the blossom of wild chamomile grown in Bohemia.

Unlike chamomile from other areas, it has a higher content of the main agent responsible for chamomile’s anti-inflammatory effect. Chelčice-Lhenice fruit – fruit of the temperate zone intended for both direct consumption and canning, comprising kernel and stone fruit, and small fruit.

The taste of the fruit is full, sparkling, with a large scale of fruit elements and lasting long on the tongue. The specific properties of this fruit (such as freshness and compactness), in both smell and taste, are due to the local conditions (mainly the difference between day and night temperatures during ripening time and also morning mists in the cultivation areas). Olomouc Stinky Cheese is a ripening cheese made from skimmed milk. Its production is concentrated traditionally to the Haná region, where it has been made since the 15th century. Today its production is linked with the small town of Loštice, where this type of cheese has been produced since 1876 by the firm

A. W., named after its founder Alois Wessels. A complete updated list can be found at http://eagri.cz/ public/web/mze/potraviny/znacky-kvality-potravin/ chranena-zemepisna-oznaceni/