THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved entering a name Paprika Žitava/Žitavská paprika in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications.
Paprika Žitava/Žitavská paprika is a sweet paprika made by grinding the dried fruits of the Capsicum chilli pepper grown in the Danubian Lowland. The fruits are picked intact when ripe and then undergo a special post-harvest treatment process.
It gets its characteristic intense colour from the final stage in the grinding process on what is known as the ‘colouring stone’; as pressure is applied, the temperature rises and the oil contained in the seeds is released, which is what imparts the characteristic orange-red colour, the EUR-Lex website reads.
The product takes its name from Slovakia’s Žitava river valley where it was first grown. Though the area in which the peppers are grown and processed has gradually spread across the Danubian Lowland, the name has been retained and is used to this day. The product used to be called just ‘Paprika Žitava’, but for linguistic and export-related reasons, it also came to be referred to as ‘Žitavská paprika’. Both names will continue to be used in a commercial context in accordance with customary usage in the trade, or in everyday language, such as in recipes for meat products and dishes, according to the EUR-Lex website.
Except for Paprika Žitava/Žitavská paprika, Slovakia has another 14 products with a final registered status. The list includes: Skalický trdeník, Slovenská parenica, Slovenská bryndza, Slovenský oštiepok, Ovčí salašnícky údený syr, Ovčí hrudkový syr-salašnícky, Liptovská saláma/Liptovský salám, Lovecký salám/Lovecká saláma, Spišské párky, Špekáčky/Špekačky, Tekovský salámový syr, Zázrivský korbáčik, Oravský korbáčik and Bratislavské rožky.
Source: EUR-Lex website
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
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