The European Commission has approved the registration of the dry-cured pork product ‘Salinate de Turda’ as Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), making it the thirteenth Romanian product to acquire European certification.

“The Commission’s Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2452 of October 26, 2023 on entering the name ‘Salinate de Turda – PGI’ in the Register of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union today, November 3, 2023,” the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced on Friday.

‘Salinate de Turda – PGI’ thus joins the 12 Romanian products already recognized and registered at European level: ‘Magiun de prune de Topoloveni’ plum marmalade (PGI), ‘Salam de Sibiu’ dried raw noble mold salami (PGI), ‘Novac afumat din Tara Barsei’ smoked bighead carp fillet (PGI), ‘Scrumbie afumata de Dunare’ smoked mackerel (PGI), ‘Telemea de Sibiu’ sheep cheese (PGI), ‘Carnati de Plescoi’ spicy sausages (PGI), ‘Cascaval de Saveni’ semi-hard ripened cheese (PGI), ‘Salata cu icre de stiucă de Tulcea’ pike roe salad (PGI), ‘Telemea de Ibanesti’ cheese (PDO), ‘Salata tradiţionala cu icre de crap’ carp roe salad (TSG), ‘Placintă dobrogeana’ salty cheese pie (PGI), and ‘Pita de Pecica’ oven-baked bread loaf (PGI).

Another two Romanian products – ‘Batog deltaic de sturion’ sturgeon stockfish, and ‘Babic de Buzau’ dry-cured salami – are in the assessment stage for acquiring PGI status, while the ‘Sardeluta marinata’ oil marinated sardine is in the European opposition period for acquiring TSG status.

‘Salinate de Turda’ was granted PGI status based on Regulation (EU) No. 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

‘Salinate de Turda – PGI’ designates a dry-cured smoked pork product made using the anatomical cuts of neck, loin, belly and leg, which are brined in natural spring brine (known locally as ‘maratoare’ or ‘muratoare’), combined with seasoning mix, sugars and lactic starter cultures, then matured for 5-7 days, hardwood-smoked (beech-smoked) and matured/dry-cured for 20-28 days.

“All the specific stages of the production process for obtaining the product ‘Salinate de Turda – PGI’ take place in a defined geographical area, respectively the municipality of Turda and the communes: Mihai Viteazu, Tureni, Ploscos, in Cluj County,” the Agriculture Ministry said.

According to the cited source, the connection between the ‘Salinate de Turda – PGI’ meat products and the production region arises from the long tradition of the locals of using meat smoking and salting as a preservation method in winter, a procedure known from ancient times. The process of wet salting in the ‘maratoare’ for meat preservation uses the brine collected from the salt water wells in the area (Micesti, Valea Florilor, Valea Sarata Turda).