Renowned chefs share unique recipes putting their twist on European food and drink carrying quality labels.
Cooking with great European products
In this book, renowned European chefs have suggested how unique products with geographical indications from their country can be incorporated in a dish. They also share their love and passion for the products they grew up with and which have made them so successful. The products from their local regions, which exemplify craftsmanship and excellence. We absolutely need to make sure that these products continue to enjoy their protected designation of origin. It is the only way to preserve and guarantee their quality, both now and in the future.
Europe has an immensely rich and diverse culinary history and heritage. The reason for this, of course, is not just because Europe is such a vast continent. It is also thanks to the traditions that are passed down from generation to generation. Europe also has an unprecedented geographical diversity; from the fells of Finnish Lapland to the desert lands in Murcia and from the Alpine highlands to the Irish Sea. All these different terroirs give rise to a large and diverse culinary culture. People from all over the world travel to Europe, not just to admire its many artistic and cultural treasures but also to savour the local cuisine.
By 1992, the European Union had already decided to protect several products names. This decision stemmed from the desire to better preserve culinary heritage and to offer farmers and producers a fairer income. European products that are awarded a quality label always feature unique characteristics. These are typical for the region in which they are grown or prepared and, most of all, they are of excellent quality.
What are geographical indications?
EU geographical indication schemes protect specific know how, authenticity and agro-environmental conditions.
Geographical indications include protected geographical indications (PGI), protected designations of origins (PDO). These schemes protect the name of a product that comes from a specific region and follows a particular traditional production process.
For PDOs, the raw ingredients need to come from the region of origin where all steps of production need to take place. As for PGIs, at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation takes place in the region.