Lovers of hearty Burgos blood sausage can rejoice: The European Union has officially approved the expansion of the diameter of the popular specialty with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). As published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) this Thursday, the permissible diameter will now range from 30 to an impressive 150 millimeters. This standard modification is a direct response to the natural characteristics of the pig’s caecum used, whose irregular shape and significant size variability previously made a stricter limitation difficult. Some pieces of the natural casing can naturally have a diameter of over 140 mm, which made previous specifications impractical.
Adjusted Proportions and Presentation for Authentic Enjoyment
However, it is not only the diameter of the blood sausage from Burgos that has been adjusted. The European Union has also redefined the percentage shares of the key ingredients to continue to meet the traditional production and taste profile. The proportion of Horkalzwiebel (a type of onion) increases from “more than 35%” to “more than 40%”, which should give the product an even more intense flavor. At the same time, the range for rice has been made more flexible: instead of “from 15% to 30%”, it is now “between 10% and 40%”. The blood content has also been slightly corrected, from “more than 12%” to “more than 9%”. These adjustments reflect the increased knowledge about the optimal mixing ratios to ensure the high quality and distinctive taste of the PGI Burgos blood sausage.
Clear Labeling: Portions Instead of Slices
Another important point of the newly approved change concerns the presentation of the product. The correct terminology will now be “portions,” and the previously used term “slices” will be removed for this type of product. The OJEU also clarified that blood sausage from Burgos must only be packaged in portions. Only in this specific format is it permissible to offer the product without a casing. To make the authenticity and origin clearly recognizable for consumers, the label of the blood sausage from Burgos must in future obligatorily bear the symbol of the protected geographical indication. This underlines the product’s importance for the region and protects its uniqueness in the European market.
