25. #Geographicalindications: Protected local delicacies for Christmas!

There’s one guest that will have an honoured place at the tables of millions of Europeans in every member state this Christmas: geographical indications. These hallmarks of quality, authenticity and tradition are indelibly associated with the European gastronomic tradition. They reflect the food and drink heritage of a specific territory, and they give producers in that area the right to market their products under a registered name, provided those products respect the established criteria that define the product. Geographical indications add value and commercial advantage to quality products, especially at Christmas – think Champagne, Cava and Prosecco, to name but three that will be savoured in millions of European homes over the festive season. In this special Christmas edition, we’re looking at speciality food and drink from Germany and Hungary that benefit from GIs. Stroll with us around the beautiful Christmas market in Nuremberg to enjoy delicacies including the famous Nürnberger Glühwein, unique in the world. We also meet a fish farmer from Hungary whose carp, which benefit from a protected designation of origin, will grace many thousands of Christmas tables in central and eastern Europe. At the Christmas market we meet Richard Balling, who’s responsible for food quality policy at the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry, and Branka Tome, who oversees GIs at the European Commission’s DG AGRI.