Samobor česnofka, a smoked garlic sausage, has been registered in the European Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications, and on this occasion a press conference was held in the famous Samobor restaurant "Kod špilje". The president of the "Samobor česnofka" association, Igor Runtas, spoke about the importance of this project, together with the Mayor of Samobor Petra Škrobot, Head of the Administrative Department for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry of the Zagreb County Josip Kraljićković and State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Tugomir Majdak. President of the Association Igor Runtas spoke about the path from the initial idea to the realization of European protection with a reminder that Samobor garlic has been mentioned in Samobor records since 1915. The process of protecting the name Samobor Češnofka started in May 2020, when the Association "Samobor Češnofka" submitted a request to the Ministry of Agriculture for the protection of the designation of geographical origin.
On November 14 we got the final confirmation that the product is protected at the EU level, which means that the protection has been granted to the Association, and everyone who is a member of the Association or meets the prescribed specification can produce Samoborska česnofka. But it is not enough just to work according to some recipe, there is a control body by the competent Ministry of the Republic of Croatia, which once or twice a year checks the parameters from the specification at the manufacturer. I believe that this is a good basis for the further development of Samobor as a gastronomic destination, and that everyone, not only members of the Association, can benefit from this protection - said Runtas, thanking all members of the Association and the City of Samobor for their support.
Cooperation in years ahead confirmed the mayor of Samobor, Petra Škrobot. "We are extremely proud of this protection, from the aspect of gastronomy and tourism it will contribute a lot because when you have this kind of label, the product itself is viewed differently. The plan is to spread the story about Samobor's češnofka through events, and together we will plan further activities", Mayor Škrobot announced and reminded that Samobor's corn bread is also in the process of obtaining protection. State Secretary Majdak also pointed out that Croatia is in 7th place in Europe in terms of the number of EU quality protected products, with the announcement that three more are in the process of obtaining protection and a reminder that Rudarska greblica was one of the first such products. Along with the tasting of Samobor češnofka and the offer of traditional Samobor gastronomic products prepared by the members of the Etno Fletno Association, "By of the Chapel of St. Anne" (famous Samobor song) was sung along with Đurđica Pleša Vujica.
Samobor češnjkovka / Samobor češnofka is made from pork or beef meat and pork fat with the addition of a decoction of fresh garlic and dry white wine. One of the specialties of Samoborska češnjovka/Samoborska češnofka, which depends on the skill of the craftsman, is "špajlanje", that is, manually connecting the sausages in pairs with a small wooden stick. It is produced within the administrative boundaries of the city of Samobor and the surrounding settlements located in the northwestern part of Croatia, on the eastern slopes of the Samobor Mountains.
Photos: Marko Čolić