Tuesday, February 22, 2011

For Pasty to be a pasty it must have an EU logo!

Since 2002 the fine burghers (it has been pointed out that Cornwall, being a rural county - and indeed being a formally Celtic nation was not host to Saxon burghs - therefore it would be host to Burghers. So instead I should say Jurates) of Cornwall have been trying to get protected status for their pasties. Matters came to a head a while back when a Devonian won the pasty makers crown, and there is the complicated issue of when a swede is not a swede, (when it is a turnip).

So today is a remarkable day, today is the day of recognition. From this time henceforth unless your pasty has been concieved and baked on the other side of the Tamar it cannot be decribed as Cornish.

OK.

So how do we prove that this is so. How do we prove that that pie is a pasty - by it having an EU logo.

So let me get this staright, if a Cornish pasty wishes to prove it is cornish, it must state that it is european. Why not have a cross of St Pirran with the CPA logo and be done with it?

Do we really need an EU logo to localise?

6 comments:

banned said...

No-one has made a "proper job" Cornish pasty since my Grandma died, Falmouth born and bred. She was one of the last who made them the shape they are (incl pastry initial) to toss it down to my Uncle, one of the last copper miners at Wheal Bray.

As for Ginsters, EU Logo or no, imagine my shock at the tender age or nine years or so to hear another Uncle declare their produce as "no more a pasty than dog-shite" Note that he did not feel the need to call it a 'Cornish' pasty since that was taken as read.

Anoneumouse said...

So my Cornish Mother has been making and baking pasties in Melton Mowbray for over 60 years.

They look like cornish pasties, they taste like cornish pasties baked by a cornish woman so are they now Melton Mowbray Pasties.

Eurogoblin said...

Might be worth pointing out that the Cornish pasty lobby (it does exist) has been pushing for this for bloody ages. It's a move that will, I imagine, be largely welcomed in Cornwall (it's protecting Cornish exports, after all).

It's like "Champagne" having to actually come from the Champagne region to qualify for the name (otherwise it's plain old "sparkling wine"). No bad thing.

Gawain Towler said...

Goblers I think I mentioned the fact that this has being going on since 2002. But that isn't my point. What is my point is that for some bizarre reason for a Cornish Pasty to be a Cornish pasty it needs an EU logo.

Which seems to me to rather destroy concepts of localism

ENGLISHMAN said...

So this means that the eussr will also label halal meat so that we are aware of what we are buying?

Eurogoblin said...

Fair point. However, the logo isn't supposed to reflect localism. It's supposed to signify that the product falls under the Protected Geographical Status (PGS) framework of the EU. The EU has signed a series of bilateral agreements with third countries to recognise this framework, and having one logo (instead of 5000 local logos) makes sense in terms of clarity, enforcement, etc.

Essentially, the logo says: "Hands off Cornwall's trademark, because it's protected by the EU." Given the EU's size and negotiating position in terms of trade deals, this means a lot more internationally than having a logo saying "Hands off Cornwall's trademark, because it's protected by the Cornish Bakers' Association."

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