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- Ελληνικά
The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment announces the registration of another traditional Cypriot product under the name "Halitzia Tillirias" as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications of the European Union, pursuant to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2739 of 30 November 2023. The application was submitted to the Department of Agriculture on 30 September 2020, and after being examined and approved at national level, it was sent on 21 October 2022 to the European Commission for examination and approval at Community level, and finally the registration was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 7 December 2023. PGIs are quality product designations that add value to products from a particular geographical area, distinguishing them from similar products from other geographical areas. At the same time, the PGI system provides protection for registered names against imitation products/designations.
Halitzia Tillirias are soft to semi-hard white cheeses made from heat-treated fresh goat's milk, rennet (excluding rennet from pigs' stomachs) and salt. They are matured in serum brine for at least forty (40) days from the time of production before being released for consumption. They have a soft to semi-hard and relatively crumbly texture, with characteristic holes of varying size and shape. The flavour is characterised by an acidic freshness with a lemon aroma and is slightly salty.
Halitzia Tillirias resemble large white sea pebbles, due to their characteristic shape, their off-white colour and the irregularly sized holes in their interior which give them a rough appearance, similar to that produced by the erosion of sea salt on pebbles. These particular characteristics gave the product its name. The know-how for the production of 'Halitzia Tilliria' has been passed down from generation to generation and to this day it is produced in small cottage industries or in the homes of the inhabitants of Tilliria.
The registration of the name 'Halitzia Tillirias' in the Register of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) of the European Union is expected to give increased recognition to the product, strengthening its position on the gastronomic map of Cyprus, while preserving its unique identity and opening new development horizons for the region of Tilliria.
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