At the beginning of spring it has become customary for Correos to issue its series dedicated to the Protected Designations of Origin of the different Spanish regions, in this 2024 the protagonist is Extremadura with two of its best known products: Pimentón de la Vera and Cerezas del Jerte.
The denomination of origin is a geographical indication used on a product that has a specific geographical origin, whose qualities, reputation and characteristics are essentially due to its place of origin. It is a seal that shows a link or cause-effect relationship between the specific characteristics of the product and the geographical environment of the production area. In fact, the name of the product identifies it with a specific place.
It is a figure of protection that serves to protect products whose differentiated quality is due to their origin.
- They stimulate the diversification of agri-food production.
- They protect the name of products against imitation and other improper uses.
They help the consumer by providing information related to the specific character of the food.
Pimentón de la Vera is the product obtained from the grinding of dried red bell pepper fruits, of the varieties of the "Ocales" group, Jaranda, Jariza, Jeromín, and the Bola variety, harvested ripe, healthy, with the characteristic color of the variety, dried with holm oak and/or oak wood, by the vertical current drying system with a lower hearth, used in La Vera, using emery stone mills.
Pimentón de la Vera is a product with a smoky, intense and penetrating flavor and aroma, due to the drying process to which the peppers are subjected. As for its color, it is intense red with relative brightness. It has a high coloring power. Both its flavor, aroma and color are highly stable over time, mainly due to the slow drying process to which the fruits are subjected.
It is the first agricultural product to be industrialized in Extremadura; always associated with quality meat products, to which it confers differential qualities of flavor, allowing its conservation over time.
The Protected Designation of Origin "Cereza del Jerte" exclusively covers cherries originating from the production area located in the northern regions of the province of Cáceres and located in the Trasierra-Gredos Sur mountain farming area. This area has very specific and homogeneous geographical, physical, historical and cultural characteristics. The crop is grown on small terraced farms, located on the slopes located on shady or sunny slopes.
The product certified by this Regulatory Council is table cherry for fresh consumption. The local varieties with the highest production volume are those grouped under the generic name "Picotas del Jerte", whose main characteristic is that they do not have a stalk, as this is removed naturally during manual harvesting. The origin of this group of varieties is exclusively local, so their origin is in the geographical area mentioned above.
