Is your pasty really Cornish? Five protected foodstuffs revealed by Skyscanner

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Flights comparison site Skyscanner reveals five foodstuffs from around Europe which sit under the safeguard of EU protection.

The long loved Cornish Pasty, a staple of bakeries all over Britain, is the latest food to be added to the ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ list. The EU law is designed to protect the names of regional foods, prevent inferior copies, and boost trade for the originators. Here are some other foods which fit into this special category.

Cornish Pasty - Cornwall, England
The latest snack to receive EU protection, only Cornish pasties made in Cornwall following the traditional recipe can bear the ‘Cornish’ name. The ruling has caused a headache for high street bakers and supermarkets including Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Greggs who must now find a new name for the pasties formally known as Cornish.

Arbroath Smokie - Arbroath, Scotland
This succulent, smoked haddock from the town of Arbroath in Angus, Scotland, recently won their battle for EU protection after producers were enraged by inferior fish products being sold under the Arbroath brand. The fish are salted, dried and tied up to smoke over a beech and oak fire, in a ‘smokie pit’ which consists of a hole and a half-whisky barrel lined with slates.

Feta - Greece
This salty, tangy cheese, found in salad bowls around the world is made from sheep’s milk (or sheep and goats’ milk). Greece finally won EU protection for their famous Feta following a long legal battle with Denmark, which was producing a cheese under the same name using artificially blanched cow’s milk. Although many similar cheeses are made in Eastern Mediterranean countries, according to the EU Commission, Greece’s special breeds of sheep and goat means that Feta has a unique flavour and aroma which can only come from Greece.

Champagne - Champagne region, France
There are many sparkling wines produced worldwide, but only those produced in the Champagne region of France in accordance with the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, can claim the name. And that name is worth is weight in gold; the drink synonymous with glitz and glamour sells close to 300 million bottles per year – each one at a premium price.

Newcastle Brown Ale, Newcastle, England
EU protection of regional foodstuffs can bite back. The famous Geordie beer, known affectionately as ‘Newky Brown’ faced the frightening prospect of having to ditch their own name having been awarded EU protection in 2000. When the brewery relocated from Newcastle to Yorkshire, their protected status meant their Brown Ale was no longer from Newcastle. The brewery were forced to ask the EU to revoke their protected status in 2007, meaning that Newcastle Brown Ale can now in theory be brewed anywhere in the world.

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