Fertőd Carrot Granted Protected Geographical Indication

The protected geographical indication ‘Fertőd vidéki sárgarépa’ is a carrot produced by growing the species Daucus carota L. The varieties used are Fertődi vörös, as well as the Nantes-type Napa and Napoli carrot, the European Commission has announced.

The European Commission describes the vegetable as follows:

When placed on the market, ‘Fertőd vidéki sárgarépa’ is cylindrical/conical in shape, with a length of 150-250 mm, a diameter of between 15 and 40 mm and a weight of between 50 and 150 g, without any secondary roots or roots at the tip. The body of the root is bright red, long and smooth, without any branches or cracks. ‘Fertőd vidéki sárgarépa’ is distinguished by its slightly sweet taste. ‘Fertőd vidéki sárgarépa’ differs from other carrots in that it is redder and sweeter, with an intense flavour, as well as being long, smooth and unbranched.

The geographical area is located in Győr-Moson-Sopron County in Hungary’s Western Transdanubia region, within the administrative boundaries of the villages of Hegykő and Fertőhomok, in an area to the north of the main road that runs through the villages and to the south of Lake Fertő.

The link between the product and the geographical area is based on the quality of the product.

The type of carrot grown along Lake Fertő has been well-known and popular for some 200 years now. ‘Fertőd vidéki sárgarépa’ differs from carrots grown elsewhere in Hungary in that it is redder and sweeter, with an intense flavour, as well as being long, smooth and unbranched. This is thanks to the effect of the soil and to the climate of Lake Fertő and the foothills of the Alps. Since flood-control measures were taken, the loose, deep-layered, fresh soil of the dry lakebed allow the root vegetable to grow deep, smooth roots without any branching.

The edge of the villages of Hegykő and Fertőhomok form part of Lake Fertő, and common characteristics of their soil are their heterogeneous, mosaic-like position, alluvially layered soil profile, highly varied mechanical composition, high CaCO3 content, and alkalinity or in some cases strong alkalinity.