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Sehriy Pozhar is a cook who specializes in Carpathian cuisine.
He is currently cooking special appetizers for new years celebrations. All of them include bryndza — a special cheese that is common in Hutsul cuisine. It was produced in the Ukrainian Caprathians for hundreds of years, and has now received official recognition from the EU.
“It is like gruyère cheese, roquefort, parmesan, cognac or champagne. Now our product – Hutsul bryndza is now its own brand,” Pozhar said.
Hutsul bryndza is the first Ukrainian product to officially receive the right to specify its geographic origin. This special status is recognized in the EU, for example.
“The cheese is very special because of its characteristics. When I tried Hutsul bryndza for the first time ten years ago, I never imagined this product could exist. There is demand for it in the European Union,” said Yulia Prokhoda, expert in geographic designations.
Protected geographical indication is an EU system that protects the farmers and producers of traditional food items and supports those who are just planning to register their own brand.
“Both exporters and producers are beginning to understand that our product needs branding and presence in international markets, as well as explaining its advantages and characteristics to each consumer,” Oleksandr Lozovitskyi, Head of Expert Group, Ministry of Agriculture, said.
Products with geographic indication attest high quality and traditional ways of production that are characteristic to a specific region where the product is produced.
“We want to see a gold standard for something that everybody knows, but not everyone understands. Like Poltava style halushky. They are cooked in every region differently, so we have to codify the pecularities,” Lozovitskyi said.
Other well known Ukrainian products are getting ready to enter European markets, such as Melytopol sweet cherries, Kherson watermelons and Zakarpattya honey.
