Pielachtaler Dirndl

 
Record Number: 90
 
Disclosure Date
The traditional use of Cornelian cherries in the Pielach Valley can be traced back to the period of Empress Maria Theresia (18^th  century).
 
 

Photo: BMLFUW/A...

Title
Pielachtaler Dirndl
(Pielachtaler Cornelian cherry)
 
 
 
 
 
Abstract or claim
Tradition of cultivating Cornelian cherries (Cornus mas L.) in the region of Pielachtal in Must Quarter, Lower Austria.
 
Name of product, Product class
Fresh fruits, fruits
 
Name of region
Pielach Valley, Must Quarter, Lower Austria, Austria
 
Field of search
Food and Agriculture
 
Name of information provider
Regional Office Pielach Valley
Schloßstraße 1
3203 Kirchberg/ Pielach
 
Name of applicant for title
---
 
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
About 300 farmers in the region and 15 processing enterprises
 
Grantee(s), holder(s), assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
---
 
Descriptors
- History:
Several classical Roman authors such as Horace, Ovid, Pliny the Elder, and Vergil mentioned the “cornus” (cornel cherry tree) in their works.
As early as in the 12^th  century, Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179) dedicated a chapter of her medical work “Physica” to the healing power of the Cornelian cherry.
 
The traditional use of cornel cherries for producing schnapps in the Pielach Valley can be traced back to the period of Empress Maria Theresia (18^th  century).
 
However, cornelian cherries seem to be indigenous in the Pielach Valley for more that ten thousand years.
The native shrub served as border hedge predominately. Originally, the wood was mainly used.
Grafted cornelian cherries were first planted in the early 1990ies.
 
In 1996 the “Edelbrandgemeinschaft Pielachtal” was established for preservation and utilization of the autochthonic Cornelian cherry shrubs.
In 1999 the co-operative “Pielachtaler Dörrobstgemeinschaft” (dried fruits association) and in 2006 the “Produktions- und Vermarktungsgemeinschaft Pielachtaler Dirndlprodukte” (production and marketing organization) was founded.
 
In July 2007 the three associations “Edelbrandgemeinschaft“, “Dörrobstgemeinschaft“ and “Produktions- und Vermarktungsgemeinschaft Pielachtaler Dirndlprodukte“
merged to form the “Dirndl-Edelbrand-Dörrobstgemeinschaft Pielachtal” (DED). The association has 49 members now.
 
8,267 cornelian cherry shrubs were counted in the region in 2004. 
In 2006 and 2007 numerous new shrubs were planted there.
Today about 11,000 useable cornelian cherry shrubs are to be found in the region.
 
At present about 300 farmers produce Pielachtaler Cornelian cherries, about 120 of them under the organic scheme. Additionally, 15 enterprises process the fruits.
 
- Region:
The Pielach Valley is situated in the Lower Austrian Must Quarter, south of the Danube, about 80 km remote from capital city Vienna, and 20 km from St. Pölten, capital city of Lower Austria.
Pielach Valley is situated in the district St. Pölten-Land.
 
Pielach Valley extends from 280 to 1195 m above sea level
and encompasses the municipalities Ober-Grafendorf, Weinburg, Hofstetten-Grünau, Rabenstein/Pielach, Kirchberg/Pielach, Loich, Frankenfels, and Schwarzenbach.
 
Climate and soil conditions:
The region is characterized by a relatively mild climate with short periods of heat in summer.
The annual precipitation is 850 – 1100 mm.
 
Soils in the region Pielachtal are limy.
 
Cornelian cherry shrubs grow mainly on the warm and sun-exposed south-facing slopes of the region.
 
- Cornelian cherry:
The European Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.), also called Dirndlstrauch (Dirndl shrub) (origin of the name is unclear) or Hornstrauch (horn shrub), belongs to the dogwood family (Cornaceae) and is a large shrub or tree growing 5 - 12 metres tall.
 
For centuries, the Dirndln have been of importance to farmers in the Pielach Valley, who have cultivated and preserved them for many generations already.
 
Description of the tree:
The Cornelian cherry grows mainly on the southern slopes of the Pielach Valley. It represents a distinctive element of the cultural landscape, amongst other things because the shrubs also serve as fences to delimit parcels of land.
 
The wild-growing shrub can grow up to 10 metres tall, is thermophilic and grows mainly on sunny slopes with bushes, in sparse forests, fringes of forests, and hedgerows.
 
The shrub shows its bright yellow blossoms already in February, well before the leaves appear. It is one of the first heralds of spring and the first source of nectar for blossom-visiting insects.
 
Blossoms and fruits:
Cornelian cherries are drupes which, though resembling cherries (Prunus cerasus), are not botanically related to them.
 
The oblong, oval-shaped fruits contain one single seed. From mid-August onward they start to turn coral red to nearly black, depending on the respective variety.
 
Taste and ingredients:
The fruits are rich in vitamin C and have a juicy and delicate sour, slightly grassy, intensive flavour with an oily aftertaste. They have a high content of tanning agents and contain a broad spectrum of other ingredients.
 
Method of production:
Plant protection methods and irrigation are not applied. 
 

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

Harvesting:
The knowledge of harvesting has been passed down the generations and even today the “cherries” are hand-harvested in the traditional way.
 
For the purpose of harvesting finely woven plastic nets (blankets were used in former times) are spread under the shrubs. When ripe, the fruits fall down and then have to be picked out daily to achieve top quality for their further processing. As the fruit ripening period depends on the respective variety and covers about 6 weeks, harvesting is very labour-intensive.
 
Yield may vary significantly between 10 kg and 130 kg per shrub. Harvesting does not pay off in years when shrubs have few cornelian cherries.
 
- Qualität:
Quality control:
Cornelian cherries are subject to strict controls by the members of the “Dirndl-Edelbrand-Dörrobstgemeinschaft Pielachtal” (DED). Judgement is by blind tasting.
 
Quality labelling
Products of the “Dirndl-Edelbrand-Dörrobstgemeinschaft Pielachtal (DED)” are designated by the logo “Die Dirndltaler”.
 
- Marketing:
Pielachtaler Cprnelian cherries are directly marketed in the region on-farm, by farmers’ markets, by shops for organic food, regional-shops, gastronomy, and retailers.
 
Connection with the geographical area and Traditional Knowledge
- Specific soil and climate conditions in the growing area provide ideal
  conditions for the cultivation of Cornelian cherries of premium quality.
- Pielachtaler Cornelian cherries grow on shrubs standing free on meadows
  and boundary ridges. The shrubs are part of a unique landscape.
- Due to the cultivation method and the specific geographic situation
  Cornelian cherries can be produced with specific characteristics in terms
  of taste.
- The unique taste and aroma of the Pielachtaler Cornelian cherries are
  directly linked to the moderate climate and the limy soils.
- The production of Pielachtaler Cornelian cherries is the result of Traditional
  Knowledge passed down to those active in the sector: the Traditional
  Knowledge and expertise of fruit growers (adaptation of the cultivation to
  the environmental conditions, selection of local cultivars, genetic improvement,
  harvesting know-how), the expertise of processors (Dirndl-Edelbrand-
  Dörrobstgemeinschaft Pielachtal), and the expertise of wholesale buyers and
  retail sellers in marketing.
 
- Utilization

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

Cornelian cherries have been utilized in the Pielach Valley for centuries.
Farmers use the vitamin-packed red fruit also for making jams, juices and liqueurs as well as for producing the famous “Dirndlschnaps”. 
 
- Protection:
The designation “Original Pielachtaler Dirndlbrand” is nationally protected in the Austrian Codex Alimentarius Austriacus, Chapter 23, “Spirits”.
 
Key Words
Food and Agriculture, Traditional Knowledge, Austria, Lower Austria, Must Quarter, Pielach Valley, Dirndl, Cornelian cherry, cornel cherry tree, horn shrub, dogwood, Pielachtaler Cornelian cherries, Pielachtaler Dirndl, Cornaceae, Cornus mas L.
 
Bibliography / References
- ARNDORFER, M.:Auswirkungen der Erntetechniken und  
  Sorteneigenschaften auf die Qualität verschiedener
  Verarbeitungsprodukte der Kornelkirsche. 2002; p. 86
- Berglandbrand
  http://www.prinzbach7.at/Berglandbrand/Berglandbrand.htm  
- Brennerei "Am Eibenberg" Fam. Josef Fuxsteiner Landwirt
  http://www.schnapsnase.at/monat/schnapsbuch4.htm  
- C.Gr. Tsipouridis: Description of Cornelian cherry
   http://www3.unifi.it/ueresgen29/ds10.htm  
- Das Pielachtal - das Dirndltal
 http://www.steinschaler.at/willkommen/region.php  
- Das Pielachtal und seine Dirndln
  http://www.mostviertel.info/mostviertel/portal/default.asp?id=32726
- Delikate Dirndln
  http://www.noe.co.at/tiscover/uewl29782.htm  
- Die obstbauliche Nutzung von Wildobstgehölzen
  http://www.garteninfos.de/wildobst/Dipl2-3.html  
- Dirndl - Wasser – Lebensraum
 http://www.naturbegleiter.at/fruehling/nachlese_vollfruehling.htm
- Dirndlbrand
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndlbrand  
- Dirndlprodukte
 http://www.dirndltal.at/tal-der-dirndln/dirndlprodukte.php  
- European Cornel
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Cornel  
- Hartriegel
  http://www.naturlexikon.com/Texte/GJ/001/00002/GJ00002.html  
- Im Tal der Dirndln
  http://www.pielachtal.info/?tt=PIELACHTAL_R4  
- Kornelkirsche
  http://www.zauser.at/schnaps/sorten/Kornelkirsche.shtm  
- Kornelkirsche (Cornus mas)
  http://www.schnaps-net.de/788.html
- Nachhaltigkeit Pielachtal
  http://www.nachhaltigkeitsberater.at/media/documents/Pielachtal%20NHB%20Endversion%20080407.pdf
- Pielachtal das Dirndltal
  http://www.dirndltal.at/
 
All internet references last accessed on 20 January 2009.
 
Language Code
German
 
Product of www.genuss-region.at
Yes
 
Regional contact
Dipl.-Päd. Gudrun Bachinger
Regionsmanagerin
Regionalplanungsgemeinschaft Pielachtal
A-3204 Kirchberg/Pielach
Schloßstraße 1
Phone: +43-(0)2722-7309-25
Fax: +43-(0)2722-67880
E-Mail: g.bachinger@pielachtal.info  
www.pielachtal.info
www.dirndltal.at
  
Authors: Mag. Eva Sommer, Dr. Erhard Höbaus
 

11.11.2011, Lebensministerium III/4