Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Weinviertler Getreide
Record Number: 111
Disclosure Date
The district Hollabrunn was settled over 6000 years ago by farmers who lived in wattle and daub houses and practiced agriculture and animal husbandry.
Photo: BMLFUW/A...
Weinviertler Getreide
(Weinviertel cereals)
Abstract or claim
Traditional cereal cultivation of various types of cereals in the Weinviertel region of Lower Austria.
Special regional soil and climatic conditions in combination with cultivation methods, harvesting and storage conditions result in high-quality cereals with a particularly high amount of gluten that are excellent for baking.
Name of product, Product class
True grasses, cereals
Name of region
Lower Austria, Austria
Field of search
Food and agriculture
Name of information provider
Richard Hogl
Leader of brand programme “Bauerkorn”
Name of applicant for title
---
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
Farmers, mills, bakeries, warehouses in the Weinviertel region
Erzeugergemeinschaft Qualitätsgetreide Austria (Austrian Association of Quality Cereal Producers, EQA)
Grantee(s), holder(s), assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
---
Descriptors
- History:
The historical development of cereals as food is closely connected to the cultural history of humankind. The ancient Egyptians developed and spread cereal cultivation and bread making. Emmer and barley have been found in Egyptian crouched graves from 5000 to 6000 BC and in the burial chambers of the pyramids.
Most finds in Europe point to the beginning of agriculture during the Neolithic period (3000-2500 BC), at which time millet, barley, legumes, linen, spelt and einkorn wheat were being cultivated. At the same time, cereal cultivation was flourishing in China.
Cereals and their cultivation also played a role in the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
The diet of the legions that conquered the territories to expand the Roman Empire consisted largely of cereals in the form of gruel or bread.
As cereal cultivation was suppressed in the Roman Empire by the domination of animal husbandry in the latifundia economy, cereals that were essential to life were imported from Sicily, Spain and North Africa. The loss of these provinces and the resulting absence of important cereal deliveries contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire.
It was during the Bronze Age (1800 – 1000 BC) that rye appeared for the first time. Due to its hardiness and robustness, it was very widespread. Rye originally arrived in Central Europe as a weed mixed in with wheat. During the Middle Ages, it was significantly more popular than wheat in Europe.
In the middle of the 19th century, Justus von Liebig realised the importance of mineral fertilisers (phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen) in agricultural production for considerably increasing crop yields.
Cereal production in the Weinviertel:
Neolithic farmers were already working the land in the Weinviertel between 6000 and 5000 BC. They cleared the forests with stone axes and grew cereals in small fields using digging sticks.
There is evidence that the district Hollabrunn was settled during the Neolithic by farmers who lived in wattle and daub houses and practiced agriculture and animal husbandry.
In the municipality Pulkau (district Hollabrunn), pits dating back to the early to mid-Bronze Age were discovered that were presumably used for cereal storage.
Finds in the municipalities Maissau and Hollabrunn prove that common wheat, club wheat, rye and to a lesser degree emmer, tetraploid barley, millet and rapeseed were the main crops in the late Bronze Age.
The customary unit of measurement for cereal was the Metzen (old Austrian unit of measurement for volume). Though the Metzen varied from region to region, the 61,487 litre Stockerau Metzen (Stockerau = municipality in the Weinviertel) was the most common.
The Erzeugergemeinschaft Weinviertler Weizen (Association of Weinviertel Wheat Producers) was founded in 1994, and it was renamed Erzeugergemeinschaft Qualitätsgetreide Austria (Austrian Association of Quality Cereal Producers,EQA) in 1995.
This branding initiative by farmers currently has around 1,500 member farms.
In 1997, the brand programme “Bauerkorn” was established.
In the same year, the name “Bauernkorn” was registered as a word/picture trademark.
Since March 2007, “Bauernkorn” has been represented in shops by its household flour on the blue-yellow shelf (the colours of the regional flag) in the “Echt aus Niederösterreich” (Genuine Lower Austrian) section, which was started by the Lower Austrian Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Province of Lower Austria.
Weinviertler Getreide cereals are produced according to strict guidelines by the EQA, a branding initiative by farmers. There are currently around 1,500 member farms.
History of the mill economy:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Lower Austria once had a rich milling industry. At the end of the 19th century, there were 233 larger mills in the province.
Windmills in the Weinviertel were first mentioned at the end of the 16th century. Because of the lack of watermills in the region, the state supported the construction of windmills in the late 18th century. However, these never achieved the same importance as mills driven by water power. Only in the second half of the 20th centuries did steam mills gradually gain a foothold. Industrial mills first appeared in the 20th century following electrification
- Region:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
To the east, the River March flows along the border of the Weinviertel with Slovakia, and to the north lies Moravia (Czech Republic). To the south, the Weinviertel borders the Mostviertel and Industrieviertel (Cider Quarter and Industry Quarter), its borders being the Wagram hill, the Danube and the Marchfeld. To the west, Mount Manhart is the border to the Waldviertel (Forest Quarter).
The Weinviertel includes the administrative districts Gänserndorf, Hollabrunn, Korneuburg, and Mistelbach as well as small parts of the administrative districts of Tulln, Horn, Krems-Land and Wien-Umgebung.
The Weinviertel is separated into eastern and western parts by the Waschberg area (Rohrwald, Leiser Berge, Staatzer Klippe and Falkenstein mountains), the Molasse zone with gently rolling hills and broad U-shaped valleys in the west and the northern Vienna Basin and Marchfeld in the east.
The western Weinviertel lies between Mount Manhart and the Leiser mountains and includes the Schmida Valley Landscape Park, Retz and its surroundings, Pulkau valley and the area around Hollabrunn.
Soil and climatic conditions:
Soils in the Weinviertel region are very diverse due to the large area covered by the region. The predominating soils are loess, clay, primary rocks, and black earths.
The climate is continental with Pannonic influence in the very east.
Summers are usually hot and dry; winters are cold, poor in snow and frosty.
The average annual temperature is 10.4 °C. Annual precipitation is low, between 500 and 600 mm.
Cereal cultivation and vineyards have left their mark on the landscape of the Weinviertel. Of the 278,000 ha of arable farmland, around 158,317 ha are used for cereal production. Roughly 6 % of the total area of cereals are cultivated organically.
Though the dry climate prevents high cereal yields, it offers ideal conditions for producing high-quality cereals with a particularly high amount of gluten that are excellent for baking.
- Cereals:
The term “cereals” is a collective name for plants from the family of the true grasses (Poaceae) that are cultivated as crops.
The term Getreide (cereal in German) comes from Middle High German and means “produced by the earth”.
The seven most important cereal crops that are the main source of nutrition for humans and animals are: wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rice (Oryza), maize (Zea mays), millet and oats (Avena sativa L).
- Weinviertler Getreide:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
In the region, soft winter wheat is mainly produced as a high-quality wheat.
Weinviertel high-quality wheat is distinguished by a particularly high amount of gluten and protein. Protein quality and starch gelatinisation also have a great influence on how suitable wheat flour is for baking. Flour from this wheat has a protein content of at least 15 % and is type 280 (indication of suitability for baking). The gluten content of high-quality wheat from the Weinviertler Getreide Region of Delight is particularly high (over 33 %).
The main varieties are Capo, Josef and Renan.
Method of Production:
Weinviertler Getreide cereals are produced following the guidelines of the Austrian Agri-Environmental Programme (ÖPUL).
Seeds:
Seed is bred at Probstdorfer Saatgut in Marchfeld, propagated in the region by farmers who are under contract and sold through the warehouses to the farmers.
Farmers produce farm-saved seed by themselves. To this end, seed for propagation is taken from the original seed and stored.
Soil and fertilisation:
Weinviertler Getreide cereals are produced exclusively in areas indicated on the farmer’s field records. This ensures traceability back to the field.
Weinviertler Getreide cereals are treated with organic (e.g. liquid or solid manure) as well as inorganic fertilisers (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Organic fertilisers are produced on the farms, inorganic ones are purchased.
Fertilisers are subject to the requirements of ÖPUL.
All applications of fertiliser are to be documented in the field records.
Over the winter (period without vegetation), at least one third of the total area of the fields must be covered with greenery in order to reduce the entry of nitrates into the soil.
Crop rotation:
In the region, crops are rotated continuously to minimise the risk of cereal disease.
Cereals are cultivated in four-field crop rotation (e.g. wheat, barley, rye, etc.). The cultivation of the same cereal variety in the same location two times in a row is avoided. Roughly every five years, sugar beets, sunflowers, maize, potatoes, etc. are cultivated instead of cereals in the field.
Cultivation:
Before sowing, the soil is worked with a cultivator, plough, harrow and/or combination seed drill (consisting of a harrow and sowing machine).
The seed is cleaned and disinfected before being planted.
Sowing takes place from the beginning of October to mid-November; the main planting time is from 15 - 26 October.
150 - 180 kg seed are used per ha.
After sowing, the seeds are worked into the soil using a Cambridge roller.
Irrigation:
The cereals are not irrigated.
Plant protection:
Measures for plant protection are only taken if a defined damage threshold has been reached.
The ÖPUL guidelines must be followed.
Weeds are controlled mechanically using a harrow (agricultural device with prongs that buries weeds and breaks up the upper soil layer) or using pesticides that are permitted by the ÖPUL.
Harvesting and storage:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
The cereals are stored separately in local Raiffeisen warehouses for up to one year under dry conditions and according to strict guidelines.
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Proof of origin:
The origin and method of production for cereals from the Weinviertel is guaranteed. Using an electronic product pass (created by Raiffeisen Ware Austria AG and the Agricultural Commodity Exchange in Vienna), each grain can be traced back through each stage of processing to the field in which it was grown.
Quality control:
The production of Weinviertler Getreide is subject to the provisions of the ÖPUL.
The local warehouses control and monitor the origin and quality of the cereals upon delivery.
Organic agriculture is carried out as stipulated by the EU regulation for organic production 834/2007. To ensure compliance, independent controls are conducted once a year by agencies authorised by the state.
In addition, the EQA has created strict guidelines for the production of Weinviertler Getreide.
- Marketing:
Weinviertler Getreide cereals are marketed under the brand “Bauernkorn”, a branding programme of the EQA, to groceries and the restaurant and catering trade.
The household flour from Bauernkorn is available in groceries on the blue-yellow shelf in the “Echt aus Niederösterreich” (Genuine Lower Austrian) section. The project has the goal of improving the image and increasing awareness of agricultural and trade/industrial products from Lower Austria and to market them in retail shops and groceries in joint marketing campaigns.
A pasta manufacturer in Weitra in the Waldviertel produces a range of pasta out of durum wheat semolina.
Connection with the geographical area and traditional knowledge
- Special light, sandy-loamy soils rich in nutrients and the dry climate
provide ideal conditions for the cultivation of cereals of premium quality.
- Weinviertler Getreide cereals are the product of traditional knowledge
passed on to those active in this field: the traditional knowledge and
expertise of crop farmers (adaptation of crops to environmental
constraints; choosing varieties, know-how of optimum harvests, traditional
methods of cultivation and harvesting) and the expertise of wholesale
buyers and retail sellers in marketing and knowledge of cereal processing.
- Utilization:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Another speciality is a Kreisgraben (circular ditch) bread or rolll, which is reminiscent of the ancient form of settlement from the Neolithic period. A circular ditch was a circular construction with a diameter of more than 100 metres that was surrounded by palisades. Around 40 of these can still be found today in Lower Austria, including those in Glaubendorf, Puch, Immendorf and Karnabrunn.
In addition, Weinviertler Getreide (durum wheat semolina) are transformed into pasta.
- Protection:
“Bauernkorn“ word/picture trademark (Austrian Patent Office, registry no. 170 835, 28 July 1997)
Key Words
Food and agriculture, traditional knowledge, Austria, region, Weinviertel, cereals, wheat, rye, barley, oat, Premiumweizen, Weinviertler Getreide, Weinviertler cereals
Bibliography / References
- HASENHÜNDL, G. Ur- und Frühgeschichte im politischen Bezirk
Hollabrunn, Band 1, Mitteilungen aus dem Hollabrunner Stadtmuseum
Alte Hofmühle, Hollabrunn, 1994, S. 11, 31, 32, 46
- Heimatbuch des Bezirkes Hollabrunn 2. Teil, herausgegeben vom
Bezirksschulrat Hollabrunn im Selbstverlag, Hollabrunn, 1951, S. 327
- KOLLER, L. Heimatbuch des Bezirkes Hollabrunn 1.Teil, Selbstverlag
des Bezirksschulrates Hollabrunn, Hollabrunn, 1949, S. 15, 17, 42-48
- MAIER-BRUCK F. Vom Essen auf dem Lande, 2. Auflage, Verlag
Kremayr & Scheriau, Wien, 1995, S. 209
- 230 Jahre Retzer Windmühle
http://root.riskommunal.net/gemeinde/retz/gemeindeamt/download/RS2002-03.pdf
- Bauernkorn
http://www.bauernkorn.at
- Beizen von Saatgut
http://www.txtoo.de/2008/06/beizen-saatgut-501/
- Das Weinviertel botanisch betrachtet
http://www.planten.de/2003/11/23/botanik-weinviertel/
- Die Kornkammer Österreichs: „Genussregion Weinviertler Getreide“,
Weinviertler Genuss Bäckerei, Ausgabe 03/07, S. 4, 5
http://www.baeckerei-schneider.at/F4MWSWeb/faces/images/schneider/pdf/Zeitung07_KW_30.pdf
Ausgabe 3/07
- Die Retzer Windmühlen
http://www.mehl.at/wind.html
- DIE GESCHICHTE DES GETREIDEBAUES
http://www.mehl.at/getreide.html
- Die Geschichte des Getreideanbaus
http://www.pfistererbrot.com/produkte_s2.html
http://www.ooemuseumsverbund.at/cs_mediendb/mediadb/media/attachedFiles/kulturvermittlungen/37-93-funktion-und-beschreibung-der-anzenaumuehle.pdf
- Es wird (nicht nur) der Wein sein...
http://pressetext.at/news/060817007/es-wird-nicht-nur-der-wein-sein/
- GENUSS AUS NIEDERÖSTERREICH
http://www.zielpunkt.at/RegionalMarkenNOuml_114-18.html
- Getreide
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getreide
- Getreide, en.: cereal, corn, grain, fr.: céréale, it.: cereale, es.: cereales
http://www.lebensmittellexikon.de/g0000620.php
- Getreide
http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.encyclop.g/g349614.htm
- Mechanische Unkrautbekämpfung – Striegeln
http://www.bio-austria.at/bio_bauern/beratung/fach_broschueren/beratungsblaetter/pflanzenschutz/mechanische_unkrautbekaempfung_striegeln
- Niederösterreich- Der Bereich Weinviertel
http://www.wein-plus.de/oesterreich/Weinviertel_A29.html
- Produktepass hebt die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit österreichischer
Lebensmittel
http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung.php?schluessel=OTS_20070726_OTS0124&ch=wirtschaft
- Projekt „Blau gelbes Regal“
portal.wko.at
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http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saatbeetkombination
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Netzwerke & Cluster in Niederösterreich, NÖN, Sonderprodukt
KW 50/2008, S. 10
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http://www.kochenundkueche.com/Bericht/3197-251-Artikel/Suesses-aus-der-Genuss-Region-Oesterreich-.html
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Herbst 2008, S. 20,21
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http://www.regionalmanagement-noe.at/uploads/perspektiven_weinviertel.pdf
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http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weinviertel
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http://www.niederoesterreich.at/geniesser/default_main.asp?medium=GENIESSER&sprache=d&id=62331&tt=GENIESSER_R4
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Ausgabe 04/06, S. 6
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http://www.zimmermanns-teigwaren.at/
All internet references last accessed on 3 April 2009.
Language Code
German
Product of www.genuss-region.at
Ja
Regional contact
Leader of brand programme „Bauernkorn“ Richard Hogl
Raiffeisenplatz 1
2020 Hollabrunn
Phone.: 02952/2283-14
Mobil: 0676 401 42 67
Fax: 02952 4417
E-mail: hogl@bauernkorn.at
www.bauernkorn.at
Authors: Doris Reinthaler, Eva Sommer, Erhard Höbaus
28.10.2011, Lebensministerium III/4