Perhaps you’ve heard of appellation for wines. But did you know it’s also increasingly applying to foods across the world? Appellation sounds complex but it simply means that an agricultural product is from a specific region. Typically, food must also be produced in a certain way to qualify for an appellation of controlled origin and inspectors ensure that food producers comply. Qualifying for an appellation of controlled origin indicates that a food is an important part of a country’s culinary and historical heritage.
The concept of assigning appellations to specific foods dates back to 16th century France when standards were established to ensure that consumers that they were purchasing true Roquefort cheese, rather than counterfeit or knockoff versions.
If a food carries an appellation of controlled origin label, it signifies that particular region is unique and growing or production simply can’t be duplicated elsewhere. Appellations encourage food producers to retain traditional methods of farming and production. Organizations like Slow Food have promoted the concept encouraging the retention of unique local culinary history and traditions. Appellation ultimately promotes a specific region’s culinary strengths and benefits their local economy.
So next time you want to make sure that assortment of Swiss chocolates is really from Switzerland, look at the label closely and it should be clear where it was made. If it’s not, you may have an imposter on your hands.