Models of the characters of Obelix and dog Idefix (L) and Asterix (C) created by cartoonist Albert Uderzo and late author Rene Goscinny | Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images By Toutatis! Asterix cited in EU name protection of French sausage

The European Commission granted Auvergne dry sausages name-protected status on Tuesday, approving an application that cited a mention of the delicacy in an Asterix book as proof of its reputation.

While the EU's name protection of foods — a major stumbling block in its trade deal with the U.S. — is best known for world-renowned products such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Stilton, applications for geographical indications are turning increasingly lyrical and fanciful.

The French sausage's application says that "the 11th album of the Asterix the Gaul comic book series called ‘Le bouclier arverne’ (‘Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield’) ... depict[s] ‘Saucisson sec d’Auvergne’/‘Saucisse sèche d’Auvergne’ hanging from the ceiling of an Auvergne inn next to strings of garlic."

The "Saucisson sec d’Auvergne" is a "mixture of chopped, salted pig meat seasoned with garlic and other spices" made in the Auvergne region in central France — the site of several historical meat-curing business that plied their trade on distinctive "high plateaus and volcanic summits interspersed with many valleys."

The area remains a sausage powerhouse: The EU's Official Journal notes that dry-cured meats make up 78 percent of prepared meat products in Auvergne, compared with 16 percent for the whole of France.

Beyond the reference to the diminutive Gaulish warrior, the Auvergne dry sausage's reputation was also bolstered by proud locals who moved to Paris in the 19th century to work in restaurants and brasseries.

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