The Limburgse vlaai, or pie, will be included on the EU list of protected regional products from January 22, after 7.5 years of campaigning, broadcaster 1Limburg has reported.

This means the pie will be officially recognised as a regional speciality and can only be sold as Limburgse vlaai if made by bakers in Dutch and Belgian parts of Limburg. “The vlaai is the pride of our province,” baker and campaigner Marcel Roubroeks told the local media outlet. 

In addition, the pie needs to meet a number of key conditions to merit the name and that required an additional document per type, Roubroeks said. “So much stuff branded Limburgse vlaai is for sale which had nothing to do with what we make.”

Not only must the pie be baked in the region, but it must be between 10 and 30 centimetres in diameter and have a crust made of sweet, yeast-based dough. The filling must also be no more than 1 centimetre thick. 

Fruit, rice, pudding and semolina are all suitable fillings and should be baked with the base. Adding cream is out of the question and the pie should never be frozen. It should also be stiff enough to be eaten without a plate.

Although the fruit pie is certainly traditional – a first mention dates back to the 12th century, its origins are thought to lie further afield, in Germany, Switzerland and other parts of Belgium.

The vlaai joins eight Dutch cheeses, two species of potato, a type of grape, a type of sugar, white asparagus, herring and a syrup on the protected list.