In quaint Štramberk, townspeople have been making unique ear-shaped cookies since the early 13th century. The so-called Štramberk ear is a spiced concoction twisted into a cone shape that, with a little imagination, resembles a human ear.

Now, the pastry could be poised for a marketing surge outside the town limits: It recently earned special Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) from the European Commission (EC), making it the first Czech product to receive the coveted status.

The ears now enjoy the same protection and marketing edge as such goods as French Roquefort cheese, Italian prosciutto di Parma and Greek Kalamata olives. To be eligible, the product must be made within the designated geographical region using a specific time-honored process.

Once a product receives PDO status, only licensed producers in the designated region can use its name to market their product, preventing competitors from piggybacking their lookalike products on the region's reputation.

"[The ears] belong to the history of our pretty town," Štramberk Mayor Věra Michnová said. "They are the only truly unique thing we have here, and we don't want other towns or producers to make them and sell them under other names."

Being the first Czech region to be recognized by the EC is not just a point of pride. "It can really help our producers," she said.

The invention of the sweet treat dates to 1241, when Tatar invaders besieged Štramberk. The townspeople, the legend goes, were saved when a storm washed away the Tatar camp. When the rains cleared, all that remained of the invaders were sacks of human ears, belonging to the unfortunate prisoners the Tatars had taken.

Pride and tradition are part of the ear's recipe, said Miroslav Hoffman, one of the town's eight licensed producers.

"Everybody makes them [at home] here and we all believe that we have the original recipe nobody else has," he said.

Food fight

Other Czech foods seeking PDO status have had tougher luck.

Applications for Olomoucké tvarůžky, or Olomouc cheese, and Karlovy Vary oplatky, or wafers, have been stalled by opposition from Germany and Austria, said Jan Březina, Czech member of the European Parliament.

Though these foods have a long tradition in the Czech lands, dissenters argue that Sudeten Germans and Austrians booted out of Czechoslovakia after World War II took the recipes with them when they left. Because derivatives of the cheese and wafers have been produced outside Czech borders ever since, the PDO initiative is not as clear-cut.

"Obviously, it will take much more time and effort to convince the [EC] that the Czech version of the [wafers] and cheese really deserve the [PDO]," Březina says.

Štramberk ears were able to enter the ranks of the PDO elite with no opposition.

Thirty Czech products are still seeking PDO approval, among them Třeboň carp and Žatec hops, which are the closest to achieving European status, Březina says.