Soon only pasties made in Cornwall will be able to be labelled as a Cornish pasty.
The world-famous treat has overcome a final legal hurdle and is expected to be awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) by the European Commission next month.
It means only Cornish pasties made in Cornwall and following the traditional recipe can be called Cornish pasties.
The Cornish pasty has now joined another 42 British protected products including Cornish Clotted Cream, Melton Mowbray pork pies and Arbroath Smokies.
The decision was welcomed by the Cornish Pasty Association, which launched a campaign in 2002 to protect the heritage of Cornish pasties by submitting the application for PGI status.
Chairman Alan Adler said on Tuesday: "By guaranteeing the quality of the Cornish pasty, we are helping to protect our British food legacy.
"Today's announcement does not stop other producers from making other type of pasties, but they won't be able to sell them as Cornish."
A genuine Cornish pasty has a distinctive 'D' shape and is crimped on one side, never on top. The texture of the filling is chunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef, swede, potato, onion with a light seasoning.
The pastry casing is golden in colour, savoury, glazed with milk or egg and robust enough to retain its shape throughout the cooking and cooling process without splitting or cracking. The pasty is slow-baked and no artificial flavourings or additives must be used.
Authentic Cornish pasties can still be baked elsewhere in the country but they will need to be prepared in Cornwall.
