Food for Thought on Malta Inside Out

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Baked goodies

It's always a pleasure visiting bakeries. The nice smell of baked goodies can be sensed from far away. Many say that traditional recipes are dying out...certainly not true. Some are still committed to bake the traditional way and sell the most tasty crispy bread and delicious sweets ever. The buns showing in this photo are not just any buns. Their texture is light and their sweet taste makes you feel nostalgic. Bread and buns are two of the few items one can find at traditional bakeries. Almond rings, croissants, coconut sweets and fig rolls would make excellent treats to a tea party, Holy Communion or Baptism party.

As kids we used to smell and taste these goodies more often. Nowadays life is so busy that we rarely stop when we smell cakes freshly baked. To keep these traditions going, we Maltese need to support such bakers and make them feel proud of the work they do. 

The eco friendly fruity temptation

Posing with a Fig and Blackberry Smoochie

How many times have you heard health promo slogans say...consume 5 a day? Well, eating fruits is the easiest, most enjoyable and safest way to pack yourself with healthy vitamins and anti oxidants.

Sandra Zammit had this in mind around 5 years ago when she developed a great eco-friendly business. She is a wife and mum of four and before starting up this venture she felt that it's not easy to give kids fresh, washed, peeled and chopped fruits in today's busy timetable. After lots of planning, risk taking and hard work, Smoochies came along. No concentrates, sugars or additives, and not even one drop of water. The fruits form a tasty blend within every 250ml bottle.

Today I also had the opportunity to visit the factory where Smoochies are made. What a lovely place! The employees all had a nice smile on their face and they do a lot of hard work with dedication. They process the fruit, manage the machinery and carry out meticulous cleaning after every process. The hygiene at the factory is super and a HACCP plan is toroughly followed to bring a safe and genuine product to consumers.

There are many ways why Smoochies are eco friendly. Whenever possible, local fruits are used. All the bottles are made of recycled plastic. The business is also social friendly as the welfare of the employees is evident. They are motivated, trained and happy producing a bountiful product to families in Malta and Gozo. 

Sandra will be taking up more challenges....she has lot of delicious stuff coming up in the future...and always with a sustainable vision in mind!

For more info about Smoochies call on 27017127.

Pastizzi from Malta!!

Pastizzi are a Maltese food made up of diamond shape pastries filled with either ricotta (similar to Italian ricotta but less dense) or slightly spicy pea filling, known respectively in Maltese as pastizzi ta' l-irkotta and pastizzi tal-pizelli. The pastry is made using a puff-pastry like dough that crumbles delicously especially when the pastizzi are served freshly baked in the various pastizzerias dotted around Malta and Gozo. A visit to Malta would not be complete without tasting a few!

Pastizzi can be eaten at anytime of the day as a quick snack with hot or cold beverages. Other pastizzi variants made of beef and spinach fillings also exist although these are not commonly sold in Malta. Sometimes pastizzi are referred to as Maltese cheesecakes or ricotta cheesecakes, a slightly misleading term since cheesecakes are usually sweet not savoury like pastizzi. Pastizzi are also available outside of Malta, most notably in Australia, Canada and the UK.

Source: www.pastizzi.com 

Shaping up before summer? - Why not prepare a local "gbejna" salad!

dry peppered sheep cheeslets

Temperatures are rising and we'll soon start enjoying our lovely beaches....what's the next step? Start getting in shape. Traditional sheep and goat cheeselets, in Maltese "gbejniet", are excellent as condiments for salads and platters. There are a variety of types one can choose from. Fresh carrots and beef steak tomatoes go well with "gbejniet" and other processed goodies. 

Sheep and goat rearing has been carried out in Malta since ancient times. They are far more sustainable than larger non-native animals such as cows, as they are smaller herbivorous animals, thus they consume less and produce less manure. Housing them takes less space. This also adds on to the sustainability index of farms specialised in sheep and goats only, since land is a limited resource in Malta.

There is also some good news for lactose intolerant persons. Sheep and goat cheeselets contain milk fats and proteins that are more digestible. Please do take care to buy directly from trustworthy farmers! 

For more information do not hesitate to contact us on 79411388 for more details.