And looks like it tastes simply delicious too! Maltese bread at its best.

We came across this insight into an artisan bakery in Valletta with protagonist Nenu kneading the dough. One of those cameos of Malta life to be nostalgic about especially if you’re Maltese and living overseas I would think. A ‘no comment’ needed video.

Where to Find ‘Nenu’: it’s part of the Maypole group of bakeries. For its location in Valletta, click here.

Joseph is part of the production team from grove to press and onward to Malta. He enjoys seeing the oil he helps produce and bring to Malta enjoyed and shared, perhaps chatted about by a few in the know. The Umbrian olive oil is pressed in time-honoured tradition from tree to bottle in under two days, then packaged exquisitely and imported to Malta in three weeks flat.

It represents a small-volume, specialist product with a niche brand; a true connoisseur’s oil.  It’s peppery to the taste buds; an oil that is part of a dish, not a mere vehicle to cook or dress it in. It’s perfect savoured simply; all you need is a crusty Maltese loaf to accompany it. For how to buy, see article end.

The Story

Joseph and his wife Elsie are frequent visitors to Terni in southern Umbria, a city within striking distance of Rome just 80 km south. In fact, the Roman town of Carsulae whose ruins lie near the olive groves was the last stop of Roman legions returning home. Here, they’d encamp and make ready for a final triumphant march into the capital.  Another stop on the tourist trail nearby is the walled town of San Gemini, famed for its mineral water.

The reason for Joseph’s trips to Italy’s most rural and land-locked region is to liaise with an Italian lab that produces the prosthetics for his dental patients. Over the years, Italian business partners become friends and his trips extended to sightseeing then stumbling across and getting involved with La Poiana, a old farm with an incredible heritage in olive oil.

La Poiana (the buzzard) – the oil’s brand name – is a rambling farm in need of restoration, but Joseph’s Umbrian friends saw the potential of its abandoned olive groves.  Joseph too was drawn to the challenge of restoring the land, replanting where trees had died in the famed killer frosts of Italian winters past.  He became part of their mission to bring back into production some of Italy’s most prized olive growing land.

“I have a passion for wine, but knew that I would never have the time from my career to gain the know-how to start a winery,” Joseph says, explaining how he got in to helping out in the olive business. “Olive growing complements my love of wines and is something I can indulge in learning about.” he explains.

La Poiana Estate 

La Poiana comes from a region renowned for some of the finest oils. In fact, all Umbrian olive production has D.O.P (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) which means the oil is strictly quality controlled and from the region granted the D.O.P. status. La Poiana’s groves are also farmed with organic methods. The estate bottles several single olive oil varieties for the gift and connoisseur market. These are the ‘Laudemio’ oils. In the Middle Ages, Laudemio referred to that part of the crop reserved for the lord, or for the owner of the land and so were always the highest-quality portion of what was harvested. The remainder is sold as a superior blend.

Production is limited with the 400 trees yielding around 600 litres. “At the most, there will only be 550 trees so La Poiana will always be a rare find; a true connoisseur produce,” Joseph says.  The oil in its unusual presentation bottles makes a perfect gift and festive hamper choice. For how to buy, see below.

Olive Oil Varieties 

Three olive varieties, typical of Umbria and Tuscany are grown at La Poiana: Frantoio and Moraiolo are considered strong in taste, while Leccino is usually classified as a mild olive variety

Frantoio: The oil is usually described as fruity (green banana), green, herbaceous (grass and green tea) and pungent – it goes very well on grilled steak, lobster and crab, vegetables like Brussels sprouts and artichoke, pasta, tomatoes and Brousse cheese

Moraiolo: This oil can be described as fruity, green, mildly pungent and quite fruity Its flavour stands out on cooked vegetables and complements fishand pork very well

Leccino: This oil is delicate, mildly fruity, spicy and sweet evoking hints of artichoke, sweet almonds and wild thistle.  It is recommended for dressing salads and meat carpaccios as well as for preparing desserts

How to Buy

La Poiana oils are superb to gift, particularly this time of year at Christmas.  La Poiana is offering Malta Insideout site users a special price of 1 Euro off the recommended RPP for each oil and the blend:

Special Prices:

Single oils, 250ml cube:  Euro 13
Single oils, 500ml cube: Euro 19

Email oliolapoiana@gmail.com to purchase and for delivery information.

The White Sheep website says it’s ‘a hub for good food lovers’. It’s easy to see why. The space itself, on a ‘can’t-miss-it’ corner of Rue d’Argens in Gzira, is a world apart from most experiences of food shopping in Malta. Inside, you’ll come face to face with a stylish, tempting and delectable display of artisan-produced foods, fresh daily on the deli or packed with perfection in the dried and preserved range. No run-of-the-mill supermarket fare here; just produce drawn from some of Europe’s finest, small-scale, mostly family-run producers who are often award winners.

The White Sheep was founded just over two years back by sibblings Tania Attard and Sarah Borg. They left other careers to join forces to pursue an inborn love of quality foods that take some research and tracking down. And they’ve certainly found their niche. The White Sheep has gained an appreciative, die-hard clientele and band of cafe’ regulars. They’ll nip in for an espresso and lunch as well as to stock up on healthy items from the deli for daily needs (The White Sheep specialises in natural preservative and additive-free goods). The store has a vast range of specialty oils, exquisite biscuits, connoisseur as well as homely preserves, fine and exotic teas and choice blends of coffees, plus a whole lot more. The founding duo’s ethos is that good food should be enjoyed on a regular basis; judging by the walk-in trade each day, it’s clear a lot of us agree.

The White Sheep has developed an impressive selection of fresh charcuterie and farmhouse cheeses (none factory-produced) available nowhere else on the Islands. So, if you’re looking for some memories of a meal under the Italy’s Tuscan sun, head here for lardo, guanciale, pancetta and porchetta, and delicately-seasoned salame, bresaola and prosciutti crudi. The meats are from ripe-age pig and cow breeds typical of the region, such as the native cinta senese, the cinghiale and the toro chianino, which forage in the forest for acorn and wild mushrooms. “We also carry the finest prosciutto from San Daniele in the Friuli-Venezia region, award-winning, British wild boar and game salame, as well as acorn-fed Iberian and Serrano jamon, and chorizo,” Sarah adds.

For the non-meat inclined, don’t miss the specialty olives, award-winning cheeses and other fresh delights. A deli counter to be experienced and linger over indeed and true to The White Sheep’s tagline: ‘Good honest food, everyday’.

Offer to Malta Insideout users, 21-26 Nov, 2011

The White Sheep is offering Malta Insideout subscribers a 5% discount on all the store’s range excluding wines and cafe orders. The offer runs for one week, 21-26 November, 2011. To take up the offer, simply “Like” The White Sheep Facebook page and quote “MIO Sheep” offer in the store. There are some seriously interesting products coming along now ready for the festive season, so think ahead and make the most of this offer now.

For all its seasonal allure, the pumpkin is actually on offer all year round in Malta, and pretty much a staple, fail-safe vegetable season in, season out. True, it lends itself better to autumn-winter fare (soups, added to stews, and so on) but it’s just as available in peak summer in 40°C. It’s also everywhere; if you’re out and about in the countryside, you’re bound to come across roofs and walls with pumpkins lined up, picturesquely ripening in the sun.

The beauty of the pumpkin, despite being a rather bland veg, is that it’s cheap. Right now, it’s a snip at the price at 70c/kilo, which is a fraction of one I saw on sale in the UK last autumn. The Maltese actually eat pumpkin a lot, so it’s not sold at a premium lantern-making price – yet.

So, what is it turned into here? Well, Qargha (Maltese for not only pumpkin, but gourd and marrow as well) is a basic veg, so it dominates the medley that goes into Minestra (minestone), which is a regular, traditional lunchtime filler for many families. Pumpkin comes in both white (qargha torka) and orange (qargha hamra) fleshed varieties and adds bulk, and colour to stew (stuffat tal-Qargha Hamra). Occasionally, it’s made into pies, and among cognoscenti of celebrity chefs from beyond these shores, it’s turned into a mean risotto.

The small, rural locality of Manikata, in the North-West of Malta, holds an Annual Pumpkin Fair. It could be the place to work out what to do with pumpkin beyond making soup! The event, which starts at 10.30, Sunday 30 October, 2011, is run by the Manikata Farmers Cooperative; see their website for full details. The fair should prove an authentically seasonal outing for the kids this coming half term!

Heads I lose, tails I lose!

It’s Lampuki season. I can hear her shout. It’s barely light, just 6am or so but the fish hawker’s cries drift into my bedroom from the village square.   A couple of weeks ago, the Lampuki were small, perhaps too young to be caught and served up on her mobile trolley cum freezer on wheels.  Now, the fish are weightier, longer and glisten with silvery freshness. Firm, clear eyed, they look as alive as they no doubt were a few hours ago.

The Lampuka, also known locally as the dolphin fish (it’s the dorado or mahi mahi to other cultures), is a seasonal catch.  It migrates past Malta at this time of year and is found for sale from around mid to late August to November.  Traditional fishing methods which some say date from Roman times are used to fish Lampuki. Out on the open ocean, fishermen use a floating raft of woven palm fronds and wait for the Lampuki to gather underneath in the shelter and shade.  Then, they circle the shoal with nets and gather them in.   The technique is called Kannizzati.

The eating of the Lampuka is almost a rite of autumn.  Their arrival signals the seasons changing. With the glut of Lampuki, it’s traditional to eat a lot of it right now but we also freeze portions in slices (not fillets, but slices!).  Its round meatiness means you just chop through the body and store in thick bits like fish burgers.

So what can you do with the fish? 

There’s Lampuki Pie and Lampuki simply shallow-fried in slices. Obligatory potatoes (they sometimes appear in the pie anyway), spinach, capers, mint and olive oil and perhaps the fried fish is lightly floured or breaded. Contemporary Mediterranean-styled restaurants in Malta are putting traditional dishes on their menus, so Lampuki isn’t relegated to the pure Maltese cuisine establishments.  The place it’s being celebrated at its best though is in homes, and at its simplest.

We found a good old Lampuki Pie recipe in a yellowed copy of a cookery booklet called ‘Cooking the Maltese Way’ compiled by Marie Vella and published in 1967 by Cordina’s Emporium General Stores, Valletta.  It’s a recipe that stands the test of time as it’s Lampuki Pie just as it always was.  We can’t but agree more with Marie Vella in the preface when she says: “Most of us, now-a-days, follow the continental way of cooking, but many, especially foreigners, do like a native dish…”.

PS. We’d love to put the recipe up here. We’re trying to find out who has the copyright to the booklet. Anyone know?

Photos: courtesy of Timmy Gambin.  See more of his stunning photos here. 

But in a couple of weeks, Zejtun, a village in Malta’s South, celebrates the start of the olive harvest in its now annual Zejt iz-Zejtun festival held this year on 24th – 25th September.  The event is about the humble but precious olive in all its glory from oil to olive breads and is a window on the industry in times past in Malta.

Zejtun has delved into its history to pull out pedigree origins to stake its claim to hold  the olive festival:  it takes its name from the Sicilian Arabic for “olive”- zaytun  and Zejtun’s etymology also stems from similarly sounding words for oil in Spanish and Portuguese, “aceituna” and “azeituna” respectively.  Zebbug means olive in Maltese, but the town of that name wasn’t first to bag the olive festival it seems.

I am always fascinated by the revival of interest in the olive oil industry in Malta, which dates back to Roman times. Especially as the islands today aren’t exactly thick with olive groves.  A large olive grinding stone was found near Burmarrad at San Pawl Milqi on the site of a largish agricultural settlement with villa.  Apparently, four agricultural villas dating from Roman times and showing evidence of olive oil pressing have been discovered on the islands. You can see the San Pawl Milqi stone in the courtyard of the Mdina Cathedral Museum.

There’s been an olive planting programme taking shape though: roadsides are home to a number of olive reforestation schemes, mainly because the trees make an attractive evergreen vista.  But there is another initiative that’s seeing Malta revive a truly ancient type of olive that can trace its roots to those Roman trees. Some 1,000-year-old olives in Malta’s north have provided the grafts to recreate that Ur-alt native olive which, it’s being proven, has some unique antibacterial properties.  Farmers have been keen to plant and harvest it. So the tide is turning and Malta is aiming to be a producer of a niche oil of exceptional quality and with some interesting properties.

Tapenade

Health benefits aside, my simple favourite pleasure in olives lies in Tapenade, a king of dips.  Tapenade is the Catalan and Provencal name for the gutsy paste made with capers, anchovies and black olives crushed up with a twist of lemon and olive oil.  No need for a recipe for this one, just rough measures:

• three handfuls of pitted olives (buy whole and pit them yourself for a better taste – painstaking but worth it)
• half a handful of capers (rinsed from salt or brine)
• as many jar anchovies strips as you fancy

Then whiz all these up in a food processor (or crush by hand in a large mortar) and add a squeeze of lemon juice and glugs of olive oil while whizzing until the Tapenade takes shape into a firm paste.  Top with some chopped parsley. Add chopped fresh chili if you like it hot.  Grab some Maltese Galletti crackers and set off on the black olive serenade!  Drink water all night if you put in lots of anchovies!

Want to see and taste Malta’s olives? 

Zejtun Olive Harvest Festival - more details here

ta’ Zeppi – a working olive farm in Fawwara, near Siggiewi, that produces its own organic oil and runs tours and tastings by appointment. Details here

Wardija Olive Oil: Sammy Cremona is the man credited with reviving Malta’s ancient olive root stock, a type of olive unique to Malta, with the help of EU, government, and private sector funding. His own olive farm in Wardija offers tours, tastings and a typical Maltese farmers lunch. By appointment only and usually for small groups. His wife Matty is a well-known local cookery expert. Call Sammy Cremona on: +356 79582294. See more about Sammy and the project here.

Merille Eco Tours - This is a niche, eco-tourism company that offers highly informative and off-the-beaten track eco tours including olive oil production and tasting and other itineraries including Maltese delicacy tastings. Details of the Olive tour here.  It caters to small groups and individuals.  Until 30 October, Merille is offering Malta InsideOut site users a 20% discount on its Maltese delicacy tasting tour. See Special Offers for details.

Photo: header courtesy Avlyxz

The new Maltese cool: watermelon ice just the number for sultry August days

We’ll let the pictures do the talking!  So just a line or two today…

The humble watermelon: bountiful, beautiful and bursting with the right kind of vitamins and oh so sweet! Malta grows them by lorry loads and you’ll drive barely a kilometer on the islands without passing a couple of roadside stalls heaped with them.   For a few tips about picking the ripest from the heap, click here.  You need to give them a good tap – a hollow echo indicates they’re ripe. Cheap and cheerful, whack them in the fridge and cut a hunk when thirst pangs start.

But if you want something a little more special and tempting, yet almost as effortless, try this watermelon yoghurt ice recipe from local food blogger The Desperate Kitchen Goddess, aka Susan Attard.  Just four ingredients, a food processor or blender, a freezer and you’re done.  As the DKG says, ‘what’s not too like’?   Watermelon ice, the perfect antidote to Malta’s hot, humid August days.

Desperate Kitchen Goddess has a lot of inspiring recipes using Malta’s produce.

Photos: Main and centre: Susan Attard. Other photos, see Watermelon cubes & Watermelon inside.

Q. The Maltese Islands are relatively barren and we’ve a harsh climate. Yet, our vegetable vans are brimming with local produce. How do we do it?

Climate is a key factor in the production of tasty fruits and vegetables. Maltese soils have a slightly high pH. This can be negative to some plant species but beneficial to others such as vines. Water management plays in important role too. In local terms “Saqwi” means having a source of water all year round, while “Baghli” means having irrigation only available during the winter months thanks to the season’s rain.

Unfortunately, traditional ways of using water in tune with our climate have changed due to the use of borehole water. Aquifers are the only source of natural water on the Maltese Islands and over-abstraction has not only reduced the quantity but also deteriorated the quality of water within them. Veggies and fruits are made of more than 98% water. Therefore, the more vegetables we produce the more water we need. In times past, people were wise…they used to plant trees and plants that need less water such as olives, carobs and figs, and base their diets on crops that require less water. We’ve seen a rise in chemical fertilisers and sprays in recent years, but as they’ve become more expensive, farmers are learning how to reduce reliance on them, if not do without them completely. Farmers are also more aware of the consequences of chemicals on nature and health.

Unfortunately, we lost a lot of our agricultural biodiversity (that is plant and animal species utilised for the production on food and fibres). Most of the seeds are imported nowadays. Luckily, some farmers still harvest and store seeds from year to year and they should be given incentives as they have precious mini seed/gene banks in their possession.

Q. What local food products does Malta excel in? Where do our strengths lie? Do we have unique food products that shout ‘Malta’!

Mediterranean fruits are one of the local foods Malta excels in. Citrus, carob, figs, olives are all trees well suited to our climate. Then, we’ve got other minor fruits that can be commercialised to increase profits in farmers pockets, such as the Small Malta June Pear…in Maltese, the “Bambinella”. There’s the success story of Bambinella being exported to the UK for Marks & Spencer’s. Malta also excels into products such as capers. The plants look lovely and their water requirements are ultra low…perfect for our situation.

Processing local products is the key element to how our agri industry should develop. Processing adds value to raw products. Local sun dried tomatoes, pickles and jams are just some examples that look and taste lovely.

Q. When you take visitors on your eco tours, what Maltese food products do they ask about most? What do they like best? What do they take home?

This depends on the season. If a particular fruit is in season, we feature it in our tours. Tourists and locals ask about traditional agriculture. Malta has a long history of agriculture and this is part of our heritage. We often stop next to old carob trees and relate the history of their cultivation, their positive effects on the environment and how the local people used to rely on such trees.

Q. Which local food products do we locals appreciate most?

Traditional Hobz biz-zejt with kunserva, olive oil, capers, and basil. Fresh herbs make all the difference. As to cooked food…rabbit remains on top of the list! [editor's note: for a list of traditional dishes in Malta, click here.]

Q. Why is farming important to Malta, given our micro land mass and the small percentage of the population involved in agriculture.

Every farmer in the Maltese Islands is important. Apart from producing foodstuffs, we see farmers of service to us in other ways – they give a lot back in terms of services such as nature conservation…restoration of rubble walls, that are shape our landscape both if they are boundary or terrace retaining. Where land has been abandoned, rubble walls have deteriorated and soil has been lost to the sea. The conservation of agricultural biodiversity is also something many farmers contribute to.

Q. Which of our specialities would you like to see more of in the foodie line being produced in Malta?

For me, the most important aspect to retain and revive is our agricultural biodiversity. I spoke recently to a farmer and tasted some of his superb peaches. My immediate reaction was “these peaches must cost an eye…it’s just the beginning of the season and prices must be high”. He sadly sighed at me and told me “not when loads of peaches are being imported and sold as local peaches”. this is so unfair to our farmers and the local industry. The management involved in producing crops is intrinsic and having foreign fruits sold as local fruit is distorting the market and creating unfair competition.

And I’d like to see more products that were more common in the past.

Eco tours
Merill Eco Tours provides authentic experiences for small groups, using eco-friendly transport and bringing economic benefits to the rural communities whenever possible.

Here, in Malta, we opt for vegetarian or pescetarian fillings with combos of olives, tomatoes, onions, salad greens, beans of various kinds, tuna, anchovies, garlic, peppers, carrots, cauliflower and more. Whatever is in season or can be pickled and preserved. Each Med country to its own: the French port of Nice gave rise to the Pan-bagnat, which includes ingredients found in Salade Nicoise.

Malta has its much-loved Ftira, a disc-shaped semi flat bread that has a glorious texture. It’s like a ciabatta, but round and with a hole in the middle. When cut open, crusts flying off in all directions, and smothered in tomato paste and olive oil, with or without some of the ingredients above, it becomes simple summer snack heaven. You’ll find it everywhere on cafe’ menus, along with club sandwiches.

It’s risen from its work-a-day image but not lost its roots. Look around at Maltese families on our beaches this summer and spot hungry kids, fresh from the water, munching on filled Ftira or slices of Ħobż biż-Żejt (bread similarly sliced up with oil and toms). A word of warning if you do eat it wearing a suit, watch where the oil drips! Or be prepared to rush to the dry cleaners.

The ftira or Ħobż biż-Żejt symoblises summer for us. So, in celebration of the season and the wonderful vegetables that Malta has right now, we’ll point you to the most amazing Ftira filling you can make – a deluxe version of Giardiniera; that delicious mix of veg in oil you can make now and store for those long, lingering days on the beach. Mouthwateringvegan founder Miriam Sorrell has the best Giardiniera recipe we’ve come across. As her photos show, it’s ‘culinary joy’. For anyone born and bred in Malta, its aroma and taste will take you back to childhood on the beach.

If you’ve never made Giardiniera before, make this and you’ll never buy it from the shops again!

Photos: Mouthwateringvegan.com

A humble crumble? Not if with Maltese strawberries though!

This rounds off what has been a bit of a food week on MaltaInsideOut; sorry, we can’t get enough of Malta’s strawberries right now! Our excuse? The season, like our spring, is all too short. So, if you did go to the Strawberry Fair Sunday 10th, in Mgarr, or are wondering what you can do with the enormous, cheap punnets you can buy right now, try this: Ruby Red Strawberry Crumble, by our guest food writer Miriam Sorrell. It’s the ideal Sunday lunch dessert!

This isn’t any old crumble; last weekend this very recipe was chosen to feature in the brochure of the New York Vegetarian Festival 2010.  A Malta-based blogger and foodie gets on the international radar with a recipe that’s redolent of the best of Malta’s fare. It puts us all on the map and not as a blip of islands just north of the Libya No-Fly zone!

We may know crumbles, or crisps are they’re called on the N. American continent, with apples, but this is a twist on a firm favourite. As one person commented about this recipe:”Now, why in 20 years did I not think of a strawberry crumble?” The humble crumble just got seriously delicious. And what better way to use the glut of Maltese strawberries? The recipe is here, on Miriam’s blog Mouthwateringvegan.com.

Photos of Strawberries from Malta’s Pitkali market & recipe in the making: courtesy of Mouthwateringvegan.