Traditional Maltese Bread

Maltese bread (ħobż, pr. hops), with its hard crust and white, soft, tasty interior goes extremely well with a tomato split in half and rubbed against its white surface, sprinkled with olive oil, olives, capers, mint and a pinch of salt and pepper. As in many other places, what was poor man’s fare is now rich man’s favour.

Not that one has to be rich to want or acquire such fare. Many people still eat it as a snack or as part of their supper. It is inexpensive and easy to make, but it is true that richer foods and faster food have replaced most of what today can be considered as traditional food.

Both the stonecutter in the quarry and the farmer in the field, as well the family relaxing by the seaside on a delicious Summer evening, all love to dig their teeth into their tasty meal. It satisfies the taste buds and fills the stomach in the simplest and most complete way.

Different Types of Traditional Bread

Maltese bread has been a staple food for centuries. It is made by mixing water, flour, yeast and salt. The basic dough can be made into the traditional round loaf (ħobża, pr. hobzah) and is made in three sizes – large, around 700 g in weight, a medium one around 500 g and a small ħobża of around 150 g.

Other versions of the bread include the loaf with a cross cut into the top crust before baking (ħobża tas-salib, pr. hobzah tassaleep), a flat form with or without a hole in the middle (ftira, pr. fteerah ), shown below, and a cuboid form baked in a baking tin (ħobża tal-kexxun, pr. hobzah talkeshshoon)). An elongated form of the bread tapering at the ends is also made and is known as bezzun (pr. bettsoon).

However, when referring to Maltese bread one conjures up immediately a mental picture of the traditional round loaf, sometimes covered in sesame seeds, as may also be the case with the other types, especially the ftajjar (pr. ftayyar – plural of ftira). Except for the flat ftajjar, today, the other versions are also available as sliced bread, wrapped in plastic bags.

The ftira biż-żejt (pr. fteerah bizzeyt) or ħobża biż-żejt are deliciously prepared snacks with a filling of tomato or tomato puree (kunserva, pr. coonservah) soaked in olive oil, and may include garlic, onions, olives, capers, herbs, tuna and seasoned with salt and pepper. These can be bought from snack bars and may even be available in bars and restaurants.

Maltese Bakeries Today

Bread is baked in traditional bakeries, many still using wood-fired ovens or some other form of fuel. Making bread is still a family oriented business because bakeries are invariably small, family businesses where all the family tends to lend a hand. Some employ bakers or helpers, who would also mainly hail from baking families.

Today’ apart from traditional bread, bakeries bake other forms of bread made from dough containing fats. This type of fancy bread, made under British and European influence, takes the form of rolls of a number of different shapes and sizes, as well as other varieties made from the traditional dough. These help to boost revenues. In the past, and sometimes today, bakeries provide a service for people to take their Sunday roast and roast potatoes to the bakery and pick them up when ready for a token charge.

Other uses of Bread

Sliced bread is also eaten in sandwich form with anything that may be added to it. However, it may also be traditionally eaten with local pepper cheese (ġbejniet tal-bżar, pr. jbeyneet talbzaar), and with a light spread of kunserva, with bigilla (pr. bigillah), a savoury puree of soft boiled dried broad beans,.

Even stale bread may be reused by soaking it in water or milk, and adding cocoa, nuts, candied peel, raisins, and some sugar. The mixture is baked until solid. This is what the Maltese call pudina (pr. poodeenah), or pudina tal-ħobż (pr. poodeenah talhops).