Bonding over Bread (Maltese Bread or Ftira Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is ftira in Maltese? ›

Ftira is a ring-shaped, leavened, Maltese bread, usually eaten with fillings such as sardines, tuna, potato, fresh tomato, onion, capers and olives. Regional variations include Gozo ftira, which is served more like a pizza than a sandwich.

Il-Ftira: The Maltese flattened sourdough bread as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

A piece of old sour dough is incorporated into the fresh batch with aerates the dough giving it an airy chewy centre unique in taste and texture. Of course, one must highlight that this bread is cooked in stone-based ovens which enhances the taste and give a crispier crust.

There are two different types of bread, the big loaf called Hobz Malti (Maltese Bread) and the round Ftira with a hole in the middle.

The Maltese Ftira is something that the Maltese hold dearly as part of their history and culture. A disc-shaped semi-flat bread made with flour, water and salt is reminiscent of a ciabatta in both texture and taste, but is uniquely different at the same time.

It's sourdough, it's healthy

Speaking of the recipe: Maltese bread is sourdough! Yes, there's some healthy perks going for it. Being sourdough means that it is made by the fermentation of dough using naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast, so no additives or unhealthy ingredients are mixed in.

Starter is also known as mother yeast (pasta madre or lievito madre in Italian, literally translated to “mother of dough”- usually a firm sourdough starter). Yeast breads take time and usually one or two risings, each of which might take up to an hour or several hours.

Sourdough bread (Pane toscano a lievitazione naturale)

Baked in a traditional wooden oven, the crusty ħobż can appear in various forms, perhaps the most common being the flattened ftira. The latter being so phenomenally tasty that it was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2020.

What is Maltese bread called? ›

Maltese bread, known in Maltese as “Il-Ħobż tal-Malti”, dates back centuries, more precisely to the Phoenician period (725-218 BC). Naturally, its form, ingredients, and texture evolved as more bread-making techniques and tools were introduced to the islands.

A pastizz ( pl. : pastizzi) is a traditional savoury pastry from Malta. Pastizzi usually have a filling either of ricotta (pastizzi tal-irkotta or pastizzi tal-ħaxu in Maltese) or curried peas (pastizzi tal-piżelli in Maltese). Pastizzi are a popular and well-known traditional Maltese food.

Dogs can eat bread, but only in moderation. Small amounts of plain white or brown bread are okay for dogs eager to try this staple human food, but it should be only given as the very occasional treat.

Its distinguishable flat shape has baptised it as ftira, from the verb fattar – meaning to flatten (the dough), as described by the linguist Giovanni Francesco Agius de Soldanis in his Damma – a 1766 dictionary, or the Italian equivalent schiacciata, as referred to when being prepared in the Order's bakery in 1742.

In Maltese, the official language of Malta, "Hello" is typically expressed as "Bongu" (pronounced as "bon-goo") or "Merħba" (pronounced as "mer-hba"). Both greetings are commonly used in different contexts and are considered polite ways to say "Hello" or "Welcome" in Maltese.

The most common use is to state a fact and end an argument or discussion. Ta' is also frequently used in Maltenglish. E.g. We're not available on that date, ta'! This term of endearment literally means “my heart” and is the Maltese equivalent of “honey” or “dear.” It is also used in different contexts.

“Istra”- meaning “wow I'm impressed by what you are saying” “Jaħasra/ Miskina”- meaning “I empathise with you, storyteller”

Gozo meaning “joy” in Castilian, is the second largest Island of the Maltese archipelago, with a population of approximately 30,000. Though separated from mainland Malta by a mere 5km stretch of sea, Gozo is distinctly different from Malta. The Island is a third the size of Malta, more rural and tranquil.