Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1469874
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 JUNE 2022 COMMENT What are we skinning? Industry big-wigs allegedly throwing spokes in the wheels of legiti- mate gbejna producers as Malta submits the humble sheep's milk cheeselet for a Protected Desig- nation of Origin quality label within the EU. Why are we skinning it? Because it's our own David vs Goliath story. And it's a delicious one, to boot. How did the said cheeselet be- come the cause of such drama? It all comes down to a linguistic trick apparently played by big producers like Benna. How so? Due to a push to specify that gbejna must exclusively refer to gbejna tan-naghag (sheep milk gbejna), herders and cheesemakers are arguing that this confusion is paving the way for big producers to chip away at the very integrity of the basic term itself. I knew language was tricky, but I never assumed gbejna would be at the root of such a battleground. Well, the herders are actually calling for simplicity: they argue that gbejna can ONLY be sheep milk gbejna… So that introducing alternatives muddies the waters by proxy? In a sense, yes – they are arguing that bifurcating definitions of the gbejna would simply cancel the gbejna out. This is getting philosophical. Yes. The herders will only accept the Platonic ideal of the gbejna. All other gbejniet are mere shad- ows on cave walls. And Benna is the de facto leader of the League of Shadows, yes. But at the end of the day… what's in a gbejna, really? Sheep milk, it seems! But it's also so much more, as the quest for this ever-elusive PDO proves. Such as? The importance of enshrining the cheeselet as a marker of Malta's culinary heritage, in part. And ensuring that quality production is given priority at all times. Strange how this is so con- troversial, for a country that apparently loves both food and nationalistic jingoism. Well, our approach to food definitely veers towards 'quality over quantity', and our jingoism stops at 'what- ever will help us rake in the most cash'. Here I thought gbejna consump- tion was one of the last innocent activities left at my disposal. You were wrong, my friend – so wrong. Do say: "Enshrining local foods with recognised quality assurance labels is not just about showing off. It's also a reward given to all those who endeavour to produce a genuine culinary product – all the more relevant in a time of increased mass production and crisis-bourne scarcity." Don't say: "Anything can be gbejna if you let your imagination fly." ANDREW AZZOPARDI Not the gold standard on disability BACK The Skinny Malta, shrunk down MICHAEL FALZON Ombudsman's last hurrah PAGE 7 No 142 – The One True Gbejna EDITORIAL An indictment of the entire political system PAGE 2 SAVIOUR BALZAN The wood from the trees PAGE 5 Whilst events like the Special Olympics might have their relevance apart from the political mileage, in the wider sense of the 'cause' nothing is really sorted out JOSANNE CASSAR This country is flipping out, and we haven't even had our first heatwave yet PAGE 6