Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1527749
8 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2024 CULTURE EMILY FRANCIS THE authentic Gozitan cheese, which the locals call ġbejniet is beloved and widely used on the Maltese islands. It also pairs with almost anything, including salads, olives, crackers and vege- tables, on a tray or even by itself. It just elevates every dish up a notch or two. Ġbejniet were one of the first food items I was introduced to by my local friends, as they wanted to ensure that I knew what it was and that it was a locally-made product. Let's start off with the pronunci- ation of this magnificent cheese. As an American woman, I had to practice saying the word over and over again, in order to sound at least a tiny bit like I knew what I was asking for at the local deli. It is the soft J in English, followed immediately by the B sound that I struggled with the most. If you're not a local, you might find that it needs a little practice. Weeks later and I find my- self still practicing, in order to go from the soft J to the hard B, without an additional syllable be- tween the two. Every person I've presented the word to tends to stick the ah sound in between the J and B, producing something that sounds a lot more like JahBen- ya, than it does ġbejna. You, like me, must resist the urge to do that as it makes the word null and void to ears that know what you're trying to say and therefore, you will instantly give yourself away. If you want to sound even remotely like you know what you're talking about, it must be pronounced correctly. As you may know, the Maltese take great pride in their land, their language and their cuisine and learning how to pronounce the product you want is a must. On to the real topic de jour of this piece. Would you like your authentic ġbejniet made from goats or sheeps milk? Or would you rather half and half of both milks? Would you like it hard or do you prefer a soft ġbejna? Would you like it lightly sprin- kled with sea salt or heavily peppered? What about herbed? These are things you need to know the next time you step up to your local deli counter, or you purchase pre-packaged and vacuum sealed ġbejniet, which can be found at almost any food store on the islands. Next, to really impress your friends, you should learn the way in which the cheeselet should be cut: into fours. That is how it's done. The locals rarely break the cheeselet into bits and sprin- kle it, the way we do with feta. Alternatively, it's cut vertically and then horizontally and then it's ready to be served. Ġbejna is creamy, rich and Gozo's gbejna: a simple cheeselet George Attard, from the Tal-Kejken Farm