Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546553
3 FOOD maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2026 ingredient to a good pastizz group, she says she gets a lot of clients who are part of the Mal- tese diaspora. "Most of them, their grandpar- ents would have made pastizzi and they never learned. That's something that we all do. We never learn from our grandpar- ents and then we regret it later. So, they come and they're like, oh, I just want to make it like nanna or just like nannu and continue the family tradition." Reacting to the expanding fla- vours, Michela replies: "I think everything tastes good inside a pastizzi! It's difficult to not find something that's tasty with pas- try… I've seen ham and cheese, spicy salami, and pistachio ones. There was even a smash burg- er one not long ago. Sometimes they do them with truffle as well." For someone with so much ex- perience, we asked her if she had to go out to buy pastizzi, if she would choose a particular shop. However, Michela admits she hasn't had them outside her own kitchen in a long time. She says, however, that a lot of places she's tried have hit the same spot. She's also expanding. Miche- la says she plans to expand her repertoire of lessons because she feels Malta is losing a bit of its culture. "You know, you go out there and you can find so many different foods nowadays but Maltese food is slowly dying out. Like, if you think of Maltese restaurants, you can count them probably on one hand." For example, imqaret, which she recently added to her menu, used to be something you could find as you walked into Valletta. But now, the traditional Maltese sweet is harder to find. "To the point where you get excited to see them. And if you know how to make them at home, at least you're maintaining and you're preserving our food." She also wants to teach Qagħaq tal-Ħmira, Ottijiet, as well as the pink coconut cake. The latter of which I'm not sure is Maltese. Michela isn't sure either, but "it is us," she says. "You can find it at every confectionery across the island," she adds. For anyone interested in taking classes, please visit apastizziexpe- rience.com for more information. Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday After an intense two hours, her clients finally get their reward, home made pastizzi (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)