Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/513060
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 MAY 2015 News 17 fruits and vegetables were great in Malta at the time. We may not have had large quantities, but the little that we had was great. How- ever, the document also states that, had it not been for Sicily, people wouldn't be living in Malta," Butti- gieg says, the reason being the Malta depended on imports – in this case the importation of grain from Sicily. "And we're still at it today – we import practically everything, we have to. But grain was such an im- portant resource, and so many fac- tors come in when we're dealing with it." One of these factors a simple matter of security. Once the ships carrying grain would dock into Malta at night, thieves will be in- clined to steal them. Stressing that each stage of the 'grain-bread cy- cle' is important – bringing it in, storing it, taking it to the miller before it eventually ends up on the consumer's table – is key, and re- counts a particular episode from 1742 to illustrate this. "Grain trafficking was a serious matter back then – it was practi- cally an organised cartel. So after Grandmaster Pinto was informed that… listen, stuff was leaking from the grain warehouses, he took some decisive steps…" One of these steps was to hire people deemed skilled enough, practically just off the streets, to pursue the suspected grain traf- fickers. An added twist, according to Buttigieg, was that these 'bounty hunters' were paid in chocolate – a very "elitist thing" at the time. "You have to remember that chocolate – which was then con- sumed as a drink – was very ex- pensive, and often reserved for vis- iting royalty and other dignitaries. So the fact that Pinto opted to pay these people in chocolate says a lot about how seriously he was taking the issue of grain trafficking." Them's the (market) rules Further evidence of this is Pinto's instatement of strict regulations on weighing and baking of bread. With the rise of the 'professional baker' also happening in Malta in the 18th century, the Grandmas- ter also saw it fit to officialise the process. Prior to that development, Buttigieg explains, the baker sim- ply "offered the service of the oven – you would take the grain to him and he would bake it for you, that's it". But once the production of bread in larger quantities became the norm in Malta – with Qormi historically taking the lead, fol- lowing on from other cities across Europe – the role was made more complex, and delegated to other people. "So we now see bakers specialis- ing in kneading, or milling, and the grandmaster starts to impose per- mits for each role. Bread now had to conform to particular weight specifications, and a person was appointed to test the bread and – literally – give it the stamp of approval. So Pinto here was effec- tively creating a kind of 'consumer protection' unit. On top of that, bakers also had to guarantee they had a replacement ready to hand in case they got sick or something happened to them… they couldn't just go, 'sorry guys, no bread to- day!'" Buttigieg also explains how the increased availability of 'ready made bread' also contributed to the changing cultural landscape of the time, even impacting gender roles, as for example women would now spend less time baking bread at home when they could just buy it from the baker. "So you see women moving on from baking bread, and onto oth- er things – like weaving cotton. You have to remember that this was a proto-industrial society in many ways," Buttigieg says, adding that the production of bread also played a part in the rise of taverns and inns of the area, which would also cater to the new demand for ready-made bread. Bread of memory Despite its many permutations – both in Malta and otherwise – bread retains a symbolic power, and Buttigieg reminds me how both language and religion col- lude to give bread this additional dimension. "For example, in Maltese we have expressions like 'dan x'hobz jie- kol?', and even prayer is directly linked to bread: whenever you say the Our Father, you're reminded of 'our daily bread'…" Buttigieg points out how this had a literal meaning back in the day, when it would be entirely normal to go hungry for a day, even days on end. "Nowadays of course the meaning has become symbolic: 'daily bread' could mean a better job, a nicer car, or whatever…" Regardless, Buttigieg still be- lieves that these linguistic links are important, since bread – per- haps more so than any other food – plays a big part in our collective memory. However, with mass pro- duction becoming the order of the day, Buttigieg fears that our ability to associate food with important personal memories may be on the wane. "If I were to ask you to recall the food your grandmother used to prepare for you, for example, I'm sure you would be able to call up any number of memories, and epi- sodes from your childhood. And if we're going to talk about the Mal- tese hobza in particular, I have very vivid memories of the bread truck pulling up in front of our house, and my mother asking me to go pick up the bread, and picking at the crust as I walked back up the stairs…" Buttigieg however fears that food is becoming less of a personal and communal matter, and more of a 'utilitarian' thing. "People are eating in front of their television sets, and swiping away at smartphones and iPads in restaurants." treljic@mediatoday.com.mt MCST/Q4/2015/RR Hosting of an International Conference for the IMaGenX project The Malta Council for Science and Technology is requesting quotations for hosting an international conference for the IMaGenX project between 9th and 10th July 2015. Tendeerers are requested to submit their proposals for the provision of a conference hall with the capacity of maximum 80 persons seated in theatre style. The successful bidder will have to prepare all that is necessary before and after the conference and dismantle the equipment after the closing of the conference. Further information can be downloaded from the quotation document which is available from (www.etenders.gov.mt). Interested bidders are to submit a proposal on the mentioned website. The Malta Council For Science And Technology, Villa Bighi, Kalkara KKR 1320, Malta www.mcst.gov.mt proposal on the mentioned website. across the centuries "Grain trafficking was a serious matter back then – it was practically an organised cartel" – Noel Buttigieg