Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/717204
14 LIKE any other country, Malta is home to its own idiosyncratic little features which make it the unique place it undeniably is. Often as not, these features tend to be culinary in nature. Take the humble Maltese 'pastizz', for instance. There was more than just a concern with the loss of a late-night eatery, when 'Is-Serkin' of Rabat an- nounced its imminent closure earlier this year. There was also an element of nostalgia, and even (why not?) patriotism in the widespread reactions. It was as though a little bit of Malta's identity was being lost forever. On a similar note, news that Giuseppi's had relocated from Mellieha – where it had stood as a landmark restaurant for over 30 years – to the Coastline Ho- tel in Salina, seemed to reflect more than just a new phase for an established restaurant. It also seems to underscore a profound sea change that has taken over the entire industry in recent years, as the nature of Malta's relationship with food and din- ing slowly evolved. Giuseppi's has not closed down altogether. And as chef and man- ager Michael Diacono will short- ly explain, there were entirely practical reasons for the change of venue. But even if Mellieha's loss turns out to be Salina's gain, the change itself speaks volumes about the pace of Malta's culi- nary evolution. Giuzeppi's is but one of a long list of local restau- rants that has felt the need to 'move on', as it were, in an effort to keep abreast of the changing trends. "I think the main thing that has changed is competition," Mi- chael Diacono begins when I ask him about his own three-dec- ade experience in restaurants. "When I started out in Mellieha 33 years ago – I was 18 at the time – it was a completely differ- ent kettle of fish. There was just myself, and maybe two or three other restaurants in the area. When I closed the restaurant three weeks ago, it was a com- pletely different scenario… Not only were there dozens of cater- ing establishments in the Mel- lieha area by then… but other external factors also came into the equation. "There may have been internal factors as well. I myself might have got a bit stale after so long in the same environment. I felt it was time to change. But there were other issues affecting the restaurant sector in the north. The journey itself is one exam- ple; that was affecting people's choice of restaurant. Today there are infinitely more places to go to… and they're more spread out, too. People are no longer as willing to drive all the way to Mellieha, when there are options closer by. Then, there is the traf- fic and parking situation…" Giuseppi's was on Mellieha's main road, which now caters for infinitely more traffic than when the restaurant first opened in the early 1980s. "It's become a nightmare, to be honest. Pure mayhem. The location itself might be ideal on paper – on the main road of a tourist area – but in practice it just wasn't working anymore." Leaving aside the circumstanc- es of that one particular restau- rant, it is safe to say the industry has changed in other ways too. Over the last few years there has been a veritable explosion in for- eigners – mostly Italian – com- ing to Malta to open restaurants. How has this affected the local market? "It has had a direct effect for the obvious reason that there's more variety. But there's also the mentality that, if a chef or restaurateur is Italian, then the food must be good. And Maltese flock to these places. I'm not say- ing they're not good… some are very good, and I go to them my- self. But the truth is that some are not very good at all. On the whole, local restaurants serve much better food than some of these pseudo Italian chefs. This doesn't mean we should have a monopoly, of course. But the proliferation of new restaurants has certainly had an effect…." One of the less immediate im- pacts takes the form of a small culinary culture clash. Though Maltese and Italian cuisines are closely related, our traditional approach to eating out can be quite different. Since setting up shop here, Italian chefs have discovered that Maltese custom- ers expect considerably larger portions than they are used to preparing back home. Even the method of ordering food differs between our two countries: in Italy, condiments usually have to be ordered separately, at a cost. "The restaurant culture is very different in Italy. If you're unaware of the differences, you might end up with just a piece of fish or meat on a plate, and nothing to go with it. But this is something that is slowly chang- ing. Even we, at Giuseppi's, have started serving our side dishes as extras: one reason is to cut down on waste. So much food is wast- ed. Sometimes we get entire por- tions untouched. It all has to be thrown away. But when people order side dishes separately, they would automatically be more conscious both of what they're ordering, and how much they are spending. And more important- ly, there is a lot less wastage…" How have local clients taken to these changes? And more to the point – have clients' demands or expectations changed in other ways, owing to exposure to for- eign restaurants? "Completely, yes. People's tastes have changed. When I started out, it was mostly simple home cooking. There were some sophisticated restaurants at the time: the 'grand restaurants' of Malta, such as the Phoenicia or the Arches, which served classic French food. But on the whole, things were plainer. Today, peo- ple's idea of a meal out is of- ten completely different. From our end, this means a lot more thought has to be put into what we do: what we serve, how we cook it, and where we source it from. We think a lot about sus- tainability, for instance. It's im- possible to be 100% sustainable in everything, but the concept is coming in. We do try and use different ingredients that are sus- tainable… especially with regard to fish." In some cases, restaurants re- spond to a perceived demand; but in others, there is active pres- sure from third parties. The issue of sourcing fish, for instance, is the subject of a campaign by the NGO 'Fish4Tomorroow'… evi- dence of a growing awareness of environmental responsibility. "We've done one night at Ru- bino, serving what you might call lesser known fish dishes… what people would normally consider 'cheaper' fish. The response was very positive. And it was fun for us, too. We got to use ingredients that we never thought about us- ing before. People came and saw 'vopi' [bogue] on the menu: how often do you see that? And it worked: it's a wonderful dish, fun to prepare… and we don't have to charge a lot for it." Meanwhile the exposure to the foreign food culture argu- ably goes beyond an explosion of Italian restaurants. We have also seen a proliferation of ethnic food outlets – Asian supermar- kets, convenience stores selling Serbian, Turkish or Indian ingre- dients… and while most cater for local expat communities, their wares are increasingly sought af- ter by Maltese shoppers: both for restaurants and home cooking. Does this influence the way a local restaurant approaches its menu? "Definitely. The demographics of Malta have changed a lot re- cently, and that's a good thing as far as food culture is concerned. For us, it has opened a whole new dimension. Today you can find ingredients locally that we wouldn't have dreamed of even five or 10 years ago. It has given us more scope to create and to blend. I wouldn't say my own style has changed as a result: I'm still a Mediterranean chef, my focus is still Mediterranean food – that is what I know, and what I love. But we do introduce a lot of new ingredients and styles…" In a sense, this implies the re- discovery – possibly even rein- vention – of traditional Maltese dishes, to furnish a growing niche of local specialty restaurants. It also brings us to a small paradox. Today, restaurants specialis- ing in local cuisine may well be flourishing. But it wasn't always that way. In the past, Malta has always had at best a love-hate re- lationship with its own tradition- al cooking. With a few notable exceptions – Rubino's in Valletta springs to mind, as do the several bars serving fried rabbit in vari- ous parts of the island – Maltese restaurants were few and far be- tween until fairly recently. The proliferation of Maltese cuisine, as a restaurant trend, has therefore done more than just reassert our collective nannas' home-cooking recipes, and re- stored them to their former glo- ry. It has also prompted a debate (mostly among chefs and restau- rateurs) as to what actually con- stitutes the 'definitive' version of Maltese food. Diacono - who is also Gour- met Today's resident chef - has his own views on the authentic- ity of much of what passes for local cuisine. "At the end of the day, ours is a very limited and poor kitchen. Maltese food is good, but there isn't the variety you'll find with other national cuisines. This is to be expected… after all, we are what we are: a very small island. We can't ex- pect to have the equivalent of a French or Italian kitchen. Ours is a very poor kitchen… punto e basta. But nonetheless there are things that we do that are local. There are staple dishes, which we sometimes try and amend in an effort to better the dish. We also try to revive dishes that peo- ple don't really eat any more: like offal, for instance. Brain, liver… and tongue, which is extremely popular. Some people come just for that, because it's too much of a hassle to cook at home…" It remains debatable even whether such things as 'frittati tal-mohh' can claim to be 'tradi- tional'. Michael Diacono argues that we should distinguish be- tween what we consider 'Maltese food' today, and what Maltese people actually ate in the past. "I am convinced that 200, 300 years ago, people didn't eat 'bra- gioli' or tongue. They couldn't afford to… the most they'd hope for is a bit of bread, onions and maybe a tomato if they were lucky. So most people have a mis- conception about what Maltese people ate, and how they cooked it. These things evolved with time, and most Maltese dishes are either Sicilian or Italian in origin. There is a bit of North Af- rican influence too. In this sense we were lucky. In the last few centuries Malta was a hot-pot of different cultures, and they all left a mark. It was a bit unfortu- nate, however, that we spent 200 Interview By Raphael Vassallo maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 AUGUST 2016 Some Italian restaurants are not very good at all. On the whole, local restaurants serve much better food than some of these pseudo Italian chefs ITALIAN INFLUENCE Maltese cuisine back on