Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/869387
10 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2017 News HERITAGE Malta and the Malta Tourism Au- thority are teaming up to bring a banquet straight from the tables of the richest Maltese families from the 18th Century. This project is part of a new interactive experi- ence into Malta's gastronomic history. The ban- quet, presented to foreign press, is being present- ed as an attempt to encourage foreigners to visit our country and enjoy its rich history. After extensive research into the cuisine of the Knights of St. John, the team managed to suss out a 'menu'– a word that didn't exist at the time – that evokes an authentic experience of Maltese history. The dishes, put together over a number of years, saw amateur chef and researcher Josef Baldacchi- no and museum curator Liam Gauci deciphering 18th century butcher's receipts and Knights' dic- tionaries in an attempt to curate recipes like Par- mesan ice cream, a popular dessert at the time. Parmesan ice cream presented its own set of conundrums. How could ice cream be a popular dish if there was no refrigeration at the time? The answer lay in harbour documents, which showed that Sicilian boat "La Tartara della Neve" picked up ice from Etna and brought it back to Victoria Gate, known as Del Monte gate at the time. Cinnamon, an ingredient that could not be found in Malta during the 18th century, puzzled the team when it cropped up a number of times in their research. In fact, during the Great Siege, Maltese corsairs stole food from Turkish boats, often loaded with cinnamon, saffron and coffee and brought it back to the Maltese Islands. "Much of my work involved looking into the re- Recipies and merchandise receipts offer a glimpse into the Maltese cuisine of the 18th century for a Knights' banquet By DENISE GRECH Wanted German drug trafficker arrested in Malta Jail, deportation for man staying in Malta illegally since 2008 Man run over by own truck Woman seriously injured in Paola accident MATTHEW AGIUS A MAN who went on the run af- ter being convicted in Germany of a number of crimes including drug trafficking and fraud has been arrested in Malta whilst reporting a stolen item to the police. Erwin Aloysius Funk, 41, from Trier in Germany, was detained after police discovered that he was the subject of an alert issued through the Schengen Informa- tion System. A resident of Santa Venera, Funk is being sought by the au- thorities of Trier and Mainz in Germany to serve a prison sen- tence for drug trafficking, fraud, driving without a licence and misuse of emergency phone lines. Police Inspector Dr Mario Cuschieri testified that Funk was arrested at the airport on Friday while he was filing a police re- port about a stolen pouch which contained money belonging to his company. An alert police officer had checked the man's name against the Schengen Information Sys- tem computer and found that he was a wanted man. Funk was then arrested. Lawyer Clint Tabone informed magistrate Joseph Mifsud that the man was contesting the ar- rest warrant. The case continues tomorrow. Funk is to remain in custody until then. A GAMBIAN man who has been living illegally in Malta since 2008, using another man's identity, has been jailed and will be deported after serving his sentence. 33 year-old Eliman Seck had re- quested humanitarian protection upon his arrival but this had not been granted, Inspector Victor Aquilina told Magistrate Joseph Mifsud yesterday. Seck had been arrested at- tempting to travel to Italy to seek humanitarian protection there, explained the Inspector, but be- cause he had first been finger- printed in Malta, Malta would remain responsible for him. The magistrate was incredu- lous when told that Seck has been living in Malta since 2008. "He's been here since 2008, with no humanitarian protection status... why has nothing been done? Genuine cases, fleeing war and so on, fine, but this is not one of them." Inspector Aquilina replied that the man had previously been known as Suleiman Tare, as he had been using false documents, but the authorities had only found out about this in 2016. Requests to Gambia take a long time to be processed and because the man had given the police incorrect in- formation, his details are unlikely to be found, he explained. Magistrate Mifsud remarked that the immigration authorities ought to put pressure on the EU to issue documents for such cases themselves. Seck pleaded guilty. He was jailed for six months, after which he will be forcibly returned to Gambia. The court urged the authorities to immediately begin the process of collecting the necessary iden- tification documentation. "It is not acceptable that the accused has been in Malta since 2008, when Gambia is not a country which qualifies for refugee pro- tection." Lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar was defence counsel. A MAN, 22, is undergoing treat- ment at Mater Dei Hospital after being injured grievously when his truck moved and ran over his foot. The accident took place at Mrie- hel Industrial Estate, yesterday. Police reports show that the man was loading vegetables on his parked Isuzu Elf, which for some reason started moving and ran over the man's foot. A 51-year-old woman was seri- ously injured yesterday after be- ing run over in Paola. A Nigerian driver, from Tarx- ien, was driving a Volkswagen Polo when the accident hap- pened. The woman was taken to Ma- ter Dei, where she was certified to be suffering from serious in- juries. Reports on social media have shown that the woman was run over after exiting her own shop. Upon opening the door to her car, the Volkswagen Polo ran into her, knocking her to the ground and trapping her under the car. A woman and two children, a one-year-old and a three-year- old, were also in the Volkswagen Polo. The passengers and driver were physically unharmed. Police investigations are con- tinuing. A taste of Maltese history Salted meat sausage was a staple of the Maltese peasantry (top). Chef Josef Baldaccino (left) is an enthusiastic researcher of old recipes, which Heritage Malta and the Malta Tourism Authority are currently promoting as yet another segment of Malta's rich heritage "We're experimenting with these ingredients to bring the most authentic taste of 18th Century Maltese cuisine"