A pastizz (plural ''pastizzi'') is a traditional savoury

pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" sugges ...

from

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Pastizzi usually have a filling either of

ricotta Ricotta ( in Italian) is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after th ...

(''tal-ħaxu'', ''pastizzi tal-irkotta'', cheese cake) or

curried peas In mathematics and computer science, currying is the technique of translating the evaluation of a Function (mathematics), function that takes multiple Parameter (computer science), arguments into evaluating a sequence of functions, each with a sin ...

(, pea cake). Pastizzi are a popular and well-known traditional Maltese food. It should not be confused with the Italian pastizz, better known as

U' pastizz 'rtunnar U' pastizz 'rtunnar, commonly known as pastizz, is a baked turnover (food), turnover with a savoury filling, typical of the Italian Basilicata region. Meaning It is a Basilicata, Lucanian dialect noun, roughly translated in "The pastry of Rotonde ...

Preparation

Pastizzi are usually diamond-shaped or round (known as ''pastizzi tax-xema in Maltese) and made with a pastry very much like the Greek

filo pastry Filo or phyllo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Filo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with oil or butter; the pastry is t ...

(although there is also a

puff pastry Puff pastry, also known as ', is a flaky light pastry made from a laminated dough composed of dough (') and butter or other solid fat ('). The butter is put inside the dough (or vice versa), making a ' that is repeatedly folded and rolled out befo ...

version). The pastry is folded in different ways according to the filling, as a means of identification. Traditionally, cheese cakes (stuffed with ricotta) are folded down the middle, whereas pea cakes are folded down the side. They are typically baked on metal trays in electric or gas ovens in a ''pastizzerija'', usually a small or family concern. They are also sold in bars, cafes and by street vendors. They are a popular breakfast in outer villages.

Culinary export

Pastizzi are also produced by Maltese immigrant communities in Australia,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the UK and the US. The first pastizzeria in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

opened in 2007.Maltese meat pies
''British Baker'', 12 October 2007

In the Maltese language

Such is its popularity, the word "pastizzi" has multiple meanings in Maltese.Fabri, Ray (2009
''Maltese linguistics: a snapshot; in memory of Joseph A. Cremona (1922-2003)''
Bochum: Brockmeyer p.44 It is used as a euphemism for the female sexual organ, due to its shape, and for describing someone as a "pushover". The Maltese idiom (selling like pastizzi) is equivalent to the English "selling like hot cakes", to describe a product which seems to have inexhaustible demand. Things which are (coming out like pastizzi) can be said to be emerging at a fast rate, sometimes too quickly.Dibattiti tal-Kamra tad-Deputati (Rapport Uffiċjali u Rivedut): L-Għaxar Parlament, Seduta Nru. 311, It-Tlieta, 1 ta’ Novembru, 2005
(in Maltese). Stampat fl-Uffiċċju ta' l-Iskrivan, Kamra tad-Deputati. Accessed January 2012. "Debates of the House of Representatives ... 1 November 2005"

References

External links

Malta`s official tourism portal - Food and Drink
{{pastries Maltese cuisine Pastries Cheese dishes Legume dishes National dishes

Preparation

Culinary export

In the Maltese language

See also

References

External links