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Fermentation Atlas

Cereals and bread from Malta and Gozo

Ftira (Maltese flattened sourdough bread)ftira

Bakers knead the previous day's motherdough (tinsila) into fresh dough, rest it 3 to 4 hours and then flatten and shape ftira by hand. The flat loaves bake for about 20 minutes at 450 °C into a thick crust around a light, open crumb, and are eaten halved and filled. Made in 6 steps over 3.3 h – 4.3 h. The longest step, rest the dough, takes 3–4 h (Malta Culture Directorate 2019).

Key numbers
Main step3–4 hReported[mt-inventory]Rest the dough
Temperature450 °CReported[unesco-nom][mt-inventory]Bake very hot
DocumentedCereals and bread3.3 h – 4.3 hMore cereals and breadMore from Europe

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedBakery process with no published recipe. Ftira is cut from the same dough as other Maltese breads.
Wheat flour · Made from imported wheat; most artisan bakers buy flour milled and mixed in Malta[mt-inventory][unesco-nom]
Motherdough (tinsila) · Dough saved from the previous day, used as the starter[mt-inventory][unesco-nom]
Water and salt · Some bakers have cut the salt for health reasons[unesco-nom]
Filling · Olive oil, tomato or kunserva (tomato paste), tuna, capers, olives, broad beans, pickled onions, peppered sheep's cheese, mint[unesco-nom]
Starter: backslop (motherdough, tinsila, from the previous day)

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.3 h – 4.3 h

Start
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What changes: Yesterday's motherdough is kneaded into a fresh batch of dough

Step 1 of 6
Mix the motherdough into fresh dough
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: fresh dough (għaġna) with the tinsila kneaded in.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Ftira uses the same dough as ħobż tal-Malti but is shaped last, rests less, is flattened by hand and bakes in under 20 minutes at 450 °C. Other Maltese breads bake for at least 90 minutes at a lower oven temperature.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Ftira għawdxija (Gozo)Gozo's ftira, eaten open like a pizza or folded; Wikipedia gives this without a primary source.
  • Sandwich-size ftiraA 15 cm loaf, now made alongside the classic 25 cm ring.

Safety

No safety study of ftira was found. It is a baked bread eaten freshly filled; the fillings, such as tuna and cheese, need the usual care.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The name comes from Arabic fatir. Ftira was entered in Malta's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage as entry 01/2018, approved in June 2018, and UNESCO inscribed "Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta" on its Representative List in 2020 (Decision 15.COM 8.B.39). About 200 bakers make it, and in 1919 protests over the price of flour (Sette Giugno) were an early step toward Maltese self-government.

  1. [unesco-nom] Malta 2020, Nomination file No. 01580 for inscription in 2020 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta, UNESCOgov
  2. [mt-inventory] Malta Culture Directorate 2019, National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, inventory form for il-Ftira (submitted with UNESCO file 01580)gov
  3. [unesco-dec] UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee 2020, Decision 15.COM 8.B.39gov
  4. [wp] Wikipedia, Ftira (Gozo variant only)wiki