Global Cuisine

The Unique Gozitan Experience

Name of Employee: Antoinette Debattista

Age: 40

Nationality: Maltese (Gozitan)

Foodstore Location: Gozo

Role: Foodstore Supervisor

After going around the globe for the past five months, we wanted to shed some light on our local cultures and cuisines too. This month, we interviewed Antoinette Debattista, a supervisor from the Gozo Foodstore at Arkadia, to speak about her upbringing, cultures, and traditions, with a special twist from the sister Island of Gozo. Antoinette has been working with Arkadia for 16 years and she has worked in different departments include both Fashion and Foodstores. Throughout this journey, she has met a lot of new people from whom she has learned and gained experience, as well as found new friends in.

Antoinette describes her upbringing in simple times when children used to play outside and spend time with their large families. Her favourite game was hide and seek (Noli), amongst others like marbles (boċċi) and hopscotch (passju). The Gozitan children also used to enjoy going on outings with local nuns and watching the talented lace-makers work outside on the pavements. Being a Maltese Island, Gozo bases most of its culture and traditions on religion, however, it boasts certain unique aspects such as traditional horse races during titular feasts and the agrarian exhibition for the Feast of the Assumption (Santa Marija). Other non-religious traditions include the popular spontaneous Carnival in Nadur. Gozo is undeniably a beautiful Island with lots of greenery, beaches, and fresh air to enjoy. Its roads see relatively less traffic and less commercialization makes for a more easy-going lifestyle.  

One cannot describe Gozo without speaking of its local cuisine, which is enriched with genuine, locally sourced produce from the Island’s vast areas of fields. One of their highlights is the Gozitan goat cheese (ġbejna), which is incorporated in many traditional recipes like the Easter Qassatat and the recipe provided below. Other popular ingredients in Gozitan cuisine are potatoes, tomatoes, and anchovies. Antoinette chose to share this recipe with us for its health benefits and a taste she wouldn’t trade with any other meal.

Traditional Recipe: Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Stew

Time: 1 hour 30 mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, chopped
• Cooking oil
• Garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (Kunserva)
• 6 medium-sized potatoes, halved
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cauliflower, chopped into four quadrants
• Peas
• 2 eggs
• 4 fresh goat cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

A wide variety of quality ingredients for our recipes are available from Arkadia supermarkets in Malta and Gozo, including Arkadia FoodExpress Swatar and Arkadia Food Market Valletta.

Method:

1. Fry the onions in some cooking oil, add the garlic and let it cook on low heat.

2. Add the tomato paste and let it cook for 15 minutes. Stir from time to time.

3. Place the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and peas into a pot and sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Add water to the pot until half of the cauliflower is submerged.

4. Bring to a boil and let it cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Check the water level from time to time. If it reduces, add some boiling water. Cook for 30 minutes.

5. Add the goat cheese and break the eggs onto the surface. Let it cook for another 30 minutes and serve.

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