Summer is round the corner, and nothing says “sajf” like a cup of cold tasty slush. And since ice cream vans are already playing the Maltese summer soundtrack, today we look back at Malta’s relationship with cold summer desserts.
It’s 3pm on a quiet August Saturday. The heat outside is unbearable, and you are comfortable indoors under the continuous whirling sound of your trusted fan. All of a sudden, you hear the sweet melody of the ice cream van round the corner. Nothing beats the speed at which we put on our flip-flops to rush out to meet our beloved granita. If this sounds very Maltese to you, that’s because it is.
Summers in Malta have always been tough. Back in the days of the Order, the Maltese already had a tasty, icy dessert to beat the heat. Back then, sorbets were the craze all over the island. One problem though. Where did the ice come from?
The keen observer may have noticed that for all their grand buildings, majestic fortresses and fine art, the Knights did not have refrigerators. But they had very fast ships.
Enter the Tartana della Neve.
The Tartana della Neve is the modern-day equivalent of a speed boat. It was able to travel from Malta to Sicily in under 12 hours. The Maltese were so crazy about their sorbets, that they purchased their own caves on top of Mount Etna to harvest ice there.
The process is a showcase of production efficiency. A contractor oversaw the supply of ice all year round and paid a fine for every day he failed to deliver it. With ice, especially in summer, time is of the essence. On top of the Etna, it would be compressed, packed, loaded onto mules and boarded on the Tartana, which would lie in wait at port.
In 1770 the merchant in charge of this whole enterprise was Salvatore Vella. He had his ‘ice depot’ just where today we have Victoria Gate. From there, all the ice cream makers and confectioners of Valletta bough their ice. The ice would also be used to treat patients at the Knights’ Sacra Infermeria.
We even have evidence of the first documented gelateria – under the arches in Valletta, and the first sorbet recipe book – by Michele Mercieca, written in 1748. So, what would a sorbet have tasted like?
In 1746, Grand Master Pinto, while overlooking his fleet sailing out of the Grand Harbour, ordered a refreshing, bitter, bergamot orange sorbet. This sorbet was made from bergamot orange trees at Verdala, sugar imported from the Caribbean, cinnamon from the Pacific, Sicilian ice and of course, a touch of Maltese flair.
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