The year is 1799. Malta has been plunged into a civil war. The French have retreated within the walls of Valletta and the Three Cities. Meanwhile, the British blockade has succeeded in cutting off all supplies to the beleaguered garrison. The situation is dire, yet a confident General Vaubois is "resolved to defend this fortress to the very end."
Whilst the local populace is reduced to eating rats and whatever other protein source they can get their hands on, under cover of darkness, French soldiers organise a sortie to purloin a donkey from a nearby farm which they then sell at the market in Bormla.
The unfortunate donkey ends up in a nourishing stew. Sautéed in olive oil, onions, garlic, and slow-cooked with coriander and wine to become 'Stuffat tal-ħmar', the stew is served with a coarse but tasty flatbread. Reserves of grain in the granaries have been steadily dwindling, and thus the bread has been kneaded from a number of cereals, including oats, spelt, flax seeds, and wheat bran.
Taking their cue from the tumultuous events surrounding the genesis of a nation, Heritage Malta's 'Taste History' initiative transports you back in time to sample what General Vaubois might have eaten in 1799, just months before his capitulation to the British in 1800.
There might be a blockade on, but the French need to keep their spirits up, and with a superlative culinary heritage, they naturally begin with their bellies.
The 'blockade menu' is just one of the many bespoke meals inspired by artefacts and historical documents that Taste History recreates for private events. Catering for small intimate celebrations to corporate gatherings of up to 80 guests, the Taste History team of curators and chefs organise exclusive, tailor-made meals and banquets to suit every occasion. Prospective guests may select from a catalogue of historical meals, seasonal ingredients, and an extensive portfolio of unique historical venues comprising palaces, forts, museums, and auberges to stage your special occasion in.
A manuscript entitled 'Lo Stato Politico di Malta' (The Political State of Malta) lies open on pages 77 and 78 under a glass case in the dining hall of the Maritime Museum in Birgu, Malta. A list of ingredients and their inflated prices feature among the entries for 1799. The author Giorgio Mitrovich, a grandson of a Maltese corsair originally from Kotor, was one of the first Maltese to fight for the freedom of the press. The manuscript was first published by Mitrovich in London as an invective against the British who had just taken away the rights of the Maltese with the excuse of liberating them from the French. Events and ingredients recorded in the manuscript provide much of the material for the 'Blockade Menu'.
Guests are welcomed with an aperitif concocted from goat's milk, brandy, honey, and cinnamon; a hot toddy Vaubois would simmer each morning on his silver 'spiritiera' (spirit stove).
An amuse-bouche follows, consisting of aged local Pecorino cheese and Gouda cheese served with Maltese dates and olives accompanied by ship's biscuits. The Pecorino is made from local sheep's milk and aged for three months in a cellar, following a centuries-old tradition, in one of Heritage Malta's sites. Smooth, fresh, and unwrinkled, the dates exclusively sourced for Heritage Malta are rarely cultivated on these Islands. The ship's biscuits, made from flour, water, and salt are a precursor to present-day 'Galletti' (water biscuits).
The next atypical entree on the menu is local tuna cured in sugar and coffeeserved with rucula, dried local figs, radishes, and pickled mango. Barricaded behind their bastions, with no access to local salt pans, the French garrison preserved tuna with what was at hand, in this case, coffee and sugar. The coffee imparts a dark colour to the cured tuna, which has been dried for 48 hours. Although the French would have had no access to mangoes, the blockading British with their East India Trading company links might have had pickled mangoes on board during this period .
A soup made from rehydrated lentils, peas, chickpeas and North African spices is followed by the donkey-stew. Dessert is a date, walnut, and oat cake, complemented by a sweet wine from Venice.
Liquid sustenance in the form of Chablis and San Josef, two French wines found in General Vabois' cellar, provide an added note of authenticity to the meal. Corroborating this fact, a bottle of Chablis dated to the period in question and originating from the Captain of Galley's cellar in Birgu was retrieved from an underwater excavation.
Book your own private event, partake of similar repasts and savour history on your tastebuds by sending an enquiry to clive.cortis@gov.mt
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