Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta

Overview

Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta, is a key part of the cultural heritage of the inhabitants of the Maltese archipelago. Ftira has a thick crust and light internal texture, characterized by large, irregular holes (an open crumb). It is flatter than other Maltese breads and has a hotter baking temperature. The halved loaf is filled with Mediterranean-type ingredients such as olive oil and tomato, tuna, capers and olives. Seasonal variants and inventive twists can also be added. With a name derived from Arabic (fatir, meaning unleavened bread), ftira culture reflects the continuity of intercultural exchange in Malta’s history. Although other kinds of Maltese bread can be made with a mechanized process, skilled bakers are still needed to shape ftira by hand. In the bakery, apprentices learn by watching and doing, and various training programmes also...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities: Malta
Languages: Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories: Malta
Countries: Malta

How the System Works

Music, Performance and Oral Literature Food, Agriculture and Seasonal Practice Migration, Diaspora and Urban Life Ways of Knowing and Knowledge Transmission

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ListsDataset

Open original source record

Field-Level Provenance

title: UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle: UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary: UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type: UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries: UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories: ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships: UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl: UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights: UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

uuida58e2bc7-21b6-4083-bbc1-176b7e378603

ich_public_ref1580

inscription_year2020

title_enIl-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta

title_frLe ftira, art culinaire et culture du pain plat au levain à Malte

type_of_element_enRepresentative List

type_acronymRL

countriesMT

http_url_enhttps://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/01580

concepts_primary_namesBread, Flour, Food preparation

concepts_secondary_namesApprenticeship, Everyday life, Festivals, Formal education, Oven, Social gathering, Trade, Traditional tools, Vocational training

main_image_urlhttps://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/13269-LRG.jpg

main_image_caption_enBaker adding wood to the wood-fired artisan oven. Wood used is to be in it’s natural state as possible

main_image_copyrightKevin Sciberras, 2019

main_image_authorNot supplied

videoshttps://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/NfTGYXMO5jo

images[object Object], [object Object], [object Object]

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

Use this as public discovery metadata only. It does not replace community authority or local access protocols.

Relationships

Bread Flour Food preparation Apprenticeship Everyday life Festivals Formal education Oven Social gathering Trade Traditional tools UNESCO representative list

Review and Corrections

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