Gozitan Ftira

Il-Ftira is a flattened sourdough bread made from the same dough as the Maltese loaf, shaped into a ring or a disc and baked hot. On Malta it is most often split and filled with tuna, olives, capers, tomato and oil; on Gozo it is more usually made flat and topped before baking, with potato, onion, sausage and cheese, closer to a pizza than a sandwich. The culinary art and culture around it were inscribed by UNESCO in 2020.

What you actually see

• The Gozitan style - topped and baked flat with potato, onion, sausage and cheese.
• The Maltese style - split and filled with tuna, olives, capers and tomato.
• The sourdough - the same naturally leavened dough as the Maltese loaf.
• The wood ovens - the stone ovens the older bakeries still use.

When to go

Year round; bakeries produce through the day and the best come out hot. Village bakeries on Gozo are where the traditional versions are found. Sundays are quiet.

Honest expectations

Much sold as ftira in tourist areas is a pizza base under another name. The Gozitan and Maltese versions are quite different and visitors often expect one and get the other. Traditional wood ovens are becoming rare.

Nearby

Victoria has several bakeries, and Xaghra and Nadur have village ones.