A plea for pastizzi

The legal adviser to the Malta Standards Authority (MSA) has executed a useful and informative public service exercise by unfolding with considerable detail to readers the comprehensive organisation and various functions of the five divisions of the MSA (Maintaining standards, October 25).

In her concluding exposition "readers are encouraged to contact the MSA regarding its operations, regulations, and standard-related activities".

Arising out of the latter point could the customers please have, if possible, a regulating standard of some sort as regards our national delicacy, the common and popular humble pastizzi.

The quality (not to mention the price) of these vary so much in different towns and villages from quite good to fairly good to downright execrable; such as some of those flat and round ones which not uncommonly contain just a minute dab of rikotta-filling.

Concurrently the tourism authority should also step in, take a hand, and energetically and enthusiastically run an appropriate campaign by advertising and making this particular Maltese food item familiar to and popular with the thousands of tourists and other foreign visitors.

It is after all an inexpensive, fast-food, take-away, available everywhere, and a quite wholesome delicacy; it is little Malta's answer to the parvenu Italian pizza and McDonald's multinational hamburger franchises.