Maltese bread for all

I cannot understand why something so good and wholesome, the pride of our kitchen, the piece of Malta many miss most when away from home for long, is always debated and written about in such controversial manner.

Over the years, our humble loaf has been the cause of strikes, heated discussions, boycotts, TV programmes and countless newspaper articles... incredible, when it was all about a ha'penny or a penny ,sometimes a few mils!

Today, thankfully, we no longer speak of the breadline. Even the poorest of our brethren are sustained by more than a crust of bread. Our daily bread is no longer blessed, it is no longer a meal in itself but solely an accompaniment. People no longer depend on bread to stave off hunger. Yet, bakers recently aired concern that, with their flour no longer subsidised and the price of fuel rising, they could no longer cope and cover their costs.

For God's sake, all they have to do is increase the price of their bread! No ferocious government department, shoppers' guardians, consumer associations are going to descend upon them in fury, accusing them of exploiting the working class and threatening the old with starvation. If they did, they would first have to do likewise with the scores of bakers and industrial bakeries who bake thousands of loaves of fancy bread, Tal-Franċiż, day in day out. Not to mention the several importers of bread or frozen baguettes and the like, all of which, weight for weight, are sold at considerably higher prices than a ħobża (loaf). For crying out loud, we live in a free market with self-regulating prices based on consumer demand. I can see no reason whatsoever for the ħobża to stop selling if its price is increased by some cents to reach acceptable market levels.

Traditional bakers must not be afraid to take this step as long as they continue with the same quality of product. Crisp and crusty on the outside and light and aerated within, a good ħobża remains almost as fresh and sometimes tastier the next day. Alas, one can be easily taken in by an impressive exterior only to cut it open and find a thick spongy dough. In Gozo, for instance, I have not eaten good bread for several years now.

What the bakers' association must do is organise their marketing and distribution. They must see that all the members are producing the real McCoy, label their bread - no plastic bags, please, these suffocate the texture - and find a way to take it into all the big and not so big food stores on a regular basis.

Malta has very, very good bread. Malta is a very small country. There should be no problem whatsoever for good bread to be available to whoever wants to buy it without having to drive to the next village. Similarly, effective distribution and common sense will see this superior product offered in every hotel and restaurant to the delight of foreigner and local alike.

Surely, they are organised enough to seek government help or an EU grant for whatever administrative or financial assistance they may require to move forward. If they achieve this ,then the traditional bakeries may come to a point when they won't even be able to cope .

Come on boys don't underestimate yourselves, you deserve every cent you can make for the long , inconvenient hours of back-breaking work you put into your job. Go for it!