The Maltese love a good slice of pizza but are not willing to learn how to make it the proper Italian way, says a Sicilian pizzaiolo who has set up a school in Malta to pass on the tricks of the trade.
Having grown up in Sicily before moving to Malta 10 years ago, pizza maker Angelo Paolini was constantly surrounded by relatives punching flour into pizza dough before throwing it up in air.
“Every member of my family made pizza, my father, my grandfather, even my brother. They selected the best ingredients and put a lot of effort into making every single pizza the best possible one yet,” said Mr Paolini, who has been making pizzas for over 43 years.
Now, the pizzaiolo wants to pass on his knowledge to young Maltese chefs, guiding them on how to make the right dough, which ingredients to choose and what oven they should be baking the pizzas in.
With his brother Giuseppe, Mr Paolini set up the Italia Malta Pizza Association, a school specialising in the teaching of pizza-making, which he runs from his restaurant in Sliema.
Yet while Italians flock to Mr Paolini’s restaurant eager to pick up some of his skills – and he is willing to teach them all he knows – the pizzaiolo is more interested in passing on his techniques to the Maltese.
People here love a good pizza, we serve hundreds of pizzas at my restaurant but for some reason, they’re not interested in learning about what it takes to make a good pizza
“I love Malta, my children were born here and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
“People here love a good pizza, we serve hundreds of pizzas at my restaurant but for some reason, they’re not interested in learning about what it takes to make a good pizza,” Mr Paolini said, eager to share his passion with the community he has come to love.
During the 10-day course Mr Paolini’s school offers, students spend the first few days familiarising themselves with some basic theoretical concepts before actually getting their hands floury.
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“You need to know what you are doing before you can actually start making a pizza. It’s not just about rolling up the dough and putting on the ingredients,” he said, adding that he always makes his dough two days before, giving it time to rest and rise.
While the pizza topping might not be everything, good-quality ingredients are a crucial element to making a good pizza, Mr Paolini said, adding he uses only fresh ingredients, some of which, if unavailable here, he brings over from Sicily every couple of days.
Asked what skills anyone interested in learning his techniques required, Mr Paolini said that the only important trait was passion.
“Every pizzaiolo has his own style. I can’t say do this or do that, because that’s not how you learn. But to make good pizza, you need a lot of passion and love for food.”
La Valletta
In the coming days, Mr Paolini will compete in the annual Italian Pizza Association championship, where he will present his pizzas to over 20 judges, competing with pizza makers from around the world.
And while he will use Italian techniques, he will name his pizzas after the towns of Malta, with his main entry being the La Valletta.
“I will be carrying with me the Maltese flag and so I have decided to name all my pizzas after the beautiful towns. My star entry will be La Valletta, of course, named after the capital.”