Childhood memories simmered and then bubbled in my mind as a coppery coloured karamella melted in my mouth. Its distinct luscious taste reminded me of the sheer relief and delight I felt as a child when this carob caramel delicacy was the only sweet which I was allowed to enjoy during Lent.

“Our karamelli are genuine because they are made with real carobs and not simply with their essence,” explained Robert Caruana.

“We pick the carobs in August, before the first rain. The carobs are stored in sacks and left in a ventilated place so that they will not rot. Then, around January, my father Carmelo starts crushing them with an old, manually driven machine – then right before carnival, we take the granulated carobs into the kitchen and we start working on the sweets.”

Originally carobs were diced but over time, Caruana realised that crushing them into smaller pieces helped him to extract a stronger and more aromatic syrup.

“The night before I plan to make karamelli, I boil water in a cooking pot and I add some crushed carobs into it together with cinnamon sticks and cloves.

“When the mixture is ready, I leave it to cool – in the process, it becomes thicker and richer. Then the next day, I warm up the carob julep and use it to cook the caramel syrup for karamelli.”

The karamelli recipe is quite simple and calls for just three ingredients: carob julep, glucose and sugar. Yet the secret lies in the skill to mix the right quantities and in knowing the right time when the syrup is ready. A minute less or a minute more could result in an uncooked mixture or in an overburnt one.

“A lower temperature would result in a white syrup which does not harden whereas an overcooked syrup will blacken and become bitter.”

I watched Caruana and his son André working swiftly around the two cooking pots which were brewing on a cooker.

“You have to be quick because you have only a few minutes to work in between one pot and another,” said André who by now has acquired his father’s skills.

A little oil is drizzled on the marble surface and a piece of greaseproof paper is then laid down. Then a metal rectangular shape is placed on top of the paper and the searing caramel syrup is poured into it.

Andrè̀ Caruana with a chunk of karamelli.Andrè̀ Caruana with a chunk of karamelli.

The secret lies in the skill to mix the right quantities and in knowing the right time when the syrup is ready

“It is important to pour the same level of syrup all around the area because otherwise you will not be able to cut the karamelli pieces out correctly,” Caruana said, as he allowed the mixture to cool for around three minutes and then started cutting the concoction with a big metal roller pin with circular blades.

As the roller pin criss-crossed on to the rectangular mixture, a chunk of the karamelli pieces took shape. This was loosened from the greaseproof paper by a large knife and then it was time to separate the sweets and bag them, ready for selling.

In the past, every sweet would be wrapped individually in greaseproof paper – these would then be placed in a paper bag. Caruana says the process is nowadays more efficient.

Robert Caruana cutting out karamelli with a roller pin.Robert Caruana cutting out karamelli with a roller pin.

“It was very laborious, slow and impractical but for many years it had always been done like that and we only needed a small amount to sell ourselves. At the time, we would start cooking them from a month before and several helpers were required to pack karamelli individually. By the time they were sold, the sweets would stick to the paper and at times it was difficult to unwrap them again.”

Today, Caruana has to produce loads of karamelli since apart from selling them himself, he also has to meet the considerable orders from shops, at times even foreign ones.

“We are renowned for traditional sweets,” his wife Marie said. Together with her father-in-law, she helps in the packing.

“Our most popular product is nougat but we also produce figolli, kwareżimal, pudina, torta ta’ San Martin, prinjolata and other sweets.”

Her husband and son produce the sweets but she is the one who sells them.

Although this job requires much dedication and long hours, all family members take pride in their work.

“Not many of us remain now. We have taken over similar renowned businesses which have closed down such as that of Ġanni l-Għawdxi. From time to time, we still receive similar offers as the owners decide to retire.”

Luckily, the takeover of such businesses involves also the sharing of old recipes and this means that traditional products such as those of Ġanni l-Għawdxi are preserved and can still be produced and enjoyed. Even their brand name Beehive was inherited from a previous owner.

Robert Caruana pouring caramel syrup as his father Carmelo watches.Robert Caruana pouring caramel syrup as his father Carmelo watches.

“From a very young age, I worked part-time with Karmenu Baldacchino who was the confectioner who in 1948 created the brand Beehive, also known as Iż-Żebbuġi Hawn. His cousin was also a confectioner known as Petrell, Iż-Żebbuġi Hawn, and he was my uncle. In 1990, I took over Karmenu’s business when he decided to retire and I left my full-time job to dedicate myself completely to this work. Eventually, I also bought Petrell’s business but I only used the Beehive brand.”

This was a decision which brought contentment, pride and satisfaction in Caruana’s life since he has now succeeded to run a family business into which he also managed to involve one of his sons.

“It is a privilege to be able to keep a tradition alive and we are doing our best to safeguard the folklore of Maltese traditional sweets.”

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