For the perfect cup of coffee you need coffee beans, a coffee pot made of copper... and to know how to recite the Apostles’ Creed, according to a 17th century document found at the National Archives.

Coffee, it was recommended, should be drunk after the process of decantation, which takes as long as it takes to recite the prayer.

This will be one of the documents that food researcher Noel Buttigieg will be speaking about later this week in a public event at the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa.

And while he shares information about Maltese recipes from the 1660s to the 1740s, chef Josef Baldacchino will be cooking chocolate and coffee biscuits as well as brewing up two drinks that Malta pioneered in Europe using these same ingredients.

Although he cannot recreate the final products, because ingredients and utensil materials have changed, Mr Baldacchino will remain as faithful as he can to the recipes.

Making the special Maltese chocolate biscuits.

“Our expectations and tastes have also changed. Biscottini, for example, were flourless, and once they’re baked, they look more like sponge than a biscuit.

“You’ll also bite into coffee granules, something not everyone will find pleasant nowadays.

“Also, the recipes we’ll be referring to don’t list the actual amounts of the ingredients but say, for example, ‘add enough coffee for two’ or pour ‘a walnut-sized’ chunk of batter into a paper cup.”

Chocolate and coffee are mentioned in documents found in other archives too, “which help piece together the jigsaw puzzle of information that we have of that era,” Dr Buttigieg said.

The two ingredients served to satisfy the Inquisitor’s sweet tooth, as documented in inventories at the palace which speak of an assortment of tools used in the kitchen, including ice-cream moulds.

The meticulous inventories show that the kitchen was well-equipped to satisfy lavish tastes. It had an array of utensils some of which are still used in today’s recipes, like pots and whisks to prepare chocolate and coffee.

“The sea did not isolate Malta, but rather, it connected the island to countries that exported products to Europe such as coffee from Africa, chocolate from the Americas and tea from Asia.

“Malta too exported a delicacy which has since gone extinct – a cheeselet called ħaxix ir-riħ made from sheep’s milk, wrapped in grass and preserved in white wine,” Dr Buttigieg said.

Coffee, he explained, was a common drink in Malta, served also in cafes and taverns, while chocolate was a delicacy enjoyed by the few.

“Chocolate was gifted to dignitaries by the Grand Master of the Order of St John, and even handed as a reward to those who managed to break a three-year organised smuggling of grain, flour and bread from the Order’s bakery.

“Chocolate was taken so seriously that there were even medical treaties looking into the effects of its fat, for example.”

“The kitchen is an integral part of the museum’s experience,” said curator Kenneth Cassar, adding that similar events are planned.

The sensory experience is meant to breathe some life in the palace’s kitchens, which are being restored, and the proceeds will help refurnish the rooms back to their busy days.

Cookalong

The historic cookalong, including the presentation by Dr Buttigieg (pictured) and the tasting session, will take place at the Inquisitor’s Palace on Thursday at 7.30pm.

An exhibition organised by Heritage Malta, showing how the inquisitors spent their days on the island, comes to an end on May 3: entrance will be free on Sunday.

Tickets for the event are available from http://shop.heritagemalta.org/index.asp?eventid=291 and more information can be obtained on 2166 3731.