Qassatat – small ricotta or pea pies – have been part of Malta’s food culture since the time of the Knights of St John. Kristina Chetcuti sinks her teeth into one in an attempt to establish whether quality is in constant decline.

Judging by the queue, you would think a sale is on at Crystal Palace Bar in Rabat. It’s only 7 a.m. on a weekday, but the flow of men – for the clientele is conspicuously male – doesn’t ebb: it is rush hour for those hankering after a pastizzi-and-qassat breakfast washed down with a ‘glass’ of tea.

Unfortunately the quality of most foods is deteriorating – not just qassatat

The owner of the bar-cum-pastizzerija, Martin Azzopardi, 56, has been behind the counter since he was 14 years old. His father, who ran the bar before him, was affectionately known as Is-Serkin – which means jockey in Maltese – for his nimble fast service.

“The minute you set foot on the doorstep, you’d already have your pastizzi in hand,” recalls an old Rabat farmer. He is eating a ricotta pie and says it will keep him going till lunchtime.

Previously a favourite among older generations, the qassata is making a bit of a comeback among younger ones. “Everyone is more health conscious nowadays and qassatat are less fatty than pastizzi,” Mr Azzopardi said.

There are three types of pie: ricotta, pea, and the ‘seasonal’ spinach filling which was traditionally sold during Advent, Lent and specific days of the week, like Fridays, when meat and milk products were prohibited by the Church.

Of late, however, people have been complaining about the declining quality of qassatat.

“The current product in Malta and Gozo is insipid and inedible … the ricotta filling is cheap ‘ersatz’ stuff that puts you off,” reader Edwin Calleja from Balzan wrote to The Sunday Times.

These claims do not perturb Mr Azzopardi, who insists that the ‘Serkin’ recipe – a family secret – has never been altered.

“This pastizzerija has been in the family for almost 70 years and in all these years our qassata has never changed,” he says.

These little pies certainly cannot be blamed for the recent bad news that Malta’s men place on top of the EU-27 obesity list. The pies were around way before the concept of obesity was even dreamt of.

In fact, their origins can be traced back the 16th century, according to Carmel Cassar, cultural historian at the University of Malta.

“We cannot say precisely when the qassata, as we know it, became popular in Malta. But there is evidence of the popularity of oven-baked filled pastries in Malta at least since the 16th century. We know that the familiars of the Grand Master were entitled to collect food from the Palace kitchens, and since this food had to be carried around it was conveniently encased in pastry.”

The original concept, Prof. Cassar said, emerged from the old Italian term ‘pasticcio’ which means pastry with a filling. “The form of the qassata is not unique to Malta; it forms part of the traditional foods of Italy. It is the filling that makes the Maltese qassata unique as it reflects on the taste and culinary inclinations of the Maltese,” he says.

Does he think that there has been a decline in quality? “Unfortunately the quality of most foods is deteriorating – not just qassatat,” said Prof. Cassar, who is also a leader of the Slow Food Movement Malta.

He believes we are fast “losing our sense of taste and smell” and consequently are creating foods that taste and smell the same.

“We are even ‘inventing traditions for example, ricotta, which was originally made of sheep’s milk is now produced from cows’ milk. Obviously this leads to a change in taste and quality,” he says.

Due to the globalisation of trade, the production of food for domestic consumption decreased and industrial processing and commercial standardisation of foods has become the norm. This, believes Prof. Cassar, has changed the language of cookery.

“Food preparation has become to a certain extent, uniform and homogeneous, and possibly rather monotonous and less creative than ever before,” he says.

Pippa Mattei, chef and author of books on Maltese food, agrees: “I am not an expert on qassatat, as I do not have a perfect recipe. However, I do know a good one when I eat it and I haven’t had a really good one in a long while.”

She believes that the change in taste nowadays stems from the pastry.

“Really good pastry is made with a mixture of butter and lard. Now because of health conditions like high cholesterol and so on, pastry makers are shying away from the use of lard,” Ms Mattei said.

Pastry cannot be the same without the lard: “It’s a pity because really if one refrains from eating in excess, it will not be harmful.”

Mark Camilleri, chef and part-owner of Fifth Flavour catering company, said that quality was always a determinant even for the ‘humble’ qassata.

“However, to say the qassata is deteriorating is a bit harsh,” he said, refusing to accept that pastizzeriji are resorting to using a cheap imitation of ricotta.

“It’s more the use of bulking agents that increases the total volume of filling and helps reduce cost – this could have an effect on the overall taste,” Mr Camilleri said.

He suggests a “framework” to create “parameters” for traditional products to ensure that the proper ingredients and cooking methods are used.

Till then, he recommends buying qassatat as fresh as possible as reheating affects the taste of the ricotta.

Back at Crystal Palace, the next batch of qassatat is out of the oven, just the right shade of gold. The ricotta tastes like creamy warm cottage cheese, the pastry is crumbly with a perfect tilt of saltiness. Long live the qassata.