Facts About Pastizz
A pastizz is a traditional savoury pastry from Malta. Pastizzi usually have a filling either of ricotta or mushy peas. Pastizzi are a popular and well-known traditional Maltese food.
Preparation
Pastizzi are usually diamond-shaped or round-shaped and made with a pastry very much like the Greek phyllo pastry (although there is also a puff pastry version). The pastry is folded in different ways according to the filling. They are typically baked on metal trays in electric or gas ovens in a pastizzeria, usually a small or family concern. They are also sold in bars, cafes and by street vendors.
Culinary export
Pastizzi are also produced by Maltese immigrant communities in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. The first pastizzeria in Scotland opened in 2007.
Pastizzi in the Maltese language
Such is its popularity, the word "pastizzi" has multiple meanings in Maltese. It is used as a euphemism for the female sexual organ, due to its shape, and for describing someone as an "idiot". The Maltese idiom jinbiegħu bħall-pastizzi (selling like pastizzi) is equivalent to the English "selling like hot cakes", to describe a product which seems to have inexhaustible demand. Things which are jinħarġu bħall-pastizzi, coming out like pastizzi, can be said to be emerging at a fast rate, sometimes too quickly.