The Great Maltese Mix-Up at the Mdina Medieval Festival

When Pastizzi Met Knights

Uwejja! Picture this: the sun was blaring down on the ancient cobbled streets of Mdina. The Medieval Festival was in full swing, with tourists and locals alike dressed in their finest chainmail and robes. It was shaping up to be a splendid day until our hero – a wiry, eccentric festa enthusiast named Toni l-Briju – found himself in the middle of a hilarious historical hiccup, worthy of a ‘Times of Mela’ exclusive.

Sporting a helmet that was a couple sizes too big for his head, Toni had one job: to ensure that the stand selling freshly made pastizzi was well-stocked for the famished faux-fighters. But as he navigated the narrow medieval thoroughfares, burdened by baskets of the flaky snacks, fate had other plans for him.

The Plot Thickens with Ħobż biż-Żejt

Meanwhile, in another corner of the silent city, a local Instagram influencer by the name of Fabrizia l-Għaġina, famed for her #MalteseMunchies series, was preparing to broadcast her latest culinary venture. She was about to introduce her followers to the timeless Maltese delicacy, ħobż biż-żejt, when Toni collided into her, creating an explosion of olives, capers, tuna, and pastry.

“Kollox mixed up!” exclaimed Fabrizia as she tried to salvage what now looked like medieval party food. “Hey world, or should I say, ‘l-Art Imqaddsa’, behold the creation of ‘Pastizzi biz-Zejt!’

The Twist of Fates (and Plates)

As the crowds began to gather, drawn by the commotion and the curious new aroma, the hustle and bustle unleashed chaos. A mischievous pet parrot named Ziggy, owned by an old sailor from Gozo, was let loose inadvertently and started mimicking the festival’s battle cries. This caused a chain reaction of laughter and even more confusion amongst the armour-clad actors and spectators.

A knight, who introduced himself as Sir Walter il-Waħx, mistook the parrot’s squawking for a signal to commence an unscheduled ‘siege’ on the food stall, leading a charge of famished reenactors towards Toni and Fabrizia.

The Siege of the Snack Stand

Armed with plastic swords and a hunger for hilarity, the mock battle turned into an impromptu food fight, launching chunks of the ‘Pastizzi biz-Zejt’ across the limestone bastions. The scrumptious mishaps caught the eye of a roaming TV crew, who decided that this needed to be immortalized in a special feature about the added ‘flavour’ of this year’s festival.

The Unexpected Heroes of Mdina

Just when it seemed the pastry pandemonium couldn’t get any wilder, Toni seized the moment. Playing up to the camera, he declared himself the rightful ‘Pastizzier of Mdina’ and began a dramatic re-telling of a totally made-up Maltese legend where pastizzi saved the island from an invasion of tasteless snacks.

Fabrizia, seeing an opportunity, joined in with her own twist. She convinced the spectators that the ‘Pastizzi biz-Zejt’ was an ancient Maltese treat, hidden from the world until this fateful day. Together, they whipped the crowd into a frenzy, with locals and tourists alike chanting for more of the unexpected treat.

Signing off with a Smile

As night fell on Mdina, the Medieval Festival ended with roars of laughter and the accidental inception of a new ‘traditional’ snack. The Times of Mela caught up with Toni and Fabrizia post-festivities for a joint statement.

“Mela, my friends, sometimes it takes a little mix-up to bring people together,” Toni said, his eye barely visible under the oversized helmet.

“Uwejja, it’s all about embracing the unexpected – and today, we made history delicious!” Fabrizia concluded, while scrolling through a flood of notifications on her phone promoting the next big Maltese food fusion.

In the weeks that followed, the legend of the ‘Pastizzi biz-Zejt’ found its way onto menus across the island, and Mdina’s Medieval Festival was earmarked as the birthplace of an entirely new chapter in Maltese culinary lore. As for Toni and Fabrizia? They became the unlikely food heroes of Malta, with plans already underway for a ‘Toni and Fabrizia’s Mdina Mix-Up’ food stall at the next festa.

Stay tuned with Times of Mela for more tongue-in-cheek updates, where history, hilarity, and pastizzi mix in the most curious ways!