February 3, 2019
Dr Noel Buttigieg, food historian and educator, will explore selected artefacts from the Refectory, Kitchen and Dining Room at Palazzo Falson and delves deeper into the stories of their function in everyday life. The story telling of traditional foodways includes the Maltese practices of harvesting, the preservation of food, its preparation to present and serve at the table. These practices define our culture and identity.
The series of four talks will be held at Palazzo Falson from 6:30pm to 8:00pm, including some leisure time to discuss further with the expert over a glass of wine. The talks may be taken up as a whole or as stand-alone talks.
Session 1: Thursday 7th, Pleasures of Preserving
Session 2: Tuesday 12th, Worth Weighing: Cheat me not!
Session 3: Thursday 21st, Power of Preparation Practices
Session 4: Thursday 28th, Conflicting Culinary Consumption
Donation Per Session:
EUR 20
EUR 10 (Friend of Palazzo Falson)
Donation for all Sessions:
EUR 65
EUR 35 (Friend of Palazzo Falson)
Booking is required. Kindly send us an email on
bookings@palazzofalson.com to secure your place. See detailed programme below:
Session 1: Thursday 7th, Pleasures of Preserving
Inspiration is taken from harvesting scenes depicted on the Maiolica tiles of the Taverna’s fireplace and from other artefacts that were used for the preservation processes of curing, salting, fermentation and drying for storage.
Session 2: Tuesday 12th, Worth Weighing: Cheat me not!
Palazzo Falson‘s collection of weights and measures in the Refectory reveal the necessity of valuing products that could not be counted by the piece. These measuring instruments were controlled by the authorities to provide accurate and fixed measures for the clients, but was it always the case? Was cheating a common practice and was equilibrium achieved?
Session 3: Thursday 21st, Power of Preparation Practices
The Palazzo‘s Kitchen has an impressive display of copper pots and pans covering the walls with traditional culinary cooking utensils that passed through generations. These cooking implements have their own importance in making delicious dishes, including the authentic earthenware ‘Baqra’ for rabbit stew and the jelly moulds with the Maltese Cross.
Session 4: Thursday 28th, Conflicting Culinary Consumption
The Refectory gives us a fusion of foodways of traditional Maltese feast expressed in the terracotta taverna ensemble while, in the Dining Room, is an example of the fine dining experience, with an exquisite display of rare silverware and glassware. Stories of curious objects will be explored in detail.
For more information click here.
