User talk:Maramaltija

Maltese cuisine
You have not used my Talk page to talk to me but sent messages via the edit summary instead of describing your edit.

However I am happy to discuss.

I believe the Lead to an article on a National cuisine needs to be accurate and to place the cuisine within its historical context.

In my view Links to the History of Malta demonstrate why Maltese cuisine has influences :

1 - from the Arab period (call it Moorish if you prefer) of 870 to 1091

2 - from the long period (just under 440 years starting in 1091) when Malta was ruled from Sicily.

3 - from the period within that, from 1283 until the Knights arrived in 1530, when it was ruled by the Aragonese (today Spanish).

These are historical facts not opinions.

The time line from the History of Malta page on Wikipedia shows that the Greek presence in Malta was fleeting - mention of a Greek colony round 700 BC, which happends to be the date when the Greeks colonised Siracusa in Sicily.

By the way we get all our Maltese pies and pastizzi and pastries from the Spanish, just like Sicily, where they even call them "Impanata" from the Spanish "Empanada" not "Torta Salata" as in the rest of Italy.

And note that Sicily was occupied by Arabs for roughly the same period as Malta and Sicilian cuisine still has Arab influenced dishes to this day

As far as I know Greek cuisine has nearly nothing in common with Maltese bar the fact that both use the produce of the Southern Mediterranean, but if you can tell me about similarities I am genuinely interested to know more.

Maramaltija (talk) 21:02, 21 August 2008 (UTC)


 * The issue in hand is not Greek cuisine; it is the fact you keep changing the cuisinary links to non-cuisinary ones, even though they are describing cuisines! 89.243.203.252 (talk) 21:27, 21 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree the Greek issue is minor.
 * About the Historical Links it is my view, and I think not only mine, that a nation's history is highly relevant to an understanding of its cusine and gastronomy.
 * Cuisines don't come from nowhere they come from a territory and a history and Malta's history is too little known, even by Maltese people.
 * Don't you think understanding Malta's history will be more helpful to those who want to know about Malta Cuisine than reading about other Mediterranean cuisines?
 * I do, because I think most readers who come to this article are likely to know a lot more about Spanish and Italian etc cuisines than they know about Malta's History.
 * Is there a way to include both the Links you want and those I want?
 * Though if you insist on Greek cuisine I will insist on North African cuisine ; - ) JOKE ! Maramaltija (talk) 21:53, 21 August 2008 (UTC)


 * The History of Malta article does for the historical links. The cuisine of Malta is supposed to reflect kitchinary links. The "Malta's past" bit allows the reader to go find out about the history if they want. However, an article about food is supposed to be that - about food. 89.243.203.252 (talk) 22:15, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

Did you not see my response to you asking you how to go forward so as to reach consensus between us?

Yes the Malta Cusine article is about food, about Malta food specifically. It is not about Spanish, Italian etc food.

However let me suggest a compromise where each of us wins some and loses sopme: we keep both my History of Malta time line and your cusine links. In addition I have already accepted your preference for the word Moorish instead of Arab so I would appreciate your removing the Greek Link unless you can justify it. What do you say^Maramaltija (talk) 05:56, 22 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If you wish, until someone gives sources, the Greek link can be removed.
 * Also, just a note: When leaving a new message, you leave it at the bottom of the page, not at the top. ;) 78.146.221.113 (talk) 08:43, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

Did you notice ( addressing 89.243.203.252) how much History is in this Wiki Cuisine article?

There is a *very* substantial Inroductory Section on the History which is oh-so-relevant to gastronomical culture.

I am not sure why the historical references are bothering you so much? Maramaltija (talk) 06:28, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
 * The Italian Cuisine article does not give a list of previous occupiers of the land. This is not a history article - it is a cuisinary one. The wording of the links themselves express who it was that ruled malta - there is no need to give further history links in an article that is supposed to be about food. The simple link to Malta's past will do. 78.146.221.113 (talk) 09:56, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Oh, and it was you who put that information into the Italian cuisine article! It was removed by another user, but I can assure you I would have removed myself if they had not got there first. I suggest you study the way articles are written before trying to use your own "method". 78.146.221.113 (talk) 20:07, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

See debate. 89.243.57.7 (talk) 19:26, 3 September 2008 (UTC)