Ingredients
Bread
- 1large Maltese sourdough loaf
- or 1 large crusty sourdough
- cut into thick slices
To rub
- 4ripe tomatoes, halved
- 4 tablespoonskunserva
- Maltese tomato paste
- or 4 tablespoons tomato paste with a pinch of sugar
- plenty of good olive oil
To top
- 2 tinstuna in oil, drained
- 100 gblack olives, pitted
- 3 tablespoonscapers, rinsed
- 1onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoonschopped mint
- salt and black pepper
Sometimes added
- bigilla, broad bean paste
- gbejniet, Maltese cheeselets
- anchovies
- sliced hard boiled egg
Directions
- Use a proper olive oil rather than a bland one. Use tuna packed in oil rather than in water. Use tomatoes that actually taste of something. Preparing the capers takes a moment.
- Soak them for ten minutes and rinse again. Brined capers need only a quick rinse. Taste one to check the saltiness. Slice the onion as thinly as you can.
- Soak the slices in cold water for ten minutes. That takes the harsh raw bite out of them. Drain them and pat them fully dry. Cut thick slices from the loaf. Aim for about two centimetres thick.
- Cut one ripe tomato clean in half. Rub the cut side hard against the bread. Press down and work it across the surface. Keep going until the bread is stained red.
- Discard the skin left in your hand. Use one tomato half per slice. Spread a layer of kunserva over the bread. Do not be shy with the quantity.
- Pour olive oil generously over the bread. It should soak in visibly at once. Flake the drained tuna over the bread. Scatter the olives over the top. Scatter the rinsed capers over that.
- Lay the sliced onion across the top. Scatter the chopped mint over everything. Season it with salt and black pepper. Finishing it takes one more step. Grind black pepper over it generously. Serving it is done immediately. Assemble each one as you eat it.
Technique
- Kunserva is Maltese concentrated tomato paste, thicker and sweeter than ordinary paste, traditionally sun-dried and sold in tins and tubes; ordinary tomato paste with a pinch of sugar approximates it.
- A cut tomato is rubbed hard against the crust so the bread grates it, taking in the pulp and juice while the skin stays in your hand; the technique is shared with Catalan pa amb tomaquet and gives far more flavour than spreading.
- There are very few components, so each one has to be good: a proper olive oil, tuna packed in oil rather than water, and tomatoes that actually taste of something.
Substitutions
- Any good crusty sourdough stands in for Maltese bread.
- Ordinary tomato paste with a pinch of sugar replaces kunserva.
Variations
- Bigilla, the broad bean paste, is spread underneath in some households.
- Gbejniet cheeselets or anchovies are added by others.
- A version with no tuna at all is eaten as a plainer snack.
History
Maltese sourdough rubbed with kunserva tomato paste and oil, topped with tuna, olives and capers; a workers’ and children’s snack.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ħobż biż-żejt?
Ħobż biż-żejt is a snack from Malta: crusty bread rubbed with tomato paste, tuna, capers, oil. Maltese sourdough rubbed with kunserva tomato paste and oil, topped with tuna, olives and capers; a workers’ and children’s snack.
How long does Ħobż biż-żejt take to make?
Ħobż biż-żejt takes 20 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Ħobż biż-żejt?
Yes, within limits. Any good crusty sourdough stands in for Maltese bread. Ordinary tomato paste with a pinch of sugar replaces kunserva.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ħobż biż-żejt?
Use a proper olive oil rather than a bland one. Use tuna packed in oil rather than in water. Use tomatoes that actually taste of something. Preparing the capers takes a moment.
