Maltese Olive Oil...a perfect ingredient for delicious Mediterranean foods

Hello Merill fans,

Hope you're doing all feeling super. This week we experienced some thundery rain showers in the Malta and this will turn our countryside back to green. Gozo is already beaming with beauty. The trees look fresh filling the air with a relaxing atmosphere. Almost all the olives have been harvested and pressed, now ready to be decanted for the first time. The air feels much cooler and this is a blessing for us who are outdoors most of the time. It was about time to say good bye to the very warm temperatures that accompanied us during our experiences for the past months. 

Maltese Olive oil direct from our farmers

Coming back to olive oil. Maltese extra virgin olive oil has been classified to be one of the best in the world and we're so proud about that. It's a healthier option to butter and has a myriad of healthy ingredients. 

Whether you're just a couple or a group of family, friends and colleagues, you may organise a tasting session with us to discover the health benefits and mouth watering food options. Feel free to drop us a line on info@merillecotours.com for more details :)

Sahha (good health)

Jeanette

Olive Harvest at Tan-Nixxiegha Olive Grove 2013

Chully Harvesting olives at his grove - Photo by Christian Borg

hand picked olives from Tan-Nixxiegha Olive Grove - Photo by Christian Borg

Jeanette holding black olives - Photo by Christian Borg

For more details about our Olive Grove Experience or our Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Contact us on info@merillecotours.com.

Il-Gbejna - The Maltese Traditional Cheese

Smell the freshly baked bread in the village of Ħal-Qormi

Freshly baked bread - Photo: Jeanette Borg

As part of my daily routine, I walked through the village of Ħal-Qormi this morning, to buy freshly baked bread. Early in the morning, most of the villagers go shopping, others do their daily chores, while some enjoy a coffee while chatting with their neighbours. The smell of the freshly baked bread is simply amazing here. As the sun rises, the day gets busier when the market stalls are set up around the Parish church of St. Sebastian. The village gets increasingly busy by midday as shoppers from other villages come along to the market to buy fresh produce and other groceries.

Ħal-Qormi is also known as the Bread Making village. It is still to date, the village that has the largest number of traditional bakers operating bakeries that are several centuries old. So what's so special about this bread? Maltese traditional bread is characterised by a crispy outer crust and a spongy inside. The taste is particular given that sour dough is kneaded and let to rise. A loaf of bread can easily be turned into a delicious lunch by just adding olive oil, tomatoes, olives, capers, salt and pepper.

Traditional cheescakes (Pastizzi) in front of St. Sebastian Parish Church - Photo: Christian Borg

Tourists often ask me, "So how did these traditional bakeries survive in this industrial age?". Well, we're lucky about that and it's thanks to the Maltese people who choose to buy fresh bread daily, thus supporting this local traditions.

After visiting Ħal Qormi and other villages around the Maltese Islands, you'll realise that it's not just about sun and sea, resorts and nightlife. There is much more to discover! Whether you choose to stay at a hotel in St. Julian's or rent a village house away from the sea side areas, these core villages are no more than 20 minutes away (by car). 

Should you make up your mind to experience all this, drop us a line on info@merillecotours.com or visit our website for more details. One of our local guides can pick you up from where you're staying and guide you through these hidden treasured of Malta and Gozo. We offer a range of private tours for couples and families as well as group tours, so feel free to contact us :)

Saħħa għalikem (Good health to all of you)

Jeanette Borg

Merill Eco Tours

The spectacular village festas

Experiencing a traditional festa is something that nobody can miss when visiting the Maltese Islands.

Summer is here and July with its 21 festas offers a great way to experience the authentic local traditions. Amazingly lighted churches, beautifully decorated village cores, fireworks, processions, bands, street stalls and parties. The more spectacular the better. The fact that every village has a festa shows the importance of these religious feasts. The over 80 festas held during the year bring the village people together to celebrate the patron saints of the village. These traditions were passed from generations to generations and are still alive to bring joy and happiness to everyone who participates on the village festas. 

Our exclusive, tailor-made private tours provide excellent possibilities for visiting the festas. For more details do not hesitate to contact us. 

E: info@merillecotours.com

F: +356 21411388
M: +356 79000143

W: http://www.merillecotours.com

Happy festas!:)

Sea salt harvesting with the BOV green leaders group

After a long and very busy time we are back again to update you about one of the sea salt harvesting workshops we just carried out.  

Sea salt harvesting is a perfect team-building and incentive activity for corporate groups, providing an extraordinary experience. It brings people together while keeping the old traditions alive and protecting the environment.

We are proud to have teamed up with Bank of Valletta to provide their green leaders team with a truly interactive team-building activity. Mr Zaren Darmanin, who is our exclusive sea salt harvester spent all his life producing sea salt. Together with his son, Mario, he explained the process through a demonstration. Then the BOV green leaders had the chance to experience the process themselves.

The sea salt harvesting workshop ended with a local delicacy tasting at the salt pans. A range of genuine Maltese products such as wine, extra virgin olive oil and sheep cheeselets (gbejniet) and of course the freshly harvested sea salt were tasted. This presented a unique culinary experience to the group.

  

We hope that our guests had a wonderful time with us and they gained some memorable moments. We are looking forward to more sea salt harvesting workshops.