VBALLETTA — In a rather surprising find, Maltese scuba divers have discovered ancient pizza ovens resting on the sea bed. The ovens, said to be over a thousand years old, have ignited a fiery national debate over whether the recipe should join the ranks of other local treasures on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The divers from a local club, known as ‘L-Għawwiema tal-Pizza’, unearthed the pizza ovens while searching for lost pastizzi. “We were just looking for some snacks when we found these!” said Karmenu, one of the divers. “Now we might have to upgrade our menu!”
Pizza or Heritage?
As news of the discovery spread like warm ġbejna on a winter’s day, the debate started heating up. Experts from the Planning Authority have already weighed in, suggesting that adding the ancient recipe to the UNESCO list would bring more tourists to Malta. Others argue the focus should be on whether to top the pizza with extra olives, or just stick with traditional toppings.
“Why put the recipe in a museum when you can put it in my belly?”
Meanwhile, a group of food historians are trying to piece together what ancient Maltese pizza might have looked like. Speculations have run wild, with some claiming it was topped with everything from local sheep cheese to spicy chili peppers. Others vehemently oppose the idea of any ‘spicy’ toppings on Maltese pizza.
Mela, the National Heritage Minister, commented, “This recipe could be our golden ticket! Imagine UNESCO recognizing our pizza while tourists splatter sauce all over our historic sites.” She then added a casual “it better not taste like that frozen stuff!”
While the entire nation scratched its heads over the future of Maltese pizza, local fishermen suggested simply serving the ovens with extra ġandir olives. “Who needs a UNESCO list when you can just sink a good pizza with some olives?” said Pawlu, as he reeled in his fishing net.
At press time, the divers were reportedly preparing an underwater pizza party, just to see what all the fuss was about.