Xaghra Parish » Gallery » 2010 » 22 JUN 2010 - PRODUCING ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER IN XAGHRA
ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER “ ILMA ZAHAR The distilling of orange blossom is regarded by many in Malta as a dead industry and it would have been true were it not for young Lorry Bajada and his mother Maria Assunta, from Xaghra, Gozo who still produce it annually in springtime. That the industry waned over the years probably due to several weeks of hard work to find the right orange trees, picking the blossom and the right type of leaf and then working in intense heat and under very trying conditions. This exquisitely scented water is distilled from the blossom of Seville or bitter oranges (tal-bakkaljaw). The distiller, or Lampik in Maltese, consists of two parts “ first a large copper or zinc long pot with two œears or handles, the Bajada`s have two pots. The copper one has been coming down the family line through the ages and are well over 100 years old. The top part - the lid - is in two sections. This looks like an upturned mushroom shaped bowl with the wide top open and which is filled with water. A spout on one side serves to empty water in the bowl when required, normally every forty five minutes. Within this bowl, on the bottom, lies a domelike compartment with a spout on one side. A tube shaped holder fits into the wide neck of the jar over which hangs the said compartment. The water above the dome where vapour is emitted from the pot serves as a coolant and has, therefore, to be frequently changed. First the jar is filled with a pail of water and selected leaves and orange blossom are manually pressed inside and stacked in it. The pot is then placed over a stone oven œkenur with fire which would have been burning for some time until the hardwood in it turns to red hot ashes and the temperature would be in the region of 600º C. Another pail of water is then added. When the water boils and steam rushes out and the air is filled with aroma, the top part is placed over the jar. As said earlier, the open bowl of the top container is filled with cold water with the spout sealed. The heat below sends up steam up into the dome and the distilled pure orange blossom water slides down through the long thin spout, dripping through a funnel and into a jar placed underneath. This is due to the dome shaped compartment being hot with steam inside and cold on the outside with water above. This continues until all the naturally scented liquid has all been poured out. Four pounds of orange blossom produce one quart of pure orange blossom water. It is important to ensure that the water in the top container does not get hot, so this is emptied through the spout and replenished with more cold water every time a five litre jar is filled, normally every forty five minutes. The oil from the blossom and leaves rises to the top, the œneroli, which produces the scent. Big dark coloured glass containers œtramiggiani are filled with blossom water, œilma zahar for storage in the dark. From then onwards they will not be moved until emptied into small dark green 0.25 litre glass bottles during the year using pipes. Only natural cork is used to seal the containers and bottles and it is recommended that buyers retain the same cork and keep the bottle tightly closed each time after use. In accordance with rigid Maltese law the distiller, œlampik, must be held in police custody and only returned to the owners during springtime, the distilling season under licence from Customs Department. After use it is cleaned and returned to the police for security reasons. This is understandable since alcohol can be distilled using the œlampik. The production of this wonderful natural essence is now carried out, as already said, on a very small scale in the Maltese islands. It is said that the Bajada`s of Xaghra are the only active licenced producers on the islands. It used to be a flourishing trade; in Xaghra alone there were about ten producers until a century ago. It still continues to be produced in France and Portugal in Europe and a few countries in the Middle East. Orange blossom water has therapeutic properties and is used as a sort of œdigestif to settle the stomach, and is especially valued for babies crying when suffering from colic. It also helps cure diarrhea in a short time. It is also used in many kinds of sweets and biscuits and used to be sprayed on qaghaq taz-zokkor (or qaghaq helwin) as they come hot out of the oven. A few drops of orange blossom water and a little ground cloves make a fine addition to a cup of good black coffee - a tradition acquired from Middle East countries. Coffee shops all over Malta and Gozo used to delight their customers with a few drops of ˜ilma zahar` in their cup of coffee and patrons expected to have it. As with the cottage industry and many homemade products, guaranteed genuine ilma zahar is not commercialised and not at all promoted but sold to a circle of people who know about it. Any one wanting to obtain this ˜must have at home` may phone up the Bajada`s on 2155 7259 or call at 131 Triq it-Tigrija Xaghra, near the School and the Post Office in Xaghra. They will not regret it but, like Oliver Twist, will be back asking for more.
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