https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4607 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:39:39 GMT 2026-09-15T17:39:39Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149005 Title: The culture of frozen foods in early modern Malta Authors: Buttigieg, Noel Abstract: This study explores the socio-cultural significance of frozen foods in early modern Malta, a region defined by a hot climate where natural ice was non-existent. By the seventeenth century, the Knights of St. John established a fragile yet vital supply chain importing Sicilian ice via specialized vessels, tartana della neve. Originally valued for its medical properties in treating fevers, ice transitioned into a symbol of aristocratic refinement and diplomatic hospitality. Unlike the "democratized" consumption seen in Naples, frozen delicacies like aggiazzata and sorbetti remained exclusive markers of status in Malta, reserved for the elite. Material culture, evidenced by the sophisticated equipment in the Inquisitor's Palace, underscores the ritualized display of power through frozen desserts. The research highlights how the culture of frozen foods illustrates the intersection of technological innovation, precarious logistics, and social stratification, where a perishable commodity became a powerful tool for expressing identity and authority on a scorching Mediterranean island. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149005 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148837 Title: Introduction : overtourism in cities and small islands Authors: Briguglio, Lino; Avellino, Marie; Butcher, Jim Abstract: This volume is organised in two parts, the first containing chapters mainly relating to overtourism in cities and the second focusing on small islands. All cities covered in the book are located in Europe, while in the case of small islands, there is a wide geographical spread, from the Pacific to the Caribbean. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148837 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148780 Title: The link between sustainable tourism, tourism carrying capacity and overtourism : perspectives from Malta Authors: Briguglio, Lino; Avellino, Marie Abstract: Like many other islands in the Mediterranean, Malta depends highly on tourism. Although various national tourism strategies for the Maltese Islands refer to sustainable tourism as an objective, in reality the practices actually adopted by successive governments were intended mostly to increase tourism inflows - considering the ever-increasing number of visitors as an achievement. This so-called "astounding success" in attracting tourists to Malta was laced with dark overtones of overtourism, such as a construction frenzy, high rate of waste generation, overuse of the infrastructure including the sewerage, traffic congestion, overcrowding, delays in public transport and others.; This chapter describes the tourism scene in Malta, referring to two interlinked concepts frequently discussed in the context of overtourism, namely (a) carrying capacity and (b) sustainable tourism. The concept of tourism carrying capacity generally refers to domestic space and resources and is often applied to the current generation while sustainable tourism has a broader, international dimension and emphasises the need to take account of the wellbeing of future generations. Due regard to carrying capacity can be considered as a requisite for sustainable tourism as it serves as a fundamental criterion for balancing tourism growth with environmental and social well-being.; The study is structured into five sections. Section 2, which follows this introduction, gives a brief account of the tourism scene in Malta. Section 3 discusses the concepts of carrying capacity, sustainable tourism and overtourism referring to the literature, highlighting their similarities and differences. The same section links these concepts with overtourism in Malta. Section 4 proposes strategic directions aimed at addressing overtourism in Malta and discusses the major hurdles that these directions are likely face in their implementation. The concluding section summarises the argumentation of the previous sections, from which a number of implications are derived. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148780 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148493 Title: Reforming body and soul : Malta's Prison Food Experience 1920–1939 Authors: Buttigieg, Noel Abstract: Based on official prison documents from 1920 to 1939, this study examines the relationship between institutionalized food, ritualized practices, and the penal experience at Corradino Civil Prison in colonial Malta. Following British penal reforms, prison regimes shifted away from physical corporal punishment toward psychological discipline and re-education designed to reform the inmate's "body and soul." The chapter analyzes prison foodways through three main categories: issues of food quality and quantity, expressions of Maltese culinary identity, and covert forces of resistance. While institutional rules enforced strict, monotonous dietary patterns that reduced food to its biological use value, prisoners actively sought opportunities—such as informal trading networks with warders and fellow inmates—to assert agency, alleviate hardship, and maintain forms of identity value. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148493 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z