Bread and bakers in eighteenth-century Malta

Abstract

This study explores several aspects of the grain-bread cycle. The strict dependence of the Maltese archipelago on grain imports from Sicily is best evinced through the intrigues associated with the efficient distribution of grain supplies. However, this study will not treat the well-trodden theme of political intrigues and economic negotiations involved in the acquisition of grain. In other words, this research explores the transformation of the grain from the moment it reaches the harbour until its eventual transformation into the ‘staff of life’.