Te Fit-Tazza embodies all the ethos and work we carry out at Noni, taking a humble tradition, recipe and ingredients and elevating it to its maximum potential. The dessert is recreate it as seen through our eyes, while still instilling and provoking childhood memories.
Our ethos is that food shouldn’t tell a story, it should be the story that everyone can read and interpret in their own way. In every corner of the island you still find shops ,social clubs serving tea in a tumbler, usually accompanied with a couple of pastizzi (traditional cheese or pea cakes).
Before even opening Noni I already had the idea of transforming the Te Fit-Tazza into a dessert, and all the ideas that went into it are the usual ingredient combinations that we would expect to find accompanying a mug of tea, in all possible permutations.
We have the iconic te bil-ħalib tal-bott, which becomes a condensed milk and black tea mousse. Then, in honour of tea and cheesecake combo, we serve sheep’s ricotta with preserved lemon. Most of us are used to enjoying tea and biscuits, so we serve shortbread biscuits on the side to add texture and more flare to the dish,
And finally, that acquired taste – te bil lumi – where we create a lemon foam that is placed on top of the mousse and ricotta to cut through the richness of the dish, leaving you with a lingering taste of tea. Just like when you enjoy a traditional cup of tea.
For more Sunday Circle features read all about Fjura, a multi-discciplinary artwork or read all about Celia Melillo‘s weekend plans.
