As he hoots his horn, scores of housewives, the majority of whom are preparing for supper, flock to the back of the bread seller’s white van, as they take their time deliberating which kind of bread will best complement their evening meal.

Once this decision is taken, they wish the bread man a pleasant evening, and trudge off clasping the still warm loaf in their hands, knowing for certain that their husband will at least have something to look forward to after a hard day’s work.

The sight of bread passed from hand to hand from the back of a van in exchange for a few cents is still commonplace in most villages across Malta and Gozo, and in an ever increasing fast paced world, it is remarkable that it has withstood the test of time.

No fine Maltese meal is complete without a slice of crusty local bread, the envy of foreign visitors, who conjure up images of the ħobza biż-żejt when they think of Malta.

Bakers in the quaint village of Qormi are associated with producing the best bit of Maltese bread that money can buy, and judging by the increase in attendances over the past years, the Qormi bread festival, which will take place on 10 and 11 September and is now in its seventh edition, has become one of the most eagerly awaited events on the local calendar.

For Edward Schembri, who lives in Qormi, it was always a fascination of his to understand the link the village has with Maltese bread, so much so that it was the focus of his dissertation when reading for a degree at the University of Malta.

“Bakers in Qormi have remained popular because they still make use of wood fired ovens, known as the Forn a la Ingliża, and they know the art of making bread inside out after accumulating a wealth of knowledge passed down to them from generation to generation.

“31 of these traditional ovens are still used in Qormi to this day, with three bakers also making use of ovens, which are run on diesel and which are also referred to as deck ovens.

“This may come as a surprise to many, but the reason why Maltese bread can sometimes taste different from one village to another is because although the main ingredient of Maltese bread is the dough which is created by mixing yeast, flour, water and salt, bakers use different quantities of these four components which in turn affects the taste of the bread,” Mr Schembri explains.

He adds that the weather and seasons play a major role on the quantity of ingredients used to bake bread.

“In winter, for instance, bakers put more yeast in their dough, making the bread stronger to resist the humidity.

“In summer on the other hand, bakers put less yeast but increase the amount of salt, as a resistance to the stronger temperatures which tend to increase the size of the loaf,” said Mr Schembri.

In his dissertation, Mr Schembri also links the popularity of bread in Malta with religion.

“The words ‘give us this day our daily bread’ form an intrinsic part of the Lord’s Prayer, and what with the strong Catholic faith in this country, a lot of Maltese still perceive these words and the bread itself as something sacred,” explains Mr Schembri.

He also adds that it is still common practice for housewives to make the sign of the cross on the loaf and kiss it before cutting it into slices.

Besides the traditional ħobża, other versions of Maltese bread include the loaf with a cross formed on the dough’s top crust before baking (il-Ħobża tas-Salib), a flat usually round form with or without a hole in the middle (Ftira), and cuboid forms baked in a baking tin (tal-Kexxun).

Besides sticking to the baking of bread in a traditional manner, several bakeries in Malta are now also baking other forms of bread made from dough containing fats.

For those who want to know a little more about Qormi and the tradition of baking bread, tours about the village’s historical places and trips from bakery to bakery in Qormi will be organised during the two-day fest, when people will be informed all about the tradition of making bread.