New & now
Taking a second look! French chef turns Malta’s much loved ‘bajtar ta’ xewk’ into very realistic looking pastry
This is not the type or prickly pear we’re used to eating…

Emma Galea

In a video uploaded to Instagram by Geoffrey Barault, a French chef based in Malta, viewers can see Malta favourite fruit, il-bajtra ta’ xewk or prickly pear in English, in a way they thought they would never see it before.  

Chef Geoffrey can be seen picking a prickly pear freshly from its tree and as he is about the cut into it to eat it, instead of the typical insides of the fruit, jam and pastry are seen coming out.

It turns out the prickly pear was not a prickly pear at all but a pastry that was impressively made to look like the typical prickly pear you would find growing in Malta’s fields instead.

It looked so realistic, he could have definitely had us fooled!

He revealed that the “prickly pear” pastry is still prickly pear flavoured as it had coulis and mousse made from the actual fruit. The outside of the pastry was made from and coated in white chocolate to resemble the peel of the prickly pear.  

A different kind of prickly pear, but still as delicious.

Instagram/Geoffrey Barault

28th September 2023


Emma Galea
Written by
Emma Galea
Emma is a Gozitan writer who loves all things related to English literature and history. When not busy studying or writing you will either find her immersed in a fictional book or at the cinema trying to watch as many films as she possibly can!

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