Traditional Maltese Cuisine

Traditional Maltese cuisine is renowned for its freshness and flavour. It is typically Mediterranean and relies heavily on locally available produce such as tomatoes, olives, honey and freshly-grown vegetables. The Sicilian, French and North African cuisines have, however, all left their influence on the Maltese cuisine, in addition to that left by the British occupation. You can taste some of these tasty dishes at many local restaurants on the island.

These are a few examples of traditional Maltese cuisine:

Maltese Bread and Ħobż biż-Żejt

Traditionally baked Maltese bread or Ħobż tal-Malti, as it is known, has a hard and crunchy crust on the outside and soft and fluffy white bread from the inside. This big or small loaf (it comes in two different sizes) may be bought whole or sliced and is served with most meals such as stews, that allow for “mopping” at the dinner table.

Ħobż biż-żejt, which literally translates to “bread with oil” is a traditional Maltese snack which is especially popular among locals during the summer months. The ħobż tal-Malti is typically rubbed with fresh Maltese tomatoes or tomato paste and then drizzled with olive oil. It is filled with a mixture of tuna, capers, onions, olives, herbs and salt and pepper.

Pastizzi

These savoury snacks are surely an important component of traditional Maltese cuisine. They are made of fluffy pastry formed in specific shapes and stuffed with either ricotta cheese or a mash of peas (piżelli in Maltese). They are typically bought from little tuck shops or pastizzerias, nestled in many corners of every village.

Rabbit

In Malta, rabbit is a very popular dish and is traditionally cooked as a stew (stuffat tal-fenek, in Maltese).The stew is tomato-based and includes readily-available local vegetables such as onions, carrots, potatoes and tasty tomatoes. Locals regularly enjoy a fenkata, or Maltese rabbit night, when they come together to eat and celebrate. A fenkata would typically consist of two courses – first a huge bowl of spaghetti tossed in rabbit ragu, wine and herbs, followed by the actual rabbit meat cooked in a similar sauce and served with peas and fries.

Fish

Fish has always been part of the traditional Maltese cuisine, since Malta is an island and different varieties are therefore readily available. One of the most popular local fish is the lampuka. This is a species of dolphin fish, also referred to as Mahi-mahi, which is caught seasonally and available as fresh catch between mid-August and December. Although popularly served fried, it is also very often served in pie-form (torta tal-lampuki). Locally caught swordfish (pixxispad) is also a popular dish. It is usually served grilled or fried in olive oil, with a touch of lemon.

Drinks

Apart from the above ingredients of traditional Maltese cuisine, Malta produces its own soft-drink – Kinnie. It has a bittersweet flavour that it owes to a particular type of bitter orange. It is very refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Cisk is the most popular, locally-brewed beer. It’s a light drink with a gentle flavour, that is generally liked by foreign beer lovers.