Drool first and eat later. These are Malta's iconic foods!
‘The first that eats is the eye,’ - ‘l-ewwel ma tiekol l-ghajn’ - is a Maltese saying that highlights the importance of presentation. But, here, we tempt and tantalise with images of some of Malta’s most iconic foods.
1. Hobza tal-Malti
Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, there’s nothing quite like it.
2. Hobz biz-zejt
Squeeze a tomato directly onto Maltese bread, add a few Mediterranean goodies, such as olives, tuna and a drizzle of olive oil, and head directly to heaven.
3. Ftira biz-zejt
Just stuff a bun of Maltese bread with tomato paste and any combination of tuna, olives, capers, onions, lettuce, sun dried tomatoes, goat’s cheese, beans or pickled vegetable to taste!
4. Maltese platter
Ah, here are those ingredients. Plus bigilla (a bean and garlic dip), galletti (water biscuits) and Maltese sausage.
5. Maltese sausage
Here it is, Malta’s own cured sausage that can be eaten cooked or raw.
6. Gbejniet
The best Maltese cheeselets are those made from sheep’s milk, although goat’s milk is good too. They are soft when they are fresh. Then, you can get the harder variety, or the pickled one, in different varieties: all natural or with added black pepper are very popular.
7. Qarabaghli mimli
The Maltese love to stuff themselves with delicious ingredients ... and also their veggies. These marrows are packed with minced meat, marrow flesh, onions and cheese.
8. Brungiel mimli
Again, the flesh of the vegetable is mixed with meat (usually) and aromatic herbs. The mixture holds together with a whisked egg.
9. Ravjul
The Maltese like to stuff their pasta too! Ravioli are usually stuffed with ricotta cheese or gbejniet and served with a Marinara sauce.
10. Mqarrun il-forn
They like to put pasta in the oven too. Baked pasta is quite a thing in Malta. The Maltese will bake macaroni, ravioli, stuffed shells or cannelloni and any variety of pasta really.
11. Timpana
Envelop your baked pasta dish in a pastry as you would when making a pie and there’s your timpana. This creation is owed to the desire for a full belly, despite a lack of ingredients to go around - hence the addition of pastry.
12. Froga tat-tarja
Fry the pasta too, while you're at it. Why not, I suppose? The Maltese certainly get creative in the kitchen, despite borrowing a lot of ingredients from our Italian neighbours.
13. Pastizzi
A Maltese savoury street food that’s goes down dangerously well anytime, anywhere. They are bought from a pastizzeria that’s tucked into the wall. Pastizzi are usually stuffed with ricotta cheese or mushy peas, although different variations are now emerging.
14. Qassatat tal-pizelli
This mini-pie is the ‘healthier’ variation you can also get from the pastizzi shop; it comes with shortcrust pastry instead of the more buttery puff pastry.
15. Mqaret
More stuffing! These deep fried date cakes are as hard to resist as they are sinful.
16. Kannoli tal-irkotta
Another traditional Maltese sweet. We're grateful it’s ricotta they’re stuffed with rather than cream!
17. Pastini tal-lewz
Maltese sweets probably owe a lot to the Sicilians because so many of them are made with crushed almonds. These pure almond cakes are soft and chewy on the inside and more than delicious with milky tea.
18. Figolli
Some more stuffing is naturally due. Stuff sweet pastry with this delicious almond mixture and you have one of Malta’s favourite, although seasonal, sweets. Figolli appear in Malta around Easter.
19. Bajtar
We just had to include the fruit of the prickly pear when the plant grows practically everywhere! In local farming, it is used as a boundary wall, wind-cheater and fruit producer all-in-one!
20. Twistees
Not a food of the earth but it makes the Maltese very proud. The Maltese love Twistees, THE local packaged snack. Period. It is made from baked rice and corn.
Bonus 1: Kinnie
Not quite food, here's Malta’s favourite soft drink! Malta’s very own Kinnie is made with bitter oranges, herbs and spices. It has an aromatic taste that takes some getting used too, but once you do, you’re hooked for life!
Bonus 2: Cisk
Then, Cisk is Malta’s favourite beer, with the softer, flavoured Cisk Chill having been quite a hit too. Doesn’t all food go down better when washed down with a Cisk?
Which of these do you want to eat right now?