These 11 delish Maltese food favourites were featured on National Geographic Traveller
The team from National Geographic Traveller recently took a trip to our islands to find out about local food customs, and what they found was a delight of Maltese cuisine! Nat Geo writer Ella Buchan met with the Sammut family, who showed the team around the best parts of the island to buy local produce for a fantastic evening feast.
“The flavours speak of Malta’s history and geography, [and] the archipelago,” Ella says. “Sophisticated baking techniques were brought over by the Romans, while the Arab influence, so prevalent within the Maltese language, also lives on in the recipes that make use of spices, nuts and dried fruit.” And the Maltese are well aware of these traits!
Julian Sammut, patriarch of the family, along with Rafel, his youngest son and owner of The Pulled Meat Company, took the Nat Geo team round for the ultimate Maltese foodie experience. They visited the Maria Stephanie Bakery in Zebbug, beautiful farmlands run by Toni Farrugia, a retired chef and now part-time farmer, a sheep farm Ta’ Salvu u Marie, and Ta’ Kerubin butcher.
All the yummy Maltese dishes Nat Geo tried:
1. Qaghaq tal-hmira
“Bread in Malta is sacred,” said Julian, and he’s 100 per cent correct. We love our bread, and once she took a bite of the “soft, brioche-like bun topped with sesame seeds,” Ella could really understand what he meant. “The aromas are so thick and palpable, I’m tempted to bite the air,” she remarks.
2. Qaghaq tal-ghasel
Ella was served this treacle ring treat at the local bakery. “It has the texture of a fig roll, the crunchy pastry giving way to a thick molasses that’s brightened by orange peel, mixed spices and a touch of aniseed."
3. A shot of whiskey (obvs)
“It’s barely 2pm, but this is all part of Maltese hospitality,” Ella notes. Booze on this island is not hard to come by. You’ll definitely find locals sipping on something at a local bar at any time of day. “You can’t go into someone’s home without having something to eat or drink,” Julian explains. It’s a thing that Maltese people are guaranteed to do.
4. Zalzett tal-Malti
The Nat Geo team sampled delicious Maltese sausage at the butcher, “garlicky sausages which are surprisingly delicious, given that they’re served raw, sandwiched in small buns with tomato paste.” Damn it, I’m drooling now.
5. Lamb dish
The Nat Geo team and the Sammuts ate a delicious lamb dish prepared by Rafel, who tossed it in chopped garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and a lid of slice potatoes, before heading off to the local bakery for it to be cooked in the depths of the stone oven.
6. Kusksu
The delicious starter dish consisting of tiny pasta beads, broad beans, eggs and ġbejniet is a popular dish among locals. “Watching [my mother] cook and tasting her food is how I learnt about Maltese cooking, of herbs and spices, fresh ingredients and traditional festive food,” Julian says.
7. Zeppoli
The Nat Geo team tries “golden rounds of deep-friend choux pastry filled with honey, orange and vanilla-flavoured ricotta.” They’re quite the popular treat, especially around St Joseph’s feast.
Maltese favourites
While not included in the home-cooked meal at the Sammuts, Ella did also mention these Maltese favourites and must-tries if you’re on the island.
1. Pastizzi – made with “golden layers of crisp, flaky filo pastry,” and stuffed with different flavours such as ricotta, mushy peas, chicken and even Nutella in some joints!
2. Hobz biz-zejt – a classic, if you ask me. “Crusty, chewy bread is topped with citrussy olive oil and plump, juicy tomatoes in this simple dish, which celebrates the best of the Maltese archipelago,” says Ella. And we couldn’t agree more!
3. Stuffak tal-fenek – rabbit stew is a popular dish on the islands, introduced by the Phoenicians way back when in around 700BC. The meat is “stewed in wine and garlic, served with fried potatoes,” and is so delicious, you’ll be mopping up the bowl with a slice of local bread, for sure!
4. Lampuki – From Mid-August till the end of the year, this fish is available pretty much everywhere around the islands. Ella suggests trying it in a “rich tomato sauce, simmered with white wine, garlic and herbs, or packed in salt and baked.” You might even want to try lampuki pie – it’s to die for!
Is it lunch time yet?