Maltese Cuisine — The Complete Guide to What to Eat | Journal Malta

Let us be honest: nobody goes to Malta to lose weight. Maltese cuisine is the child of Italian and Arabic cooking, adopted by a British grandmother who added flour and fat. It is hearty, carb-heavy — and genuinely fantastic.

The Holy Trinity of Maltese Street Food

1. Pastizzi

The island's religion in pastry form. Crispy filo dough filled with ricotta (tal-irkotta) or curried peas (tal-piżelli). Costs 50–60 cents. Hot, fatty and brilliant. Where? Crystal Palace in Rabat, open almost around the clock.

2. Ftira

Do not think "sandwich". Ftira is a round bread (like a flattened tyre), crispy outside, soft inside. Spread with kunserva (sweet tomato paste), filled with tuna, olives, capers and onion. Listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage — yes, a sandwich in UNESCO.

3. Qassatat

A pastizzi cousin made from shortcrust pastry in a pouch shape. Filling: spinach with tuna, or ricotta. Less common but always worth trying.

Main Courses — Beyond the Seafood

Fenek (Rabbit): The national dish. Braised in wine with herbs, or fried in garlic. See the dedicated article.
Bragioli (Beef Olives): Misleading name — no olives. Thin beef slices rolled around a filling of minced meat, egg and bacon, braised in tomato sauce. Heavy, aromatic, addictive.
Aljotta: Maltese fish soup. Plenty of garlic, tomatoes, rice, fresh fish. The quintessence of Mediterranean flavour.
Lampuki (Mahi-mahi/Dorado): Malta's seasonal fish. Best in Lampuki Pie (baked pastry case). Available only from September to November.

Dessert

Imqaret: Fried date pastries with aniseed and citrus. Warm, sticky, fragrant. Buy them at a market or a village festa.
Kannoli tal-Irkotta: The Maltese version of Sicilian cannoli. Crispy tube with ricotta cream. Found in every bakery.

In restaurants, always order "local water" — you save money and avoid paying for expensive imported water that tastes the same. When ordering wine, ask about local varieties: Girgentina (white, light) or Ġellewża (red/rosé). Malta has its own unique grape varieties found nowhere else.