Best Maltese Food – 33 Best Maltese Food And Traditional Food In Malta To Try

Best Maltese Food – 33 Best Maltese Food And Traditional Food In Malta To Try

Traditional Maltese cuisine is not so popular in the entire world. Maltese cuisine generally contains traces of Arabic, French, English, and even German characteristics, putting it in a class by itself. It is particularly unique in that it is multicultural, rustic, and full of fresh ingredients.

Maltese cuisine features several of the greatest tastes in the Mediterranean, thanks to its abundance of fresh vegetables, seafood, cheeses, and bread. There are numerous options, ranging from street food to sweets. The cost of food and drink in Malta is considerable.

Malta is recognized for its beautiful beaches and excellent weather, but there is one aspect of Maltese culture that is often overlooked, the cuisine. In Malta, you will never go hungry! 

When you’re out and about in Malta, instead of going to an American diner or an Italian restaurant to quench your hunger, try one of these 33 best Maltese dishes to try!

Read here best Malta sim card for tourist, best things to do in Malta and things to know before visiting Malta

WHERE TO STAY IN MALTA

Hostels and dorms can only cost €15 and mid-budget of €40-50 per day for summer since everything is a little expensive.

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BEST MALTESE FOOD: 33 BEST MALTESE DISHES AND TRADITIONAL FOOD IN MALTA TO TRY

MALTESE DISHES: TRADITIONAL FOOD IN MALTA

1. STUFFAT TAL-FENEK

Stuffat tal-fenek, Malta’s traditional cuisine, is a communal supper featuring rabbit as the star of the show. A whole rabbit is often marinated in a wine before being cooked till tender with aromatic herbs and vegetables including carrots, tomatoes, garlic, and onions.

Stuffat tal-fenek sauce should have a strong taste and a heavy consistency. Fenkata is best served with pasta , commonly spaghetti, or potatoes, and olives and capers can be added to the dish to enhance the flavors.

2. KAPUNTA

Kapunata is among Malta’s most popular meals. It’s a Maltese take on the Sicilian Caponata, which is akin to Ratatouille in France. It includes a vegetable stew seasoned with savory olives and capers. Kapunata is a meal that can be made in a variety of ways.

It can be served as a main meal with crusty bread or as a wonderful side dish with cooked meat. It’s a perfect complement to fish such as tuna, and you can add some extra high-protein veggies for a protein boost.

3. MINESTRA

In the Island of Malta, minestra cooking is super important, and there is great debate within and between families regarding which veggies may be used and whether it should be mashed or not. Some people mistakenly believe that minestra is similar to the Italian minestrone, which comes in a variety of flavors.

The Maltese minestra is a very different dish and it is always quite thick, with the veggies in huge chunks or mashed, and we rarely use haricot beans or green beans, choosing split fava beans instead.

4. PASTIZZI

Pastizzi is a flaky pie loaded with peas, ricotta, anchovies, corned meat, or apples, and is Malta’s traditional food. The flat dough is expanded and twisted with fat layers in between to give the end dish its characteristic flaky structure.

After that, the dough is loaded with some of the other ingredients listed above, formed into diamonds or semicircles, and baked until golden brown. Pastizzi can indeed be eaten as a snack or as an appetizer in restaurants.

5. ĦOBŻ TAL-MALTI

Ħobż tal-Malti, this sourdough bread is a mainstay of practically every Maltese kitchen, and it comes in a variety of shapes and local variations. It is made out of flour, yeast, water, and salt and is usually baked in wood-fired ovens.

Ħobż tal-Malti is generally consumed as a side dish with a variety of dishes, but the most famous way to eat it is to massage it with tomatoes, sprinkle it with olive oil, and garnish it with cheese, olives, capers, onions, or fish.

6. TIMPANA

Timpana is a baked pasta dish with tiers of minced meat, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs sandwiched between penne layers. Cooked macaroni or penne is combined with a thick Bolognese-style sauce, which is frequently increased with chicken livers.

The spaghetti and sauce are spooned into a pastry shell and baked until golden, with the addition of cheese and eggs. Timpana can be found for a very low price in traditional patisseries!

7. ALJOTTA

Aljotta is a classic Maltese stew that is universally popular during Lent when meat consumption is restricted. This soup’s primary ingredient is fish, including the head and tail, and it’s commonly made with little fish like rockfish.
The fish is cooked with fried onions, garlic, water, tomatoes, and herbs like mint and bay leaves.

After that, the soup is drained and rice is added until it is entirely cooked. All that’s left to do now is add some parsley and a squeeze of lemon to the soup, and aljotta is ready to eat.

8. BIGILLA

Bigilla is a savory, savory dried broad bean dip that pair of matches with these light, crispy Maltese water crackers, galletti. If you’ve already visited Malta or are familiar with Maltese food, you’ve undoubtedly heard of this legendary duet. These two are usually a hit at every Maltese gathering!

Bigilla can be a love-hate relationship, with some preferring it thicker and others preferring it thinner, as well as the level of spiciness.

9. MALTESE PLATTER

The Maltese Platter is a beginning platter that varies depending on the location. Sausage slices, goat cheese, bigilla, preserved tomatoes, capers, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and other components are popular. Also offered are bread or salt crackers. You can create and design your own Maltese platter!

10. LAMPUKI PIE

Lampuki pie originates from Malta. Mahi-mahi, also known as lampuka in Maltese, is a mild, delicious white fish that serves as the centerpiece of a dish that implies at English cooking while also incorporating Arabic flavors and Italian verve. Lampuki pie are being used for both domestic and international consumption.

11. MALTESE BREAD

Maltese bread is a crisp sourdough bread prepared in wood ovens in Malta. The bread is smeared with tomatoes or tomato paste, sprinkled with olive oil, then stuffed with a variety or mix of tuna, olives, capers, onion, bigilla, and bejna. Maltese bread is higher in fiber than sandwich bread, however it lacks the vital nutrients.

12. STUFFAT TAL-QARNITA

Stuffat tal-qarnit is a Maltese soup cooked with octopus, onions, garlic, wine, olives, capers, and tomato, among other Mediterranean ingredients. Octopus is a popular dish in Maltese cuisine, and it can be prepared in a number of ways.

When cooking a one-pot dinner, potatoes, herbs, thyme, walnuts, or raisins might be included. Before cooking, the octopus should be frozen or tenderized using a mallet. Stuffat tal-qarnit is frequently accompanied by crusty bread or roasted potatoes.

13. QASSATAT

Qassatat is a tasty dessert that contains various types of ingredients, although ricotta cheese is the wise option. These desserts are so famous on Malta and they are one of the most famous street foods. Ingredients in qassatat contain spinach, capers, peas, olives, and anchovies.

14. ĦOBŻ BIŻ-ŻEJT

Ħobż biż-żejt, the whole wide Maltese sandwich refers to bread with oil. It’s created with sourdough bread pieces spread with tomato paste, coated with olive oil, and topped with different toppings. Ħobż biż-żejt is served in practically every restaurant in the country.

15. FTIRA GĦAWDXIJA

Ftira gawdxija is a leavened, circle in shape Maltese bread that is commonly filled of tuna, sardines, potatoes, sliced tomato, onion, olives, and capers. Sliced tomatoes, anchovies and/or tuna, capers, olives, and potatoes are among the Ftira gawdxija toppings. In Gozo, however, the based on customary toppings of ftira gawdxija are created of their own goat’s cheese.

16. SEA URCHIN PASTA

Still the most popular pasta meal in Maltese restaurants is sea urchin pasta! Simply sauté some garlic and sometimes onions in great quality olive oil to make this pasta meal. Tomato, herbs, and lemon juice are used to make sea urchin pasta, which is then mixed with top-quality spaghetti or a thin pasta.

17. MALTESE GARDEN SALAD

Since it is made with fresh vegetables, the Maltese garden salad is high in protein. Cucumber, sweet pepper, carrot, and tomatoes are just a few of the easy ingredients needed to beat the heat. The lovely fresh veggies are additionally enhanced by a simple dressing of Maltese garden salad.

18. MALTESE BRAGIOLI

Maltese Bragioli, commonly called as beef olives, are packed beef bundles that are slowly cooked. Since it is simmered in wine for a long time, this meal can be cooked with less-than-ideal cuts of meat. Maltese Bragioli is traditionally eaten with mashed potatoes and peas.

19. STUFFED AUBERGINES

Stuffed Aubergine, also known as Brungiel Mimli, is a classic Maltese dish that is similar to Greek stuffed eggplant, also known as Melitzanes Papoutsakia. 

It’s quite simple to make and ideal for weeknight dinners if you’re not in the mood to prepare. Ground meat and a hefty cheese topping are common ingredients in stuffed aubergine.

20. MALTESE PIZZA

In essence, Italian and Maltese pizzas are nearly identical, nonetheless, the Maltese pizza is somewhat distinct. Tomatoes, cheese, Maltese sausage, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, anchovies, gbejna, and boiled eggs are among the ingredients on Maltese pizzas.

21. GBEJNIET

Ġbejniet is a tiny cheeselet generated from sheep or goat milk, rennet, and salt. Salt, pepper, pickle, covered in herbs, or plain, cheese can be cooked in a number of different ways. Ġbejniet is thought that instead of milk rennet, seawater was used to curdle bejna in the beginning.

BEST MALTESE FOOD: MALTESE CUISINE DESSERTS TO TRY

22. IMQARET

Imqaret comes from the Arabic term maqrut, which means diamond-shaped, alluding to the shape of this tasty pastry, which can also be cut into rectangles in some situations. It’s a classic Maltese pastry that’s loaded with dates, lemon, and spices, then formed into a diamond and deep-fried in boiling oil. Imqaret is frequently sprinkled with icing sugar and served with ice cream on the side.

23. CANNOLI

Cannoli is a crispy fried pastry tube loaded with creamy ricotta cheese cream are one of Sicily’s most well-known desserts outside of Italy. They’re thought to have started in Palermo in the ninth century when Sicily was ruled by the Arabs.

The filling for cannoli has always been made with ricotta and is generally sweetened with icing sugar. For a softer filling, mascarpone and whipped cream are commonly used.

24. KWAREŻIMAL

Kwareżimal is comes from the Latin word quaresima, simply means Lent, pointing to the fact that these cookies are typically served during the 40 Lenten timeframes.

Ground nuts, flour, sugar, cocoa, citrus zest, orange blossom water, and ingredients like cinnamon and cloves are used to make these oval-shaped Maltese biscuits. Kwareżimal is coated with honey and dusted on crushed almonds or almond slivers after they’ve been baked.

25. QAGĦAQ TAL-GĦASEL

Qagħaq tal-għasel is a classic Maltese dessert loaded with a treacle mixture. The filling is a mixture of black treacle, water, sugar, semolina, cocoa powder, aniseeds, orange flower water, and grated tangerine, orange, and lime juice, while the pastry is created with flour, egg yolks, margarine, and either anisette liqueur or water. Qagħaq tal-għasel is extremely famous mostly during joyful Christmas season.

26. CASSATA

Cassata is a liqueur-soaked genoise sponge cake stacked over creamy ricotta and fruit preserves and finished with a marzipan shell and bright caramelized fruits. The dessert is thought to have started out as a simple sugar, egg, and ricotta cheesecake. Cassata is generally a winter and spring dish, with Easter being the most popular time to prepare it.

27. PUDINA TAL-ĦOBŻ

Pudina tal-ħob is a traditional dessert made of soaked bread, eggs, cocoa powder, nuts, and dried fruit. Before being cooked until hard, the mixture is generally flavored with orange zest and various spices including cinnamon or nutmeg.

Pudina tal-ħob is commonly served sliced and coupled with coffee, and it can be savored warm or cold.

28. PRICKLY PEAR

Prickly pear cactus plant yields a tasty fruit that many Maltese people appreciate. The fruit is called by its pear shape and size, and its skin is notorious for being prickly. The prickly pear is indeed thought to have medical characteristics that is used to treat stomach problems, inflammations, and bug stings.

MALTESE DRINKS: WHAT DRINKS IN MALTA TO TRY

29. KINNIE

Kinnie is a carbonated bittersweet drink prepared with bitter oranges with wormwood extracts. It is not just the country’s preferred non-alcoholic beverage, but it is also regarded as a national beverage, having been brewed and drank locally since 1952. Kinnie has become so famous that it has been exported to nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Canada, and Libya.

30. CISK

Cisk is still a popular choice among Maltese. The golden color, distinct flavor, and yellow labeling and branding tones are all characteristics of the beer that are simply unrivaled. Cisk has also received numerous accolades, such as the title of World’s Best Lager from Beers of the World Magazine in 2007.

31. JÄGERBOMB

Jägerbomb, a very famous drink, which is loved all throughout the city, allows visitors to not only sample the value of Malta, but rather to participate in a game of dominoes. Drop a glass of Jägermeister into a cup of red bull to make a Jägerbomb. The drink is quite tasty and can be had at any time of day.

32. ĦARRUBA LIQUER

The Ħarruba liqueur is mostly a way to savor carob’s sweet flavor. This liqueur can be drunk cold, on the rocks, or plain, and it’s typically served at the end of a meal to round out the meal with a sweet flavor.

33. MALTESE WINE

Malta is probably one of the world’s smallest wine-producing countries. Maltese wine is produced majority by a small number of producers, most of whom are belonged by French and Italian wine businesses. The island’s current wine output is primarily red wines made from Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.

Hope you liked our Maltese food blog post. Which one in the list of Maltese dishes is your favorite? Did you like traditional food in Malta and Maltese cuisine? Let us know in the comments below.

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