How Maltese cooking developed
Food on the islands reflects who ruled and traded here. Sicilian influence shows up in baked pasta and ricotta pastries, North African influence in spices, dates and sweet fried pastries, and British influence in tea, pies and bacon-and-egg breakfasts. The result is Mediterranean in flavour but not quite like Italian or Greek cooking. Bread, olive oil, tomatoes, capers, olives and fish form the base, with rabbit and pork as the main meats.
Eating is seasonal. Fish such as lampuki arrive in autumn, broad beans and fresh cheeselets in spring, and the summer markets are full of tomatoes and figs. The festa season brings sweet stalls and street food to every village.
Snacks and street food
Pastizzi. The best-known Maltese snack is a diamond-shaped pastry with flaky layers, filled with ricotta or with a mix of peas. They are eaten standing at a counter, straight from the oven, and the best places are small bakeries and pastizzerias rather than restaurants. Order a couple and a cup of tea, which is the usual combination.
Ftira. The ring-shaped flat loaf is the base for a hearty sandwich that includes tomato, tuna, olives, capers and sometimes potato. On Gozo the dish is baked with toppings such as potato, local cheese and anchovy, and it is closer to a thick, savoury pie.
Ħobż biż-żejt. The name means bread with oil, and that is exactly what it is: Maltese bread rubbed with ripe tomato and soaked in olive oil, then topped with items such as tuna, capers, olives, onion and sometimes mint or sundried tomato. It is a simple lunch and widely sold in cafes.
Bigilla. A thick dip made from dried broad beans, garlic and herbs, often spread on crackers or bread. It is served as a starter or snack and is easy to find in snack bars and grocers.
Main dishes
Stuffat tal-fenek. Rabbit is cooked slowly with garlic, tomato and wine until the meat falls off the bone. It is usually served in two courses: the sauce goes with spaghetti first and the rabbit follows. Restaurants in small villages and in the countryside are the most reliable places for this dish.
Lampuki pie. Lampuki, also known as dolphinfish or mahi-mahi, are caught in the sea around Malta in the autumn. The fish are baked in a pie with spinach, cauliflower, olives and tomato, and the dish is a regular on seasonal menus. Out of season, fish may be frozen, so ask what is fresh. Fishing harbours such as Marsaxlokk are the natural places to look for fish dishes, and the Sunday fish market is part of the experience.
Cheese, sweets and drinks
Ġbejniet. The little round cheeselets of Gozo are made from sheep’s or goat’s milk and sold fresh, dried or peppered. Fresh ones are soft and mild, dried ones are firm and sharp. They are eaten with bread and tomato or added to salads, and they are sold in Gozo’s markets and shops as well as on Malta. A visit to Victoria is a good moment to try them.
Imqaret. Deep-fried pastry parcels filled with spiced dates, served hot and often dusted with sugar. Stalls selling them stand outside Valletta City Gate and at festas, where the smell of frying leads you to the stand.
Kinnie. The bitter orange soft drink is Malta’s most recognisable local drink and is available everywhere, including as a mixer. For wine, Malta and Gozo produce local labels, while Cisk lager is the common beer.
Bread and baked pasta
Maltese bread, ħobż tal-Malti, has a thick crust and a soft, slightly sour crumb, and it is baked in wood-fired ovens in many villages. It is the base of half the local cooking, from ħobż biż-żejt to the sandwiches sold at kiosks. Baked pasta is another staple, most often timpana, a pie of macaroni, minced meat, eggs and tomato sauce under a pastry lid. It is heavy and filling, and usually served for a family lunch, so it is worth sharing if you have already eaten pastizzi earlier in the day.
Festa food
Village festas bring their own menu. Stalls sell nougat, roasted nuts, candy floss and imqaret, and some bars serve a short list of hot snacks until late. These stalls are the easiest way to try several local sweets in one evening without a restaurant booking, and they fit well into a summer itinerary alongside the processions and fireworks listed on the events page.
Where to eat
For snacks, look for pastizzerias and small bakeries, which open early. For a long lunch, fishing villages along the coast and country restaurants in the interior serve traditional dishes. Valletta and Sliema have a wide mix of Maltese, Italian and international restaurants, and village festas offer street food that is hard to find on a normal day. Gozo has its own cluster of farmhouse restaurants and cheese producers, usually reached by a short drive.
Opening times shift with the season and with public holidays, so check ahead on feast days and in winter, when some small places close earlier. The public holidays page lists the days when many places may shut.
Eating on a visit
A practical plan for a first trip is simple. Start the day with pastizzi and tea, have ħobż biż-żejt or a ftira for lunch, and keep a long evening meal for rabbit or fish. Try Kinnie once, and buy a few cheeselets to take home. For more on the language of menus, see the guide to the Maltese language.
