Top 10 culinary specialities in Valletta

Malta is now a very popular island with tourists, especially young people who go there to party on the cheap. As well as boasting magnificent scenery, Malta has also established a reputation for creativity in its culinary specialities. Very few of us are familiar with Maltese specialities. The traditional cuisine is an explosion of flavours. The fusion of Italian and Arabic cuisine is found only in Malta. The Maltese innovate by revisiting desserts and pastries from all over the world, such as cannoli and even the Yule log. The perfect place to discover delicious new products! You’ll find plenty of Mediterranean specialities, sure to please fish lovers.

1- Pastizzi

This is the Maltese snack par excellence. It’s a small puff pastry filled with fresh ricotta. You may find pastizzi filled with pea cream, but the traditional one is made with ricotta. It’s not difficult to find. Just walk down the street until you come across a kiosk selling them. Alternatively, go to a bar, pizzeria, restaurant or bakery to buy your delicacy. There’s no time like the present to eat a pastizz, so treat yourself!

2- Gbejna

Gbejna is a traditional Maltese cheese. It is made from sheep’s or goat’s milk and can be eaten in a variety of ways. You can find it in restaurants in its most natural form, preserved in its whey. But you can also find it rubbed with salt or seasoned with pepper, herbs or dried in the sun.

3- Fenkata

Fenkata is considered to be the Maltese culinary speciality. This meal is appreciated by all the locals and tourists who have had the opportunity to try it. It consists of a stew of rabbit marinated in red wine and sautéed with garlic. Potatoes are a common accompaniment. However, during the festive season, spaghetti is soaked in the stew sauce and served just like that.

4- Ravjul

As mentioned at the beginning, Maltese cuisine draws inspiration from its neighbours to create its local specialities. I think you’ve guessed it, ravjul remind us of Italian ravioli. In Malta, we’ve made this traditional recipe our own by adding local products. These homemade ravioli are stuffed with eggs, parsley and ricotta, and served with a tomato and basil sauce. They are also available with the Maltese cheese par excellence: gbejna.

5- Bragioli

Bargioli is a very popular dish throughout the island. It consists of beef roulades wrapped in bacon. A hard-boiled egg, garlic and parsley are added. The whole thing is browned in olive oil before being served in a delicious tomato and red wine sauce. It is traditionally served with potatoes.

6- Lampuki

Obviously, because of its geographical position, Malta has specialities that tend towards Mediterranean cuisine. Lampuki could be likened to Malta’s national fish. Lampuki is actually a dolphinfish, found only in oceans near tropical and subtropical regions. However, they can also be found in the Mediterranean, but this is rare. In Malta, on the other hand, dolphinfish can be found without too much difficulty. It is cooked with a spicy tomato sauce, capers, olives, garlic and mint. A real dose of freshness that doesn’t hurt when the summer temperatures are showing their nose. In restaurants, you can find lampuki in another form. Torta tal-lampuki” is a pie stuffed with spinach, cauliflower, walnuts and sultanas.

7- Ftira

Ftira is the Maltese bread par excellence. It is flat and round with a hole in the middle. It is widely used to make sandwiches. The bread is baked in a wood-fired oven, giving it extra flavour. Traditionally, the bread is coated with olive oil, tomatoes, onion and garlic. It’s a bit like a bagel.

8- Aljotta

Aljotta is Malta’s most popular soup. It’s a soup made from fish, including sprat, sardines and bogues that have been completely gutted. Garlic and tomatoes are added for extra flavour. The soup is usually served hot with slices of toasted bread and sprinkled with parsley.

9- Imqaret

Imqaret is a delicacy very similar to makrout of North African origin. As mentioned earlier, Maltese cuisine is inspired not only by Italian specialities, but also by Tunisian, Moroccan, Libyan and Algerian cuisine. The difference between imqaret and makrouts is the basis on which they are prepared. Imqarets are made with flour, whereas in the Maghreb, makrouts are made with semolina. Otherwise, everything is very similar. Imqarets are flavoured with orange blossom and filled with date paste flavoured with cloves, orange zest and aniseed.

10- The cisk

Cisk is Malta’s national beer. It is a lager produced by the island’s main drinks producer, Simonds Farsons Cisk. The brewery has expanded its production range with the popularity of lager beer. Now you can enjoy several varieties on a lovely terrace to cool off.