If you’re a foodie, make your way to one of the great unknown food spots before it becomes big on the global culinary scene – Malta. The mixture of bright sunshine and warm Mediterranean water lashing against the island’s shores makes Malta’s cuisine just as delicious as some of its Mediterranean neighbours France, Italy and Greece. Eat your way through juicy olives, fresh seafood, and amazing flavours on this tiny but plentiful island.
Like the Maltese language, the food is a fusion of different cultures typical of Mediterranean cuisine. The rich soil here means that olives, capers and beans are easy to grow and that Maltese people even produce their own olive oil whilst the beans are made into a paste called Bigilla. Served usually as an appetizer, the above is accompanied by snails, or Bebbux, which are as traditional in Malta as they are France! The Maltese people also make their own sausage, which is known for its spiciness and herbs, as well as their own goat’s cheese – Gbejna.
Surrounded by water, Malta is also very big on seafood. Fresh fish, octopus and shellfish can be found around the island. Malta’s traditional fish is Lampuka or Mahi Mahi. However, your trip to Malta cannot be complete without trying what is probably the most famous traditional meal in Malta, rabbit, or Fenek, which can be cooked as a stew – Stuffat Tal-Fenek or fried – Fenek Moqli.
The Maltese traditional bread is called Hobz tal-Malti which literally means Maltese Bread. The island also produces a delicious flatbread called Ftira. Ftira is used to make Hobz biz-Zejt – a sandwich, which is an explosion of Mediterranean tastes as it contains oil, tomatoes, olives, capers and tuna.
Another famous dish and must-have whilst in Malta is Pastizzi. This is pastry, filled with either ricotta cheese or mashed peas, and more recently, with chocolate. Pastizzi are true to the Mediterranean cuisine and similar food can be found in Italy and Turkey.
No meal is complete without dessert. A popular Maltese dessert is Imqaret, a pastry filled with dates and deep fried. On Easter Day, Maltese eat Kwareżimal (almond biscuit) and Figolli (almond cakes with icing).
If you’re planning a trip to Malta to taste all these goodies,
NSTS Campus Residence in Msida and
NSTS Hibernia Hostel in Sliema both offer central and affordable accommodation. Both residences provide easy transportation access to restaurants serving traditional Maltese food as well as tours on Maltese food and producing olive oil. Email us on
salesint@nsts.org or call us on
+356 25588000 for more information!
