Maltese cuisine is a crossroads of Mediterranean flavours. Sicilian, Arab, Italian and British influences merge into dishes shaped over centuries on these small islands. Every plate tells a story of farmers, fishermen and families who made the most of what they had. This is a guide to the food you should genuinely try when you visit Malta and Gozo.
Pastizzi — The National Snack
If there is one thing every Maltese person loves, it is pastizzi. These are diamond-shaped parcels of flaky pastry filled with fresh ricotta or spiced mushy peas. Sold piping hot from pastizzeriji all over the islands, they cost only a few cents. Locals eat them at any hour — with a morning coffee or as a quick meal. In Valletta and Rabat you will find shops that have been baking them for generations.
Ftira — Maltese Bread
The ftira is a flat, ring-shaped sourdough loaf, inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Filled with olive oil, sliced tomatoes, tuna, capers, olives and ġbejniet, it becomes the famous ħobż biż-żejt (bread with oil), the everyday meal of every farmer and fisherman. Simple, yet it captures the taste of Malta better than any elaborate dish.
Fenkata — The National Dish
Rabbit sits at the heart of Maltese cooking, and the fenkata is as much a social occasion as a meal. The rabbit is first fried in wine and fennel seeds, then stewed slowly with plenty of garlic. Guests are served spaghetti in the rabbit sauce first, then the meat itself. Villages like Mġarr are famous for their fenkati, and many Maltese travel there specially to share one with family and friends.
Bragioli and Meat Dishes
Bragioli are beef olives — thin slices of beef wrapped around boiled egg, bacon, garlic and breadcrumbs, then braised slowly in tomato sauce. This is Sunday food, a dish that takes time but rewards every minute of it.
From the Sea — Lampuki and Aljotta
Malta is surrounded by the sea, and fish is essential. In autumn the lampuki (dorado, or dolphinfish) arrive in their hundreds, and the fishermen of Marsaxlokk catch them using traditional methods. Lampuki pie — pastry filled with the fish, cauliflower and capers — is a seasonal speciality. Aljotta is a fragrant fish soup with garlic, tomatoes and rice, light yet packed with the flavour of the Mediterranean.
Ġbejniet from Gozo
From the island of Gozo come the ġbejniet — small round cheeselets made from sheep's or goat's milk. They are eaten fresh, dried, or peppered with black pepper. With crusty Maltese bread and a glass of wine, they are perfect.
Sweets — Imqaret and Kannoli
Imqaret are deep-fried pastry diamonds filled with a date paste, scented with orange-blossom water and aniseed. You will find them sold hot from street stalls during village feasts. Kannoli, a legacy of Sicilian influence, are crisp pastry tubes filled with sweetened ricotta. Kapunata (the Maltese caponata) and kwareżimal almond biscuits round out the table.
What to Drink — Kinnie, Cisk and Wine
The national soft drink is Kinnie, an amber soda flavoured with bitter oranges and aromatic herbs — a taste you either love or loathe, but unmistakably Maltese. The local beer is Cisk, a crisp lager made for hot days. Malta's wine industry is thriving: producers such as Marsovin make wines from indigenous grapes like Ġellewża and Girgentina. To finish a meal, many pour a glass of bajtra, a sweet liqueur made from prickly pears.
Where to Eat — Valletta and Marsaxlokk
Valletta has become a genuine culinary destination, with modern restaurants reinventing traditional dishes. But for the most authentic experience, head to Marsaxlokk on a Sunday: a fishing village with colourful luzzu boats bobbing in the harbour, a fresh fish market and restaurants where you eat the day's catch straight from the sea. It is a taste of Malta you will not forget.