Discover Maltese cuisine

If you only try one Maltese food specialty, make it a pastizz. This small flaky pastry — diamond-shaped when filled with ricotta (pastizz tal-irkotta) or round when filled with spiced peas (pastizz tal-piżelli) — is Malta's everyday snack. People eat it in the morning, as an afternoon bite, or after a night out at 4 am. The golden, buttery layers are irresistible, and it remains one of the cheapest bites in the Mediterranean.

The best pastizzeriji in Valletta are around Strait Street and Republic Street. Crystal Palace in Rabat is often named as the absolute reference point in the archipelago — the weekend queues say everything about its reputation.

Ftira is a flat bread with a thick crust and dense crumb, listed as UNESCO intangible heritage since 2020. Eaten simply with olive oil and fresh tomato, it is already excellent. As a sandwich (ftira biż-żejt), it is filled with tuna, capers, olives, tomatoes, mint and sometimes rikotta — a full meal you can find in almost any bakery on the island.

In Gozo, ftira takes on another identity: it becomes closer to a thick wood-fired pizza, topped with potatoes, anchovies and capers. It is the ultimate beach lunch — Maltese locals take it to Comino, Blue Lagoon and anywhere with water and sun. It is also a favourite breakfast sandwich when filled with omelette.

Stuffat tal-fenek is the national Maltese food specialty par excellence. Rabbit (fenek) is marinated overnight in local red wine, then slowly braised with garlic, tomatoes, herbs and olives until the meat falls from the bone. Served with ftira bread to mop up the sauce, it is one of those dishes that tells a whole culture in one bite. In its festive version, it starts with spaghetti served in the rabbit sauce — the full fenkata.

For the most authentic version, head to family-run trattorias in inland villages such as Rabat, Mosta and Mgarr — known as one of the best places for rabbit — or even better, to Gozo, where local restaurants cook it from family recipes. Avoid touristy waterfront versions.

Bigilla (blended ful tal-ġidra) is a spread made from dried broad beans mixed with garlic, olive oil, chilli and fresh herbs. Served with ftira bread or galletti, typical Maltese crackers, it is the essential starter on local tables — rustic, simple and addictive. The Arab influence is obvious: it recalls Middle Eastern ful medames and Libyan ful, two direct cousins.

You will find it at Valletta's morning market on Merchants Street, in local food shops such as Is-Suq tal-Belt, and as a starter in most traditional restaurants. Eat it generously peppered, with a fresh drizzle of olive oil on top.

Imqaret are small fried pastries filled with a date paste scented with aniseed, orange zest and spices such as clove and orange blossom. The Arab heritage is direct here — dates and aniseed are deeply North African. Fried to order at markets and village festas, they are eaten hot and crisp, with icing sugar melting onto your fingers. Some restaurants serve them with vanilla ice cream.

This is a street pleasure mostly found at local celebrations and weekend markets. In Valletta, the Sunday market on Merchants Street often has them.

Ġbejniet, pronounced roughly “j-bay-niet”, are small artisanal cheeses made from sheep's or goat's milk, typical of Gozo. You will find them fresh, mild and creamy with olive oil and tomatoes, dried for a more concentrated and slightly grainy texture, or marinated in oil and herbs. Some restaurants serve them breaded and fried as a starter — a much-loved version. They are true PGI terroir products, impossible to genuinely reproduce elsewhere.

Victoria's covered market in Gozo is the ideal place to buy them directly from local producers. It is also a great starting point for putting together a picnic before exploring the island's cliffs.

Lampuki is the dolphinfish caught off the Maltese coast — a fish some historians say has been fished here since Roman times. It is the island's main maritime specialty, available from September to November. Eat it grilled with olive oil and herbs, or in torta tal-lampuki: a shortcrust pie filled with lampuki, spinach, cauliflower, walnuts and raisins. This pie is one of the few Maltese preparations to combine seafood and sweet-savoury influences in the same dish.

Marsaxlokk, the fishing village in the south of the island, is the reference point for fresh lampuki — the Sunday morning fish market is a must if you are visiting in season.

Kinnie is a Maltese soft drink made from bitter oranges and a secret blend of aromatic herbs, launched in 1952 as a local alternative to Coca-Cola. The taste is unique: lightly bitter, aromatic, refreshing, with a herbal finish you either love or hate — and usually end up loving. Drink it on ice, mixed with Maltese gin, or alongside a hot pastizz outside a pastizzerija.

Every supermarket, bar and restaurant on the island serves it. Cans are available everywhere — an easy food souvenir to bring home.