If we talk about Malta we must not only think of golden beaches and dreamy seabeds, but an island to be discovered all year round starting from the cuisine, the result of a meeting of various traditions and peoples.
The population of Malta is the result of a mix of peoples, all determined to make the small island their outpost in the Mediterranean. The influences of the various peoples have created a particular culinary tradition that takes its cue from the main Mediterranean countries and this can be understood as soon as you taste a Maltese dish such as soup. The most famous is the Soppa tal-Armla (widow's soup) prepared with sheep or goat cheese that traditionally was served to widows from the neighborhood as a sign of support and sharing. There are several versions, including the one that wants the addition of raw eggs, onions, lettuce, peas, carrots and the inevitable cheese.
To remember is the tal-Lampuki, traditional fish pie, i qarabali, stuffed zucchini and the kapunata, a local version of our local caponata.
Malta is full of restaurants offering traditional cuisine, but the best way to hunt for typical products is without a doubt to visit the markets. Here you can find many, in fact every city and village has one.
Among the market stalls it is easy to find typical snacks such as the hobz biz-zej, a large bruschetta topped with Maltese olive oil, tomato, tuna, onions and capers, or pastizzi, puff pastry with ricotta, very often with the addition of peas. Pastizzi are good and cheap snacks with which to quench hunger, so famous that on the island there are pastry shops, shops that sell all kinds and qualities, also open in the middle of the night in places like Paceville, where concentrates the nightlife of the island.
Among the snacks and appetizers on the Maltese table you cannot miss the bigilla, a cream of beans with garlic. Stuffed olives are also excellent, better known as le Żebbuġ Mimli and Tal-Qaqoċċ fried food, fried artichokes.
The Sunday market in Valletta is one of the largest and takes place just outside the walls surrounding the city, but here you will find above all great souvenirs.
The fish market of Marsaxlokk, however, it is undoubtedly the most folkloristic market located in the fishing village on the south coast of the island. Arriving in Marsaxlokk the thing that strikes at first sight are the luzzi, colorful Maltese boats "with eyes" drawn on the bow, to represent a good luck charm from the Egyptian culture. On the luzzi the fishermen arrange their catch from shellfish, seafood, groupers, bream with mullet ready to be sold. Provided you arrive, at the first light of dawn.
Maltese bread is exceptional and local bakeries sell it in all shapes and qualities, the most typical being the Ftira, a donut-shaped bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Around the bakeries there are many variations, for example based on tomato and olive oil, or those with sardines or anchovies.
Pork is the most popular among the Maltese, followed by rabbit and chicken. Among the cheeses, however, those from the island of Gozo are very famous, such as Ġbejn, made with goat's milk.
We could not miss the Maltese sweets where we find the pure Sicilian-Maltese confectionery tradition in the Kannoli, or in semi-cold, ice cream, candied fruit and all desserts with ricotta and almonds. The Moorish-Maltese confectionery tradition is expressed instead in a typical dessert, the helwa tat Tork, made with sugar and ground almonds.
