What to eat in Malta: fenek, ftira and pastizzi
How is it possible that a country of half a million people has such a rich national cuisine? On the one hand, it blends various flavours and recipes that came to the country from Italy, Britain and the Arab world, and on the other, it offers dishes and drinks you will not find anywhere else. Maltese cuisine is well worth getting to know, as it often bears witness to the country's history.
Little Malta can amaze you with the variety of its food. Among snacks, the undisputed leader is "pastizzi", a puff pastry bun filled with ricotta cheese (sometimes also with mushy peas). Some people simply cannot resist these filling little buns. I saw with my own eyes how city bus drivers stopped their buses, regardless of the traffic, to buy fresh, warm "pastizzi" from a small kiosk...
A good snack, or even a main course, is a large, hearty sandwich called "ftira". The filling is fish paste (sardines, tuna), potatoes, fresh tomatoes, onion, capers and olives. A "ftira" looks like a sizeable burger, and the bread roll it is made with is often toasted. It usually comes with chips.
I also had an adventure with "tripe". I like Polish "flaki", served as a soup, but in Malta I was treated to tripe as a starter, in the form of filled little pies.
On Gozo I ate a tasty fish soup called "Aljotta". The pieces of fish were finely chopped, the ingredients also included rice, and the flavour was intense and vegetable-rich, reminiscent of Italian minestrone.
British breakfast, Kinnie and Cisk beer
There are probably not many fans of British food in the world, but in Malta they would be delighted with typical island dishes. You can get simple "fish and chips" or a pie. I admit that I often started the day with the classic combination - sausage, beans, a fried egg and toast. And, of course, tea with milk.
What to drink? You really must try fizzy "Kinnie". It is an orange-flavoured drink with a bitter note and a distinct bouquet of various herbs. Today, besides the classic version, you can also get a "diet" one or one with a stronger orange flavour. Malta also has its own classic beer - "Cisk".
Fenek rabbit and the Ta' Celita restaurant in Mġarr
But the best-known and most thoroughly traditional Maltese speciality is rabbit, called "fenek" here. Rabbit is most often served as a stew with vegetables, fried or as a sauce with pasta. Although it is not among the cheapest dishes, eating it during a stay in Malta is almost obligatory.
The Maltese say that the best "fenek" is served in the little town of Mġarr. There I ended up at the family-run "Ta' Celita" restaurant. Besides the culinary experience, the remarkable history of the place stuck in my memory. In the 1920s you could get a good coffee here. The present name appeared in the 1940s, when a regular customer, an Englishman, suggested adding "Sunny Bar and Restaurant" to the main part of the name. Unfortunately, the great crisis that hit the country in the 1960s forced the owners to emigrate to Australia. But just 6 years later the place was renovated and enlarged, and began serving typical Maltese dishes. Today Rose is in charge of the kitchen, but her mother, Celita, still bustles about behind the bar. Despite all the ups and downs, "Ta' Celita, Sunny Bar and Restaurant" has remained in the hands of the Caruana family for 100 years.
Come to Malta, where tasty dishes tell the story of this small but fascinating country.
Do you enjoy tasting regional dishes? Read about the culinary delights of Sardinia.
If you want to know more about Malta, follow this link to my article about two sightseeing tours of Malta and Gozo and here about the Classic Car Museum in Malta
