Maltese Cuisine

Maltese cuisine is a hearty, rustic Mediterranean island food, shaped over centuries by Sicilian, Arab, North African and British influences. Its national dish is fenek, rabbit slow-cooked in wine and garlic, and its most beloved snack is the pastizz, a flaky pastry filled with ricotta or mushy peas, sold everywhere. Alongside come fresh seafood, the bread ftira, aljotta fish soup, hearty vegetable stews and, from Gozo, superb cheeses, all bright with Mediterranean produce.

What you actually see

• Fenek - the national rabbit stew.
• Pastizzi - the flaky ricotta or pea pastry snacks.
• The seafood - the fresh fish and aljotta fish soup.
• Gozo cheese and ftira - the island cheeselets and rustic bread.

When to go

Year-round; the cheap, delicious pastizzi are a snack for any time from the pastizzeria, and a leisurely fenkata, a rabbit feast, is a beloved social occasion best shared. The fish markets and village festas are highlights.

Honest expectations

Maltese food is hearty, rustic country cooking rather than refined, so its appeal is honest island fare and the fresh seafood rather than sophistication. The cheap pastizzi are a genuine highlight and everywhere. British influence means some pub-style food too. Eating rabbit, the national dish, is not to everyone's taste. A village restaurant serves the most authentic food.

Nearby

The fishing village of Marsaxlokk for seafood; Gozo for its cheeses.