Maltese cuisine is a fresh riot of flavours and combines Italian, French, British and Arabic influences, the result of numerous foreign occupations. Here's a guide to what to eat and drink in Malta, so you don't go home without having tried the best delicacies.
Maltese cuisine has influences from all over the world © Nadezhda1906/Getty Images
Typical restaurants serve traditional cuisine, including hearty rabbit and Mediterranean fish dishes, while fine dining and fusion restaurants celebrate diversity by mixing local tradition with that of other countries around the world. Enhancing the Maltese gastronomic scene are renowned wine producers and a team of state-of-the-art craft breweries.
Rabbit is one of Malta's signature dishes © from_my_point_of_view/Getty Images
Malta's national dish
Malta's signature dish is fenek (rabbit). Restaurants offer an endless list of variations of the country's favourite meat: fried, roasted or stewed rabbit, rabbit ragout, rabbit pie... It is eaten to celebrate special occasions, where it is called fenkata. Spaghetti with rabbit ragout is always accompanied by a glass of red wine.
Where to eat rabbit in Malta: the gourmet version, rabbit stuffed with rosemary and pistachio, is the highlight of the Townhouse No 3 restaurant in Rabat. Diar il-Bniet, a km0 restaurant near the spectacular cliffs of Dingli in Malta, serves traditional pan-fried rabbit. Cooking classes are also organised, starting in the morning at the nearby farm to shop for the necessary ingredients. In addition to the farm, they have an emporium where you can buy gastronomic souvenirs such as jams, olive oil and pepper jack cheese.
Fish Banquet in Marsaxlokk
Being an archipelago surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Malta is a paradise for those who love to eat fish and shellfish. The most popular fish is lampuki, often cooked as an ingredient in tal-lampuki pie, a savoury pie baked with tomatoes, onions, black olives, spinach, sultanas and walnuts. A classic for seafood cuisine in Malta is Marsaxlokk, a fishing village in south-east Malta where colourful fishing boats float placidly in the harbour. After the popular Sunday morning market, locals and tourists alike stop for lunch on the waterfront.
Where to eat fish in Marsaxlokk: lampuki is always on the menu at Tal-Petut, a restaurant with a cosy atmosphere in the quiet alleys of Birgu (Vittoriosa), one of Malta's Three Cities. Tartarun offers sophisticated, fusion interpretations of traditional fish: try the swordfish tataki with cucumber sauce. Octopus carpaccio andaljotta (a traditional Maltese fish soup), on the other hand, are must-tries at Roots, an informal restaurant near Marsaxlokk.
Fresh Maltese salad © Barbara Szentmarjay/Getty Images
Savour Gozo's fresh produce
Malta's younger sister, Gozo, is an island that is very famous for its gastronomy. It is more rural, with farms and estates growing grapes, vegetables and olives and producing sheep and goat cheese. The indigenous grape varieties of Gozo and Malta are Girgentina and Ġellewża. Here you will find fine restaurants that exalt the freshness of local seasonal produce.
Where to eat in Gozo: the most famous is the Tmun M.Karr restaurant, near M.Karr harbour, praised for its superb steaks and fresh fish. In Il-Kastell, Gozo's glorious hill town, is Ta' Rikardu Restaurant, which offers local honey, cheese and the owner's own rosé wine, while in Ta' Mena, a rural estate within easy driving distance, we recommend a meal washed down with Marsamena wine. In addition, Ta' Mena 's farm shop sells sea salt, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and Gozitan capers and offers a tour every Saturday afternoon of their vineyards and olive groves (bookable online).
Malta's best restaurants are often housed in the halls of historic buildings dating back to the 16th century © Getty Images
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Treat yourself to an elegant dinner in Malta
Malta's top dining destinations combine award-winning creativity with the sophistication of delicious seasonal ingredients and often blend traditional Maltese flavours with hints of international influence.
Luxury restaurants in Malta: Noni is Valletta's one-Michelin-starred restaurant. Its favourites are sea urchin with pomelo and pear or Gozo cheese served with pumpkin. Another elegant restaurant to try is Tarragon, on Malta's northern coast, where km0 ingredients are the priority. Locavore 's menu includes risotto with wild nettles and beef carpaccio with Maltese capers. In Rabat and Mdina we recommend Root 81 and Townhouse No 3.
Malta Pizza
Another typical Maltese snack is the ftira, a kind of pizza. It's usually stuffed with a pungent mixture of olives, capers and anchovies, while the typical tomato sauce made from ground dried tomatoes, rosemary, sugar and other secret ingredients is really pungent.
Where to eat ftira in Malta: try it at Nenu the Artisan Baker in Valletta. where you can participate in Maltese cooking classes and try many other typical dishes. Treat yourself to a ftira lunch at Ta' Doni accompanied by a local craft beer before or after exploring the walled city of Mdina, while in the village of Nadur in Gozo, Mekrens and Maxokk are bakeries that have been in business for over twenty years serving ftira fresh from the wood-fired oven.
The delicious pastizzi have been given a contemporary twist with more modern fillings ©giovanni1232 / Getty Images
Get your fill of pastizzi in Rabat
The traditional Maltese snack is the pastizz, a kind of triangular calzone made of phyllo dough filled with a spicy pea and ricotta puree, ideal for appeasing the appetite between meals. In most cities, you can find numerous pastizzerijas, small bakeries specialising in pastizzi. Some less traditional schools of thought offer modern versions filled with Nutella or caramelised apples.
Where to eat pastizzi in Malta: the best pastizzerijas prepare pastizzi freshly and one of the most renowned in the archipelago is the humble Crystal Palace in the charming town of Rabat. It's easy to spot thanks to the long queue outside and the constant stream of taxi drivers stopping for a snack between rides, and it's well known that taxi drivers always know where the good food is.
Malta's craft beers
The best beers made from local Gozitan produce are Flinders Rose (inspired by the Göse, Leipzig's savoury beers) with caper flowers, honey beer with carob honey and a brown ale made from wild fennel seeds.
Where to drink Malta's craft beer: Malta's most established craft brewery is Lord Chambray, whose beers can be found in bars and restaurants in Malta and Gozo, as well as in the taproom in Xwekija. Bar 67 Kapitali in Valletta offers a wide range of Lord Chambray 's beers and beers from other Maltese craft breweries, including Huskie and Stretta.
Take a walking tour to discover Malta's food
Discover Valletta's maze of pastel-hued squares and alleyways on a walking tour organised by Offbeat Malta Food Trails. You'll sample classic Maltese delicacies such as rabbit, pastizz and ftira and explore new gastronomic horizons such as chocolate, wine and craft beer. During the tour, you will also learn about the historical events and cultural impulses that have shaped Maltese cuisine over the centuries. Book the tour as soon as you arrive in town, so that you can become an expert right away and juggle the rest of the trip.
Vegetarian and Vegan Cuisine in Malta
Many traditional Maltese dishes are vegetarian, based on artichokes, broad beans, cauliflowers and cabbage, depending on the season. However, always ask before ordering if they are prepared with meat stock or tuna. Most restaurants offer meatless dishes, such as vegetarian pizza and pasta. It is possible to get by as a vegetarian in Malta, but the task is more difficult for vegans.
Where to eat vegetarian and vegan in Malta: some restaurants offer vegan options, such as the Mint in Sliema (try the vegan stew). The Hangout & Bar in Valletta is a mainly vegetarian and vegan restaurant with a casual atmosphere in Valletta.
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