What Makes Malta’s Cuisine Unique?
Malta, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the world's smallest countries, about one-tenth the size of Rhode Island. However, because of its strategic location near Europe and North Africa, it’s an unusual historical and cultural fusion influenced by both ancient and modern peoples. It was also influenced by Great Britain, which colonized it in the early 19th Century (the Maltese still drive on the left side of the road). Malta obtained its independence in 1964.
It’s currently a very trendy tourist destination. Malta is also known as a culinary destination, boasting a whopping 47 Michelin restaurants, seven of which have earned Michelin stars. They cover a wide range of cuisines, including Italian, Mediterranean, “modern” and even South American.
But what is Malta’s authentic, traditional cuisine? What makes it unique? To find out, we delved deep into the countryside, far from the tourists, with Tony from Malta Rural Tours. This outstanding tour captured the local flavor of Malta and its rich culinary heritage.
Here are five ways that Malta’s cuisine is unique.
1. The Local Cheese Is Unusually Versatile
Our first stop was to Ta Zeppi’s sheep farm, in the village of Siggiewi (we had to go through a quarry to access it). This family farm happens to be where Tony works. The farm produces the local cheese, called ġbejna. It also supplies it to four of those Michelin restaurants.
But ġbejna is not a singular form of cheese like, say, Parmesan in Italy. Ġbejna is served in a myriad of ways, including in different consistencies depending on its age (one day old, two weeks old, etc.), fresh or air-dried, infused with different herbs, and a “drunken” version made with local wine.
We enjoyed a tour of the farm and learned the cheese-making process. We were then treated to a tasting of six different types of ġbejniet, plus local pecorino just for comparison. Incredible!
2. Maltese Bread Has a Special Shape
We next ventured to the village of Haz-Zebbug to stop in at Stefan’s Bakery. This tiny shop, owned by Tony’s son-in-law, still bakes bread in the traditional fashion, using a 150-year-old oven. The bread is baked in patties and then turned over, creating a roundish, flattish style called ftira. Malta only started to bake oblong-shaped loaves because the British during colonization preferred that shape.
3. Malta has its own Version of Street Food
Malta is known for its street snack, called pastizzi. It’s a flaky, warm pastry filled with either peas or ricotta cheese, and it’s delicious. During Lent, the pastizzi are filled with anchovies.
Funnily enough, we enjoyed our street food literally in the street, in front of the bakery, from the back of a car, washed down with Kinnie, Malta’s local soft drink. Two of Tony’s friends had brought them over for us to sample.
4. The Traditional Coffee is Unusually Infused
Mediterranean coffee is known to be excellent. Think Italian espresso or Turkish coffee. Some versions will infuse the coffee with sugar or cardamom.
Malta’s traditional version is unique in that it’s brewed with chicory, cloves, and sweet anise, giving it a particular flavor. Very good!
5. The Island Has Its Own Indigenous Wine
Malta has a winemaking culture that goes back 2,000 years, to the Phoenicians. The country produces a lot of wine, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
However, it has two indigenous grapes: Girgentina, a white wine, and Gellewza, a red wine. Tony told us that research is currently being conducted on several other grapes believed to be indigenous to Malta.
We were able to try the indigenous wines at lunch, which was held in a beautiful olive grove near the village of Bingemma, owned by local farmer Charlie and his wife Bella. We also sampled Charlie’s homemade olive oil, using special round olive oil tasting bowls. The olive oil was paired with local sea salt, collected by Charlie from nearby salt beds.
Charlie and Bella then fed us an incredible “farmer’s lunch” including fava bean paste, olives, butter beans, ġbejna, two types of sausage, and Ħobż Biż-Żejt, Malta’s traditional open-faced sandwich, made with peppers, capers, and tomato paste (on the bread we brought with us from Stefan’s bakery). Delicious.
We hope you now have a better understanding of what makes Malta’s cuisine so unique. “Saħħa!” (“cheers” in Maltese).
Do you have any additional insights into Malta? Please let us know! We’re at info@winewithourfamily.com.
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