 Aljotta
Fish soup.
A rich fish stock laced with plenty of garlic, tomatoes, fresh majoram and given
extra bulk with rice.
Bragjoli
A thin slice of
beef wrapped around a stuffing of breadcrumbs, chopped bacon, hard-boiled eggs
and herbs, then braised in red wine.
Fenek
Rabbit is almost a
national dish here. It has even given rise to a word for a special kind
of night out – the Fenkata, which is a group of friends out dining on rabbit.
A fenkata is a sociable, simple and fun way to get together for an evening out.
The rabbit is usually lightly fried, then simmered as a cassarole of red wine
for several hours. It is served with chips or potatoes and salad.
Some village bars are renowned for the excellence of their rabbit. Ask around
to find out where to go.
Figolla
An Easter-time speciality.
Icing-coated biscuits stuffed with a mixture of ground almonds.
Gbejniet
These small round cheeselets are as ideal for a hearty lunch with a slab
of crusty bread as they are as an accompaniment to pre-dinner drinks. They
come both fresh and preserved (in oil, vinegar or vacuum-packed). The fresh
ones have a smooth texture and a subtle flavour. Try the gutsier peppered
ones which are ideal with galletti (a local type of cracker biscuit) and served
with a glass of robust red wine. Gozo is well known for its gbejniet production.
Helwa
tat-Tork
A very sweet sugary mixture of crushed and whole almonds.
It is often offered with coffee after dinner.
Hobza
A very crusty bread
with a deliciously soft inside which is the mainstay of a meal. It is a
snack in itself served with simple local produce like fresh tomatoes and gbejniet
cheese. Hobz biz Zejt is a crusty roll, or sometimes a Ftira (small ring-shaped
bread) which is halved, smeared with ripe tomatoes, and filled with a mixture
of tuna, capers, onions and mint and sometimes also with butter beans. Each
bar and household has a different version of ingredients in hobz biz-Zejt, but
they all make a substantial alternative to a quick lunchtime sandwich.
Imqaret
Date-filled, deep-fried pastries which are served piping hot from take-away
stands. Look out for them at City Gate, Valletta. They are so delicious
you will also come across them on the desert menu in some restaurants.
Qaghaq
tal-ghasel
Honey or treacle rings made from a light pastry.
They are often served in small pieces as an after-dinner accompaniment to coffee.
You’ll find them in most confectioners.
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Kannoli
A tube-shaped confectionery
of deep-fried crisp pastry stuffed with fresh ricotta and sweetened with pieces
of chocolate and candied fruit. Eaten as a treat any time of day, and also
offered after dinner.
Kapunata
A Maltese version
of Ratatouille made from tomatoes, capers, aubergines and green peppers which
goes well with grilled fish.
Kusksu
A hearty soup; a spring
favourite since it is made of fresh broad beans.
Minestra
The start of many
a Maltese meal is soup. Traditionally minestra is a healthy, thick soup
combining numerous fresh and dried vegetables and accompanied by a hearty, slice
of crusty Maltese bread, hobza.
Pastizzi
A popular snack
for all Islanders. You’ll come across them in most bars or from special
pastizzi take-away places – usually hole-in-the-wall affairs with a small
metal oven by the doorstep.
Pastizzi are small, diamond-shaped packets
of flaky pastry stuffed with either fresh ricotta or a mushy pea mixture.
Sometimes they are slightly spicy and made from shortcrust pastry.
Qarabali
Baby marrows. These are particular delicious stuffed with minced beef,
parsley and baked, or made into a creamy soup.
Ravjul
Pasta is the staple
of many families’ diets. While people these days do buy ready-made
varieties, there are many bars and households where homemade ravioli is prepared.
It is usually filled with ricotta and fresh parsley, or with minced meat, and
covered with a rich tomato sauce made with celery and basil and topped with freshly-grated
Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Soppa tal-Armla
Known as
Widow’s Soup, this dish is similar to minestra, a thick vegetable soup, but
it is rounded off with gbejniet - goat or sheep’s cheeselet –
which melts into the hot soup.
Timpana
Baked macaroni filled
with a small amount of minced beef and sometime also hard-boiled eggs. The
macaroni is topped with a light flaky pastry crust. It is a mainstay of
rural midday meals, and is certainly a hearty snack.
Torta tal-Lampuki
A favourite
of the autumn kitchen when the ‘national’ fish, the Lampuka, or dorado,
is in season. The fish has fine, white meat with only a few large bones.
It is excellent for lightly pan-frying in olive oil, oven-baking with a rich tomato,
onion, caper and wine sauce, or, making into a fish pie with spinach, cauliflower,
capers, sultanas, hard-boiled eggs, herbs, and topped with shortcrust pastry.
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