Maltese cuisine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maltese cuisine is the result of a long relationship between the Islanders and the many foreigners who made Malta their home over the centuries. This marriage of tastes has given Malta an eclectic mix of Mediterranean cooking. Many popular Maltese specialities are Italian/Sicilian or Moorish in origin.
Maltese cuisine is, nowadays, still popular in households and restaurants in Malta, but is by no means the main gastronomical form present on the island. Rather, it is a traditional form of cuisine, which was prepared more exclusively in the past centuries, and which has now become a part of a much more varied diet followed by the Maltese people. Indeed, the Maltese enjoy a Mediterranean diet, with heavy Italian influences. However, for the purpose of this article, Maltese cuisine is seen to be the more traditional form of Maltese cooking, which is still present on the island, but which has now been joined by other different types of cuisine and influences, which are also an integral part of the Maltese diet.
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[edit] Dishes
This section describes some of the typical dishes of Maltese cuisine.
[edit] Soup
[edit] Aljotta (Maltese fish soup)
A rich fish soup, similar to broth in consistency, with plenty of garlic, herbs and tomatoes. Often served with rice.
[edit] Kusksu (Maltese Broad Bean & Pasta Soup)
A thick, rustic soup made with fresh broad beans, a form of pasta beads called kusksu (not to be confused with couscous, which in Tunisia is called Kusksi or sometimes Kusksu), and onions and tomato paste.Traditionally a spring favorite, since it is the time when one of its main ingredients, broad beans, are in season. The use of kusksu pasta beads give it a particular texture. [1]
[edit] Minestra (Maltese vegetable soup)
The start of many Maltese meals 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, ħobża. This dish is eaten all year round, but usually preferable in Winter as a hearty, warming dinner.
[edit] Soppa ta' l-armla (widow's soup)
Supposedly got its name from the tradition of neighbours donating products to poor widows living in their neighbourhood. This dish is vaguely similar to minestra, a thick vegetable soup, but it is slightly thinner, and rounded off with fresh ġbejniet which melt into the hot soup. Usually raw eggs are added at the end and when they coagulate, the soup is ready.
[edit] Brodu (Maltese broth)
A soup, similar to broths cooked in other countries. Contains a variety of vegetables. Also contains meat, with beef or chicken being the most commonly used. Served with different types of pasta. A dish which contains all the major food groups.
[edit] Pasta and rice
[edit] Mqarrun il-Forn (Maltese baked macaroni)
A baked dish made with macaroni, bolognese sauce, egg, and various other ingredients varying according to family tradition including peas and bacon. The macaroni is usually topped with a layer of grated cheese or besciamella (béchamel) that will melt during the baking process and aid in binding.
[edit] Ravjul (Maltese ravioli)
The ravjul (sing. ravjula) is typically filled with ricotta and fresh parsley and covered with a simple garlic and tomato sauce garnished with celery and basil. This is served with freshly-grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Alternatively spinach or minced meat is used as filling. In Gozo, Ravjul are filled with local Sheep's Cheese (Ġbejniet). Traditionally ravjul portions are sized by the number of individual ravioli, and always counted in dozens and half dozens. Ravjul can also be caramelized and served as a dessert.
[edit] Ross il-Forn (Maltese baked rice)
Ross il-forn (or Baked Rice) is quite similar to Mqarrun il-Forn (Baked Macaroni), however, it includes saffron as an additional ingredient and is placed in the oven uncooked with 2 cups (200ml) of water for every cup of rice.
[edit] Timpana (Maltese pastry-covered baked macaroni)
Baked macaroni filled with a small amount of minced beef and sometimes with hard-boiled eggs. The macaroni is encased in pastry crust. It can be thought of as a sort of macaroni meat pie. Similar to the Italian Timpano. The basic difference between Timpana and Mqarrun il-Forn is the addition of the pastry cover.
[edit] Meat
[edit] Braġjoli (beef olives)
A thin slice of beef surrounding breadcrumbs, bacon, eggs and herbs. Particularly tasty when braised in red wine. Also known as beef olives in English.
[edit] Fenek (rabbit)
Rabbit is very popular and one of the most well known Maltese dishes. It is served as a traditional dish in restaurants. The rabbit is usually lightly fried, then simmered as a casserole of red wine for several hours. It is usually served with chips or potatoes and salad. It is mostly served in tomato sauce or rich gravy.
[edit] Laħam taż-żiemel (stallion meat)
Stallion meat, a common product which is used in various dishes, is usually fried or baked with white wine sauce.
[edit] Zalzett tal-Malti (Maltese sausage)
The Maltese sausage is typically made of pork, sea salt, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and parsley. Another version includes garlic. The plain one can usually be dried whereas the one containing garlic is to be consumed fresh. It is short and thick in shape and can be eaten grilled, fried, stewed or even raw. More recently a 'tal-barbikju' (lit. for the barbecuqe) variety has become popular. This variety is essentially the same as the original but with a much reduced salt content, and making use of a thinner sausage skin. As it's name implies, this variety is primarily targeted for cooking over a barbecue.
[edit] Fish
[edit] Lampuka (Dolphin Fish)
Lampuki are perhaps Malta's favourite fish. Better known outside of Malta as Mahi-mahi, dorado, or dolphin fish, it has fine, white meat with only a few large bones, and is found in abundance in the seas between Malta and Tunisia. It can be lightly pan-fried in olive oil, oven-baked with a tomato, onion, caper and wine sauce, or, made into a fish pie with spinach, cauliflower, capers, sultanas, hard-boiled eggs, herbs, and a shortcrust pastry topping.
[edit] Vegetables
[edit] Bigilla (Maltese bean dip)
Bigilla is a traditional bean dip. It is made with a type of dried broad beans called ful tal-Ġirba, which are soaked for 24 hours, rinsed, then boiled until they are very soft. The beans are subsequently mashed and mixed with salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic and chopped parsley. Chili is optional. Usually served with galletti (Maltese crackers) or Ħobża tal-Malti drizzled with olive oil.
[edit] Kapunata (Maltese ratatouille)
A Maltese version of Ratatouille made from tomatoes, capers, aubergines and green peppers which goes well with grilled fish, or can be served cold, on its own as a savoury light lunch. Used also on pizza. Can be home-made but can also be found in supermarkets preserved in cans.
Similar to Italian (Sicilian) caponata.
[edit] Qargħa Bagħli Mimli (Maltese stuffed marrows)
These are particular delicious stuffed with minced beef, parsley and baked, or made into a creamy soup. It can also be fried.
[edit] Pastry
[edit] Imqaret (Date slices)
Date-filled, deep-fried pastries which are served piping hot from take-away stands. Look out for them at City Gate, Valletta. Some restaurants also offer them as desserts on their menu.
There also exist date-filled North African sweets with a similar name (makroudh, which is the singular form of the name meaning "rhombus").
The Imqaret was chosen as the Maltese representative for Café Europe during the Austrian Presidency of the European Union in 2006.
[edit] Kannoli (Cheese or cream filled pastry)
Very similar if not virtually identical to the Italian cannoli. 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. The candied fruit included in this snack, is also often used in a delicious type of colourful nougat.
Also found as "Kannoli tal-Krema" where fresh whipped cream replaces the ricotta. This has also given rise to the expression "Kannol bla Krema" (a Kannol without cream, therefore and a hollow shell). This is used pejoratively of a person to indicate they are worthless, most specifically in politics with reference to campaign activists below the age of 18, therefore not eligible to vote under Maltese electoral law.
[edit] Pastizzi (ricotta or pea filled pasties)
A popular snack for all Islanders, found at pastizzerias and most bars, pizzerias, and some restaurants and bakeries. 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. They have been likened to the Indian Samosas, just with a more neutral filling. Puff pastry variants are served at most restaurants, though tasting totally different.
[edit] Qassatat (ricotta or pea filled pasties)
Considered a "cleaner" alternative to pastizzi, these are made of light pastry traditionally filled with ricotta, peas, or spinach. Alternative fillings are increasingly becoming popular. Usually spanning the palm of a hand, smaller servings are used as finger food at functions.
[edit] Cheese
[edit] Ġbejniet (gozo cheeselets)
These are small, round cheeses, made from sheep's milk, often served as part of a light lunch, or as part of a hearty dinner. These cheeselets come in three varieties, fresh, sun dried (moxxi) or peppered (tal-bzar). The Fresh variety have a smooth texture and a subtle, often creamy flavour. There are usually kept in water in a similar manner to fresh Mozzarella. The sundried variant sports a more definite, almost musky, taste, and are hard, but can keep for a long time without refrigeration. The peppered variety are dried in crushed black pepper, sometimes with the addition of dark vinegar. They can vary from a spiky taste to hot depending on the kind of pepper and amount used and the time for which they are left to 'cure'. The dried varieties are traditionally served with Galletti (a local type of cracker biscuit) and a glass of robust red wine.
Ġbejniet are often referred to as a goat cheese, although these are actually made up from sheep milk. Sometimes the sheep's milk is mixed, or even entirely substituted, with goat milk to reduce cost. In the 19th Century this practice led to an Undulant Fever (also referred to as the Maltese Fever) epidemic in the Maltese islands. By the 1990s, thanks to a strict regime of certification of milk animals and widespread use of pasturisation the illness had been completely eliminated from the islands. Ġbejniet are not only completely safe to eat, but a rightful delicacy.
The widespread belief that Ġbejniet made from pasturised milk are less tasty than those made from unpasturised milk has never been corroborated by scientific evidence. Still, mass produced Ġbejniet, made exclusively from pasturised milk, tend to be less tasty than those produced by the cottage industry that makes use of certified but unpasturised milk.[2]
[edit] Bread
[edit] Ħobża tal-Malti (Maltese bread)
A very crusty sourdough bread loaf 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 or kunserva (tomato paste), and ġbejniet. This type of bread proves extremely popular: most households have a loaf delivered daily including Sundays, while tourists specifically request it wherever they eat. A less crusty and more compact variant is used for bruschetta. It is best eaten fresh but cooled off, as it loses most of its taste and crunchiness within a day. Some prefer it straight from the oven.
[edit] Ħobz biz-Zejt (Maltese bruschetta)
This variation on the Italian bruschetta consists of a slice of crusty Maltese bread dipped in olive oil, rubbed with tomatoes and filled with a mix of tuna, tomatoes, onion, olives, capers and garlic. It is eaten as a starter or side dish, or on its own as a healthy snack.
[edit] Sweets
[edit] Figolla (Maltese Easter sweet)
This dish is an Easter-time favourite. It is a book-sized golden, icing-coated biscuit stuffed with a mixture of sweet ground almonds (called intrita). Found in various shapes. The most traditional shapes are that of a lamb and that of a fish (due to its connotations with religion). Other common shapes are Hearts, Ducks and Sirenes, and more recently Cars, Rabbits (Easter Bunny) and many more shapes that might appeal to children.
Here is a good traditional figolli recipe
[edit] Ħelwa tat-Tork (Turk's sweet)
This is a local variation of Halva most similar to the Greek or Turkish varieties (hence the name) Usually containing ground almonds and often also containing chocolate.
[edit] Kwarezimal (Maltese Lent sweets)
Kwarezimal is a biscuit that is consumed during the Lenten period. This is often home made or purchased from a caterer during Lent.
Here is a good Kwarezimal Recipe
[edit] Pudina ta' l-Ħobż (Bread pudding)
Sweet made from stale bread which is soaked in water overnight to re-moisten it, ad then mixed together with milk, cocoa, sugar, dried fruit and nuts. Sometimes liqueurs such as anisette or sherry are added. Commonly eaten all year round as a great way of using up leftover bread which has gone stale.
[edit] Qagħaq ta' l-Għasel (Maltese honey ring)
Honey or treacle rings made from a light pastry. They are often served in small pieces as an after-dinner accompaniment to coffee. Originally a Christmas delicacy but you’ll find them in most confectioneries all year round.
[edit] Snacks
[edit] Twistees
Twistees are a popular Maltese baked crisp savoury snack. They are produced in Malta and are made from rice and maize grits. [3]
Although the most popular flavour is by far "Cheesy" flavour, they are also available in chicken flavour and bacon flavour (under the name of "Tastees").
In September 2007 the manufacturers launched Twistees Lite, the new "Low Fat - Low Salt" version of Twistees.[4]
Due to their popularity among British tourists who travel to Malta, Twistees were launched into the UK market in January 2008 (under the name of "Tastees [1]'", possibly due to the exact similarity with the Australian product [Twisties]]).[5]
[edit] Beverages
[edit] Soft Drinks
[edit] Kinnie
Kinnie is a non-alcoholic, bitter-tasting drink that is made from bitter oranges and aromatic herbs, and is caramel in colour. The citrus flavour is similar to other chinotto flavoured drinks common in Italy. Since 1984, a diet version (Diet Kinnie) has been available. In 1975, Kinnie was selected beverage of the year by the French organization Comité International d'Action Gastronomique et Touristique.
[edit] Krest
Krest is a similar soft drink to Kinnie manufactured by the Coca Cola Company. It was introduced in 1997 in regular and diet versions.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Darmanin, Francis. A Guide To Maltese Cooking. Malta: Jumbo Productions, 14. ISBN 99909-79-00-6.
- ^ Rizzo Naudi, John (2005). Brucellosis, The Malta Experience. ISBN 99909-0-425-1.
- ^ Twistees - Cheesy Twistees
- ^ New Twistees Lite
- ^ Malta's own Twistees launched into UK market
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