Maltese Food - Preliminary Research

Whilst in Malta, I’m particularly interested in looking into Maltese food and the culture/significance
behind it.  I think this is really interesting because while food is obviously delicious, it also has
a huge cultural importance and can be super telling of a culture’s history.  

In the twentieth century, Malta was under French and than British rule; it also has very strong
cultural influences from Spain and Sicily.  That being said, let’s dive into the food! Malta is
generally known for its savoury dishes, and fish is a very popular dish there, due to its
location in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.  Fish is usually best to get from a traditional
fish market, like the Marsaxlokk fish market, which serves up seasonal fishes. However,
rabbit, beef, and pork are also rather popular in traditional Maltese cuisine.  

Outside influences are still very apparent throughout Maltese dishes; one popular example
of the French influence on Malta is Kapunata, which is a Maltese version of ratatouille.  Malta
also has their own version of the French dish bouillabaisse, which is called aljotta and is a
herby, garlic-filled fish broth. Another example of cultural influence Malta is the kannolis,
crunchy pastries with sweet filling, that closely resembles the cannolis you’d find in Sicily.

Malta also has some fairly unique dishes.  One example is stuffat tal-fenek, which is
stewed rabbit; this dish has big cultural significance because it is symbolic of the hunting
restrictions imposed by the Knights of St. John.

Overall, Maltese cuisine comes from a wide variety of other Mediterranean
cultures, and I’m excited to try all the different flavors of Malta!

Current Topics in Maltese Economics - Preliminary Research

The unique geographical features and positioning of Malta and a recent over-indulgence in NPR’s Planet Money has motivated me to select the Maltese economy as the focus for the non-technical portion of my ICEX experience. Of course the economy of any nation is a broad and complex subject, so as we arrive in the country I will be looking for opportunities to narrow the scope to a more specific story that I can explore in person. During my preliminary research I found a couple areas of interest to use as a jumping off point in the meantime.

Malta’s inherent limitations on space and natural resources makes complete subsistence unrealistic, so trade is critical to the Maltese economy. Malta satisfies about three quarters of their food and fresh water needs by import. Likewise, although they are in the process of updating their electrical grid and attempting to meet EU targets for renewable energy, they are still reliant almost entirely on imported oil. Conversely, their biggest sources of GDP are in retail, service, and administrative industries.

In recent years two of the most emphasized industries have been online gaming (primarily gambling) and Information Communication and Technology (ICT). Both industries are well suited for the nation as they more reliant on a skilled workforce than physical resources and real estate. ICT has become a major focus for Malta for these reasons, and they’ve made significant political and economic investments in an effort to make Malta a more digitally advanced nation. Meanwhile online gambling has become a boon for the Maltese economy, flourishing in recent years due to the overall low cost of operating out of Malta. However Malta’s success in this area is not uncontroversial, as they face accusations of having lax regulations allowing money laundering and tax evasion. Furthermore, proposed EU tax reforms threaten to increase taxation on all digital companies in the EU and introduce new rules and regulations that could jeopardize Malta’s position as the most appealing destination for online gaming companies.

I plan to try and learn more about both of these topics during my stay in Malta. In particular I curious to see how many of the locals perceive their own economy, and how they have personally felt the effects of these influences within their communities.

- Kolton Yager

Knights of Malta - Preliminary Research

The Knights of Malta or the Knights Hospitaller is the oldest surviving Catholic military order. It arose in the eleventh century in Jerusalem when they established a hospital for pilgrims and refugees. The  Knights Hospitaller have been officially recognized by the Catholic church since 1133. They moved to Rhodes in 1309, but were forced to leave in 1522 after it was invaded by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

The Knights Hospitaller moved to Malta in 1530. In Malta, they initially fended off attacks from the Ottoman Empire, then took on the role of policing the Mediterranean (especially from the Muslim Barbary pirates). In this capacity, they brought resources and wealth to the island. In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Malta on his way to Egypt, permanently dispersing the knights throughout Europe.

Today, though only 38 maintain the traditional practices, thousands of people claim a secular connection to the order. The Knights Hospitallar continue their commitment to service through humanitarian projects throughout the world.

Sources:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07477a.htm
https://www.orderofmalta.int/sovereign-order-of-malta/knights-of-malta/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller#Knights_of_Malta
https://www.maltauncovered.com/malta-history/knights-of-malta/