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!