Maltese Food: 8 Traditional Dishes You Have to Try in Malta

Sitting between Sicily and Tunisia, Malta has seen Phoenicians, Arabs, Normans, the Knights of St. John, the French and the British come and go. Its food tells that story better than any museum: baked pasta inherited from Italy, date pastries from the Arab world, crusty wood-fired bread, and even a fondness for tea with milk and sodas, a legacy of the British years.

On our two trips to Malta, we quickly realized that Maltese food is about much more than the seafood restaurants lining the harbors. The real discoveries often happen elsewhere: in a neighborhood pastizzeria at 8 a.m., in front of a fritter stall on the night of a village feast, or around a big family table on the island of Gozo. It is generous, rustic, sometimes a little heavy, but always honest cooking.

Here are the 8 traditional Maltese dishes we recommend you try, with our favorites, our small disappointments and our tips for finding them.

1. Pastizzi: the national snack for under two euros

You can't spend a day in Malta without running into pastizzi. These small diamond-shaped pastries are made from a very thin flaky dough, stretched by hand and rolled up on itself, that literally peels apart as you bite into it. They come with two classic fillings: ricotta (tal-irkotta), mild and slightly salty, or mushy peas (tal-piżelli), which are more spiced.

We quickly adopted the local ritual: one or two pastizzi straight out of the oven, with a coffee or a tea, standing at the counter of a pastizzeria. Ricotta is clearly our favorite, its creamy filling contrasting with the crispy pastry. A word of warning, though: the flakes end up everywhere, and this is definitely not a light snack. But at around €1 each, it is the best value treat on the island.

2. Stuffat tal-fenek: rabbit stew, the national dish

Rabbit is at the heart of Malta's food identity, so much so that stuffat tal-fenek, rabbit stew, is considered the national dish. The meat is first marinated in red wine and garlic, then slowly simmered with tomato, peas, carrots, potatoes and bay leaves. Its popularity is said to come from a form of resistance: under the Knights of St. John, rabbit hunting was reserved for the nobility, and when the ban was lifted, rabbit became a symbol of freedom.

This is the dish that made the biggest impression on us during our trips. The meat falls off the bone, and the sauce is rich and slightly sweet, perfect for mopping up with Maltese bread. The Maltese even hold fenkata, big festive meals built around rabbit, which often start with spaghetti in rabbit sauce before the main course. If you only try one traditional dish in Malta, make it this one, ideally in a family restaurant in an inland village rather than on the touristy waterfronts.

3. Ftira and ħobż biż-żejt: Maltese bread at its best

The Maltese are very proud of their bread, and rightly so. Ftira, a ring-shaped flatbread with a crisp crust and an airy crumb, was even added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2020. It is the base of the island's most popular sandwich: cut in half, rubbed with tomato, drizzled with olive oil, then filled with tuna, capers, olives, onion and mint. Made with the classic round loaf, it is called ħobż biż-żejt, literally "bread with oil."

It became our go-to lunch on beach days: a ftira bought at a small snack bar, wrapped in paper, and eaten facing the sea. It is simple, fresh, full of flavor thanks to the capers and mint, and far more satisfying than a store-bought sandwich. On Gozo, don't miss ftira għawdxija, a version closer to a pizza, baked with potatoes, anchovies or ġbejniet.

4. Ġbejniet: the little cheeses of Gozo

Ġbejniet (pronounced roughly "jbay-nee-et") are small round sheep's milk cheeses, emblematic of the island of Gozo. They come in three forms: fresh, very mild and almost creamy; dried, firmer and saltier; or dried and coated in black pepper (tal-bżar), sometimes preserved in oil or vinegar.

We had a soft spot for the peppered version, which has a pleasant kick and goes perfectly with a glass of local wine and a few sun-dried tomatoes. The fresh ġbejniet convinced us less on their own, a bit bland for our taste, but they really shine in cooking: you'll find them in Maltese ravioli (ravjul), on Gozo ftiras, or in salads. They appear on almost every Maltese platter served as an appetizer, alongside bigilla (a broad bean dip), olives and galletti crackers.

5. Timpana: baked pasta in a pastry crust

If you thought you had seen everything when it comes to baked pasta, timpana may surprise you. Inspired by the Sicilian timballo, it is made of macaroni mixed with a tomato and ground meat sauce, eggs and cheese, all sealed in a shortcrust or puff pastry crust, then baked. It is a dish for holidays and Sundays, which families make in large batches.

To be honest, this is the specialty that divided us the most. One of us loved how comforting it is and the brilliant idea of a crust that stays crisp; the other found it far too filling, with the feeling of having eaten "pasta in bread." Try it at least once, but share a slice, and definitely not before an afternoon hike along the Dingli Cliffs.

6. Torta tal-lampuki: the seasonal fish pie

Lampuki (dolphinfish, also known as mahi-mahi) is the star fish of the Maltese fall. Its fishing season opens in mid-August and runs until the end of the year: during that time, you'll see it everywhere on the stalls of Marsaxlokk and on restaurant chalkboards. It is often simply pan-fried with a tomato and caper sauce, but the most typical recipe is torta tal-lampuki, a pie filled with fish, spinach, cauliflower, olives, raisins and sometimes walnuts.

The sweet-and-savory mix intrigued us at first, but it works surprisingly well: the raisins soften the briny flavor of the fish, and the golden pastry makes it truly indulgent. For us, it is one of the most original recipes in Maltese cuisine. The only catch: you really only find it in season, so if you visit in spring, you'll have to settle for another fish specialty such as aljotta, a fish soup with garlic and tomato.

7. Imqaret: the date fritters of village feasts

The smell of frying oil and aniseed from imqaret is one of our most vivid memories of Malta. These small diamond-shaped fritters are filled with a date paste flavored with aniseed, orange zest and sometimes cloves, then fried until the pastry is golden and crunchy. Their Arab origins are obvious, and they are eaten piping hot, straight out of the oil.

The best time to try them is during a festa, the patron saint feasts that bring every Maltese village to life in summer, with fireworks and processions. Vendors set up their fryers in the streets, and you eat your imqaret standing in the middle of the crowd. You can also find them year-round near the ferry terminal and at markets. They are sweet, a bit greasy and totally addictive: we rarely managed to stop at two.

8. Kinnie: the bitter soda that divides opinion

To finish, a drink you'll see on every table: Kinnie. Created in Malta in the early 1950s, this amber soda is made from bitter oranges and a blend of aromatic herbs, which gives it a taste halfway between an orange soda and an Italian bitter, with hints of licorice.

Kinnie clearly divides travelers, and we were no exception. The first sip surprised us with its bitterness: you expect a sweet drink and end up with something closer to an alcohol-free aperitif. Over the course of our stay, we came to enjoy it ice-cold, with ice cubes and a slice of orange, alongside our pastizzi. For beer lovers, the local Cisk, a light lager, is the other must-have drink of the islands.

Where to try Maltese food

• Neighborhood pastizzerias: for pastizzi, skip the touristy shop windows and look for the small counters where locals line up in the morning. The one in Rabat, near Mdina, is especially famous.
• Marsaxlokk market: on Sunday mornings, it is the best place to see fresh fish, including lampuki in season, and then have lunch in one of the harbor restaurants.
• Family restaurants inland: for stuffat tal-fenek and timpana, villages like Mġarr are known for their restaurants specializing in rabbit.
• Gozo: for ġbejniet and ftira għawdxija, Malta's sister island remains the place to go, with its farms and smaller, more authentic restaurants.
• Valletta and St. Julian's: for more modern Maltese cooking, find our picks in our articles on the best restaurants in Valletta (FR) and the restaurants of St. Julian's (FR).

Budget-wise, Maltese street food is very affordable (€1 to €3 for a snack), while a full meal in a traditional restaurant usually costs between €20 and €35 per person.

FAQ: Maltese food

What is the national dish of Malta?

Stuffat tal-fenek, a rabbit stew simmered in red wine and tomato, is considered Malta's national dish. It is often served at fenkata, big festive meals built around rabbit.

Which Maltese dish should I try first?

If you only have one day, start with pastizzi for breakfast, a tuna ftira for lunch and stuffat tal-fenek for dinner. That will give you a very complete overview of Maltese cuisine.

Is Maltese food vegetarian-friendly?

Partly, yes. Ricotta or pea pastizzi, ftira without tuna, ġbejniet, bigilla (broad bean dip) and imqaret are vegetarian. Traditional main courses, however, are very much centered on meat and fish.

When can you eat lampuki in Malta?

Lampuki season runs from mid-August to the end of the year. It is the best time to try torta tal-lampuki and fresh fish at the markets.

What food souvenirs should I bring back from Malta?

Peppered dried ġbejniet, Maltese honey, sun-dried tomato paste (kunserva), Maltese cookies, a bottle of Kinnie or a local wine from Gozo all make great food souvenirs.

Conclusion

Maltese food doesn't try to impress: it feeds, comforts and tells the story of centuries of exchanges across the Mediterranean. Between the crunch of a pastizz, the sauce of a rabbit stew simmered for hours and the scent of aniseed from imqaret on a feast night, it is a cuisine you experience as much as you taste.

We recommend exploring it off the beaten path: a neighborhood pastizzeria, a village restaurant or a farm on Gozo will teach you far more than a tourist menu. And between two meals, take the time to discover the most beautiful beaches in Malta (FR).

About the authors

We are Camille & Fabien, two travelers who love authentic discoveries. On Revel Roads, we share our experiences, our favorite food finds and our best addresses to travel like a local. Drawing on our two trips to Malta, this article brings together the dishes that left the strongest impression on us, from neighborhood pastizzerias to family tables on Gozo.

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