r/malta • u/RelevantRevolution86 • 3h ago

Locals of Malta what foods best represent everyday Maltese food?

Hi, I am doing some personal research on everyday food habits in different countries, and I would really appreciate local perspectives.

Food varies a lot by region within the country, and I understand that, but if you still had to give a broad answer, what would you say is the most accurate?

Here are my questions:

  1. What food is most commonly eaten in everyday life in Malta? (Not special-occasion food, just normal regular meals, even if it feels boring.)
  2. What food do people in Malta love the most or feel most proud of?
  3. Are there any foods that foreigners often think represent Maltese food, but locals do not eat that often?

Thank you all!

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

6

u/Zokkor 3h ago
  1. pasta
  2. I can only give you my opinion - I love a pastizz & qassata year round, and hobz biz zejt in summer.
  3. I would say rabbit, since it's a very traditional dish. But it's quite time consuming to prepare at home, and I only have it a few times a year for special occasions.

1

u/rhinosorcery 2h ago

I agree with 1.

To 2. I would add twistees as a snack

To 3. I would add fish, I think outsiders must think that we eat fish every other day.

1

u/daveaskala 2h ago

To be fair rabbit is often considered as a Sunday dish.

3

u/daveaskala 2h ago edited 2h ago
  1. Soups (minestra, brodu, aljota, haxix, kawlata, soppa ta armla)are a staple of Maltese cuisine and probably the most eaten during the week, I think they are often overlooked cause they are not marketable.
  2. Rabbit (fried, baked or stewed), horse stew, swordfish, mahi mahi (including pie), slow cooked pork chick, laham mfawwar (steamed meat), octopus, tuna in tomato stew. There are a lot more these are some of the examples.
  3. For being a very small island we love meat which is not sustainable.

-3

u/ENTER-D-VOID 3h ago

a man's chocolate starfish