Maltese cuisine reflectsMaltese history, showing strongItalian influences, as well as influences fromSpanish,French,Provençal and otherMediterranean cuisines, with some laterBritish culinary influence. Being positioned along important trade routes, having to import most of its foodstuffs, and having to cater for the resident foreign powers who ruled the islands opened Maltese cuisine to outside influences.[1] The traditional Maltese stewed rabbit,stuffat tal-fenek, is often identified as thenational dish.
.jpg)
Malta's history and geography, at the center of trade routes, had an important influence on its cuisine. Foreign dishes and tastes were absorbed, transformed and adapted.[2]Italian (specificallySicilian),Middle Eastern andArab foods exerted a strong influence, but the presence in Malta of theKnights of St John and theBritish also brought elements from further afield.
The Knights hailed from many European countries, particularly France, Italy, and Spain, bringing influences from these countries.Aljotta, for example, a fish broth with garlic, herbs, and tomatoes, is the Maltese adaptation ofbouillabaisse.[3] The Knights' contacts and wealth brought also food from the New World; it has been suggested that Malta may have been one of the first countries in Europe (after Spain) where chocolate was first tasted.[4]
The British military presence meant a market of a garrison and their families and, later, mass tourism from the United Kingdom. British food products, condiments and sauces likeEnglish mustard,Bovril,HP Sauce, andWorcestershire sauce are still a subtle but pervasive presence in Maltese cooking. Other imports were only nominal.
The Maltese wordaljoli is one of the variations onaioli across the Mediterranean; the Maltese version of the sauce is based on herbs, olives, anchovies, and olive oil. Similarly, while the Maltese wordtaġen is related to "tajine", in Maltese the word refers exclusively to a metal frying pan.
There are a number of junctures in which development in Maltese cuisine related to issues of identity. The most significant example is the traditional Maltesestuffat tal-fenek (rabbit stew), often identified as the national dish, quite possibly started off as a form of symbolic resistance to the hunting restrictions imposed by theKnights of St John.[5] The dish became popular after the lifting of restrictions in the late 18th century (and by which time the indigenous breed, theTax-Xiber rabbit, had multiplied and prices dropped) and the domestication of rabbits, a technique which could have been imported from France thanks to the French Knights.[6]
The popularity of pork and its presence in various dishes could be attributed to Malta being on the edge of the Christian world. Consuming a food which is prohibited in theMuslim culinary culture could have been a way of self-identification by distinguishing oneself from the other. In addition to pork dishes (such as grilled pork cuts or stuffed flank) and the exclusive predominance of pork in indigenous Maltese sausages, adding some pork to dishes such askawlata (a vegetable soup) andross il-forn (baked rice) has been common practice in the Maltese vernacular cuisine for centuries.[2]
For theCafé Europe event held during theAustrian Presidency of the EU in 2006, the "representative" Maltese pastry chosen was themaqrut.
Despite Malta's small size, there are some regional variations, especially with the island ofGozo. This is evidenced in some names such as the Gozitan cheeseletġbejna (ġbejna t'Għawdex) andftira Għawdxija,flatbread topped or filled with potatoes orġbejniet with eggs, grated cheese, tomatoes, anchovies, olives, ricotta, and Maltese sausage as other possible ingredients.[7]
Other Gozitan variants include the use of ingredients. Gozitan cheeselets, for example, are used as filling forravioli instead of the usualricotta.
The strongest seasonal variations are seen in desserts and sweets.Prinjolata,[8][9]kwareżimal,karamelli tal-ħarrub,ftira tar-Randan,figolla andqagħaq tal-għasel are all examples of sweets associated with a particular season.
Because Catholic fasting duringLent involved mostly meats and dairy products, fish such aslampuki were a popular dish during this period, as were stewedsnails (Maltese:bebbux), stuffedartichokes (Maltese:qaqoċċ mimli) andfritters (Maltese:sfineġ) ofġbejna, vegetables or fish (particularlywhitebait andsalted cod).
DuringHoly Week, bakers also bake a largebagel typically studded with some almonds on top calledqagħqa tal-appostli (lit. "apostles' bagel"). Usually coinciding with the spring, there are also seasonal variations to certain dishes at the time ofLent as in, for example, adding freshbroad beans to dishes such askusksu, a vegetable and pasta dish.[10]
During November,għadam tal-mejtin (lit. "bones of the dead", inItalian:ossa dei morti) are prepared. These are a layer of marzipan sandwiched between sweet pastry and topped with white icing (normal icing and not buttercream icing).
Qagħaq tal-għasel (honey andtreacle rings) are a traditional Maltese sweet. They consist of a pastry with a stuffing of sorts inside, made into a ring shape, with slits along the ring for the filling to dark filling to ooze out. The filling is traditionally a mixture ofhoney,molasses,aniseed,cinnamon, andcloves; some people add cocoa powder for a hint of chocolate. Although traditionally made forChristmas, it became so popular that people started making it all year round, and nowadays many are unaware that it was originally made for Christmas. The ring symbolizes "eternal happiness" and the filling oozes out signifies "overflowing with goodness".
