A Mediterranean food journey
Travelers often picture Malta as a sun-soaked island of beaches and turquoise seas. True! Yet to truly know the country, you must eat as the locals do. Food here is not just served, it’s also celebrated, in festivals full of fruit and sweets, in villages where bread is listed as UNESCO Intangible Heritage, and in harbors where fishermen bring in their catch the very same day. Visiting Malta means discovering an open-air restaurant shaped by centuries of Mediterranean life.
Mġarr: strawberries and rabbit stew
The green village of Mġarr, in the northwest of Malta, is the perfect place to begin. Each spring, the village celebrates Festa Frawli, a strawberry festival bursting with cakes, jams, milkshakes, and even strawberry liqueurs. Yet locals are just as proud of Stuffat tal-Fenek, the slow-braised rabbit stew considered as the national dish, which you can also find in Dingli and Baħrija. This meal isn’t only about the flavor, but also about the community, tradition, and long evenings around the table.
From Qormi to Gozo: bread traditions with UNESCO roots
Bread is central to Maltese identity and appears in many forms. In Qormi, the bread capital of Malta and once nicknamed Casal Fornaro, meaning “the village of bakers”, you can find no fewer than 22 bakeries that still operate with wood-fired ovens up to this day. Each October, Lejl f’Casal Fornaro honors this legacy with music and village life: a feast where bread and pastizzi take center stage. The most famous bread is the ftira, a ring-shaped bread recognized as UNESCO Intangible Heritage. On Gozo, it’s baked like a pizza in wood-fired ovens, rich with toppings.
Crispy snacks, fish markets, and the taste of salt
Pastizzi are Malta’s iconic snack: flaky pastries filled with ricotta or peas. The best ones are found in Rabat, at the Crystal Palace, and Żejtun, at Roger’s Bakery and the Four T’s, where the recipes have been passed down like heirlooms.
No culinary journey through Malta is complete without visiting Marsaxlokk, the colorful fishing village in the south of the country. On Sundays, the fishing village of Marsaxlokk comes alive as its famous and traditional luzzu boats unload their catch at the market. There, visitors can savor lampuki, swordfish, octopus, and shellfish straight from the sea.
A short ferry trip takes you to Gozo, the quieter and greener sister island. Here lie the most famous salt pans, where sea salt is still harvested by hand. It makes the island the perfect spot for a picnic surrounded by the sea. Gozo is also the place for kunserva, the traditional Maltese tomato paste made from hand-picked tomatoes and ġbejniet, small round cheeses made of goat’s or sheep’s milk.
In Malta, eating like a local means centuries of heritage, passed down from table to table. From village feasts to seaside markets, every flavor carries the island’s story.
