It could be the climate, or it could be the smell of the sea, but all Mediterranean countries seem to have an ever present appetite. Malta is no exception. The Maltese people find every excuse to eat. Every season has its traditional dish associated with it and every public holiday its own dedicated sweets. You’ll find confectioneries in every village each with their own display of freshly baked treats. You’ll find common delicacies like apple pies, almond pies, jam puffs and such, but you will also find traditional Maltese sweets which you definitely have to taste when visiting Malta.
Probably the most common sweets are the ‘Qaghaq tal-Ghasel’, freely translated as Honey Rings. These are rings of pastry which come in all sizes, filled with black treacle, marmalade, grated orange peel, spices and honey. You’ll also find them vacuum packed which makes them ideal to take back with you for those who stayed at home. Perlini, icing-covered almonds, come in all variations of pastel colours and may be bought in weight or prepacked. During carnival days of old, perlini used to be thrown freely from atop the carnival floats to the joy of all, especially children.
Another treat is ‘Mqaret’ which are deep fried pockets of pastry filled with dates. You’ll find them in local feasts, in street markets and at the entrance to Valletta. Eat them while still hot, when the pastry is still crispy and the filling soft to get their full fledged flavour.
Something else you should taste is Helwa tat-Tork, most probably of oriental origin. This is a very sweet and sticky mixture of crushed almonds which is usually served with coffee after a meal. You can also buy it in small tubs from supermarkets.
Kannoli are an absolute delicacy. These are tubes of deep fried crispy pastry stuffed with fresh ricotta, sugar, candied peel and chocolate. They need to be kept in a fridge and won’t last for long especially in Summer, so eat them fresh as soon as you buy them. It won’t be difficult to do that once you see them.
Include a trip to a local feast during your stay in Malta, and you can’t miss the nougat stalls that are set up prominently in the church square and along the main streets leading to it. You’ll find different types of nougat, soft, hard, flavoured, with almonds, without… If you can’t make up your mind, vendors will gladly offer you some to taste.
Apart from these traditional sweets which are available all year round, you can also find other particular treats that are made on special days, like Zeppolli on St. Joseph’s day on the 19th of March, Kwarezimal during Lent and Figolli in Easter; even carob sweets made especially for Good Friday. With all these delicacies available all year round, don’t be surprised if you put on some weight after your holiday in Malta.