Malta

A Maltese everyday fish broth built on an extravagant quantity of garlic, ripe tomatoes, and fresh marjoram, with local rock fish simmered whole and rice cooked directly in the strained liquor.

A thick Maltese dip of mashed dried broad beans (ġirba) seasoned with garlic, herbs, chilli, and olive oil.

A Maltese feast-day dish of thinly pounded beef slices wrapped around a compact stuffing of breadcrumbs, herbs, and hard-boiled egg, then tied into olive-shaped rolls and slowly braised in red wine.

Fenek Moqli is a traditional Maltese dish of rabbit marinated in wine and herbs, then shallow-fried to a golden crisp and served as a main course.

Ġbejniet are small traditional Maltese cheeses made from sheep milk, either fresh and mild or aged with pepper, commonly served as a snack or condiment.

Ġbejniet Mixli are small, round Maltese sheep-milk cheeses that are brined, dried, and traditionally marinated in olive oil with black pepper and fresh herbs.

A traditional Maltese open-faced snack of crusty ħobż tal-Malti rubbed directly with a cut ripe tomato and dressed generously with extra-virgin olive oil, then topped with capers, tuna, olives, and fresh herbs.

A traditional Maltese crusty round sourdough loaf with a thick crackling crust and an open, airy, slightly hollow crumb.

A Maltese baked dish of macaroni bound in a meat ragù with eggs and cheese, baked until set with a crisp top.

Crisp deep-fried pastry tubes filled with sweetened fresh ricotta, the Maltese version of the cannolo.

A traditional Maltese Lenten sweet of spiced almond-and-flour bars made without eggs or fat, glazed with honey and scattered with chopped almonds.

A dense Maltese vegetable-and-legume soup slow-cooked with seasonal produce until thick, hearty, and almost stew-like.

A Maltese deep-fried pastry cut into diamonds and filled with a spiced date paste, sold hot from street stalls.

Pastizzi are Maltese palm-sized street-food pastries of lard-laminated flaky dough, hand-shaped into a diamond (ricotta) or oval (peas) and filled with either spiced ricotta or curry-tinged mushy peas, baked until shatteringly crisp.

A Maltese baked rice dish of rice layered with spiced minced meat, tomato sauce and beaten egg, baked until set with a golden crust.

Stuffat tal-Fenek is a traditional Maltese rabbit stew braised in red wine with tomatoes, garlic, onions, and herbs, served as a hearty main course.

A Maltese baked dish of macaroni in a meat-and-tomato ragù bound with egg and cheese, encased in a short-crust or puff pastry shell and baked into a sliceable pie.

A humble Maltese vegetable soup finished with a poached egg and a fresh ġbejna cheeselet dropped into each bowl.