Widow's Soup

1. 1A thrifty all-vegetable broth, no meat
2. 2Built from green and seasonal vegetables (peas, cauliflower, broad beans, spinach, etc.)
3. 3Finished with a fresh ġbejna (Maltese sheep/goat cheeselet) per bowl
4. 4A poached or dropped egg crowns each serving
5. 5Named for its frugality — what a poor widow could afford

Simmering whole vegetables

Vegetables are cooked whole or in large pieces in the broth, the rustic style that defines this peasant soup

Poaching egg and cheeselet in the broth

The egg sets and the ġbejna softens in the hot soup, adding the only richness in an otherwise lean dish

Served

Ladled into a bowl with a whole ġbejna and an egg per serving

Temperature

Hot

Portion

A full bowl as a main

Pairs with

Crusty Maltese bread (ħobż) · Olive oil

• Fresh ġbejna → Ricotta or a mild fresh cheeseadmissible

  Approximation when ġbejniet are unavailable; flavour shifts but spirit holds

• Whatever green vegetables → Other seasonal vegetablesadmissible

  The mix is flexible by design

• Vegetable broth → Meat stock or added meatinadmissible

  Breaks the dish — its identity is a meatless widow's soup; adding meat defeats the concept

• Adding meat or meat stock, which contradicts the dish's identity
• Overcooking the vegetables to mush
• Omitting the ġbejna and egg, which are the defining finish
• Over-thickening it into a stew rather than a clear-ish soup

A Maltese peasant soup named for the frugal cook who had little; its egg-and-ġbejna finish is distinctly Maltese.

1. 1.Maltese home cooking tradition
2. 2.Maltese culinary references

Confidence: high