Aljotta
A rich fish soup with plenty of garlic and tomatoes. Often served with rice.

Bigilla
Traditional bean dip.

Bragjoli
A thin slice of beef surrounding breadcrumbs, bacon, eggs and herbs. Particually nice, when braised in red wine.

Fenek
Rabbit is almost a national dish in Malta, and is served at almost all resturants. The rabbit is usually lightly fried, then simmered as a cassarole of red wine for several hours. It is usually served with chips or potatoes and salad. It is mostly served in tomato sauce or rich gravy.

Figolla
This dish is an Easter-time favourite. Golden, Icing-coated biscuits stuffed with a mixture of sweet ground almonds.

Gbejniet
These are small, round cheeses, made from goat milk, often served as part of a light lunch, or as part of a hearty dinner. They have a smooth texture and a subtle, often creamy flavour. The peppered cheeses are served with galletti (a local type of cracker biscuit) and served with a glass of robust red wine. A sundried variant sports a more definite taste, though not as popular as the soft and peppered servings.

Helwa tat-Tork
A very sweet sugary mixture of crushed and whole almonds. It is often offered with coffee after dinner.

Hobza
A very crusty 'sour dough' bread loaf with a deliciously soft inside which is the mainstay of a meal. It is a snack in itself served with simple local produce like fresh tomatoes and gbejniet cheese. This type of bread proves extremely popular: most households have a loaf delivered daily including Sundays, while tourists specifically request it wherever the eat. A less crusty and more compact variant is used for Bruschetta. It is best eaten fresh but cooled off, as it loses most of its taste and crunchiness within a day or two. Some prefer it straight from the oven!

Imqaret
Date-filled, deep-fried pastries which are served piping hot from take-away stands. Look out for them at City Gate, Valletta. They are so delicious you will also come across them on the desert menu in some restaurants.

Kannoli
A tube-shaped confectionery of deep-fried crisp pastry stuffed with fresh ricotta and sweetened with pieces of chocolate and candied fruit. Eaten as a treat any time of day, and also offered after dinner. The candied fruit included in this snack, is also often used in a delicious type of colourful nougat.

Kapunata
A Maltese version of Ratatouille made from tomatoes, capers, aubergines and green peppers which goes well with grilled fish, or can be served cold, on its own as a savoury light lunch.

Kusksu
A thick, hearty soup; a spring favourite since it is made of fresh broad beans. Couscous is usually added in.

Minestra
The start of many Maltese meals is soup. Traditionally minestra is a healthy, thick soup combining numerous fresh and dried vegetables and accompanied by a hearty, slice of crusty Maltese bread, hobza. This dish is eaten all year round, but usually preferable in Winter as a hearty, warming dinner.

Mqarrun 'l Forn
A dish filled with macaroni, minced beef, eggs and a bolognese sauce. The macaroni is sometimes topped with a layer of cheese or bescamella that will melt during the baking process.

Pastizzi
A popular snack for all Islanders. You’ll come across them in most bars or from special pastizzi take-away places. Pastizzi are small, diamond-shaped packets of flaky pastry stuffed with either fresh ricotta or a mushy pea mixture. Sometimes they are slightly spicy and made from shortcrust pastry. They have been likened to the indian Samosas, just with a more neutral filling. Puff-pastry variants are served at most restaurants, though tasting totally different.

Qaghaq tal-ghasel
Honey or treacle rings made from a light pastry. They are often served in small pieces as an after-dinner accompaniment to coffee. You’ll find them in most confectioners, and they are especially popular with local children.

Qargha baghli
Otherwise known as baby marrows. These are particular delicious stuffed with minced beef, parsley and baked, or made into a creamy soup.

Qassatat
Considered a "cleaner" alternative to pastizzi, these are made of light pastry traditionally filled with rikotta, peas, or spinach. Alternative fillings are increasingly becoming popular. Usually spanning the palm of a hand, smaller servings are used as finger food at functions.

Ravjul
Pasta is the staple of many families’ diets. Maltese ravjul are very similar to Ravioli, though tasting slightly stronger. They are usually filled with ricotta and fresh parsley, or with minced meat, and covered with a rich tomato sauce made with celery and basil and topped with freshly-grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. A delicious family favourite.

Ross 'l Forn
Similar to mqarrun 'l forn, but rice is used instead of macaroni.

Soppa tal-Armla
This dish is similar to minestra, a thick vegetable soup, but it is slightly thinner, and rounded off with fresh gbejniet which melt into the hot soup.

Timpana
Baked macaroni filled with a small amount of minced beef and sometime hard-boiled eggs. The macaroni is topped with a light flaky pastry crust.

Torta tal-Lampuki
The national lampuka fish. The fish has fine, white meat with only a few large bones. It is excellent for lightly pan-frying in olive oil, oven-baking with a rich tomato, onion, caper and wine sauce, or, making into a fish pie with spinach, cauliflower, capers, sultanas, hard-boiled eggs, herbs, and topped with shortcrust pastry.