Food & Drink in Malta
Maltese cuisine is based in peasant food and Italian and Africa styles of cooking have had a lot of influence. Vegetarians are well catered for as many traditional dishes are built around beans or the aubergines (eggplant), artichokes, marrow, potato and tomato that grow plentifully on the island.
Seafood restaurants abound, and they are very good, with shell fish in particular excellent - fresh, plentiful and delicious.
"Pastizzi", thin crispy pastry parcels usually filled with ricotta cheese or sometimes sweet chocolate and nuts, are a popular snack.
Get away from the main towns and you will find unleavened Maltese bread, a delicious crusty sour dough bread, usually eaten with a thick layer of tomato paste and topped with olives, tuna and sun-dried tomatoes. Delicious with a glass of wine on a sunny evening.
Around the main tourist areas there are rather too many restaurants serving the worst kind of English food and are best avoided.
Beer & Wine
Though not well known as a wine producing nation, Maltese wine is pretty good, with most of the well known international grapes grown. For a taste of something different, try wine made from the indigenous grapes, Gellewza and Ghirghentina.
Several local beers are made, with Farson's Ale by far the best known and most widely available. A soft drink called Kinnie is the 'Coke' of Malta, enjoyed by adults and children alike. It's orange based but with herbs added and is something of an acquired taste.