Maltese street food is not trendy avocado burgers. It is working people's food — it should give you energy, have flavour, and cost next to nothing. It has been doing exactly that for centuries.
The Big Four of Maltese Street Food
1. Pastizzi — The King
Filo pastry filled with ricotta (tal-irkotta) or curried peas (tal-piżelli). 50–60 cents. Hot, crispy, fatty and brilliant. Details in the dedicated article.
2. Ftira — UNESCO in Bread Form
A round bread (tyre-shaped), crispy like ciabatta but denser. Filled with: kunserva (tomato paste), tuna, olives, capers, onion, sometimes cheese. Listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage. Found in every pastizzeria and bakery.
3. Ħobż Biż-Żejt ("Bread with Oil")
The simplest thing in the world. Fresh Maltese bread (ftira), rubbed with raw tomato, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and perhaps capers. The vegetarian version of a Maltese sandwich. Tastes like holidays.
4. Imqaret — Sweet Finish
Fried pastries filled with dates flavoured with aniseed, orange peel and cinnamon. Warm, sticky, smelling of the Orient. Buy them at markets, festas and from street vendors in Valletta.
Honourable Mentions
- Qassatat: Shortcrust tartlets with spinach or ricotta. A pastizzi cousin.
- Bigilla: Broad bean paste with garlic and olive oil. Served with bread as a bar snack.
- Kannoli tal-Irkotta: Crispy pastry tubes filled with ricotta cream. The Maltese version of Sicilian cannoli.