Malta and its sister island of Gozo are in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea, about 93 km south of Sicily and east of Tunisia and north of Libya.
The most popular meats are the rabbit and fish, especially lampuki (known elsewhere as the golden dolphin fish or mahi-mahi). Lampuki only available from August to November, and then served in a pie with spinach, cauliflower, capers, raisins, hard boiled eggs, herbs and bark of a short-cake topping.
FTIR, the Maltese version of pizza, combine anchovies, capers, olives, sliced potatoes with herbs and tomato sauce. Stewed and stuffed dishes are popular, as are thick soup filled with vegetables and pasta cut into pieces and served piping hot with a pecorino cheese or goat cheese.
Gbejniet, a hard cheese with small round black Peppe vinegar and spicy, served on Galletti (a cracker drive) and watered with Kinnie, the popular soft drink in Malta from bitter orange and herbs.
Daily, dessert is usually fruit, such as dates or figs. Qaghqa-tal-Ghasel, or ring of molasses, is a traditional baked Christmas pudding full of honey or molasses, lemon peel, anise and cloves. During the Carnival of Malta prinjolata fall into a dome-shaped ice Laden sweet cake reserved for the occasion. Easter Sunday brings figolla large cookies filled with almond paste and traditionally dressed as men, women, fish, lamb and baskets.
