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Malta – a lot of a good thing
This little island, set in the Mediterranean twixt Italy and North Africa, has a gorgeous climate, friendly residents, a rich history and architecture to match; but I wanted to know what the food is like, so off I went.
I’ve already written about the honey, olive oil and wine of Malta, but what are the principal dishes all about? What is the essence of Maltese cuisine and who is taking it to the next level?
Firstly let’s get one thing out of the way; the portion sizes here are epic… crazy huge and massively generous. I had to check that I wasn’t expected to eat the whole lot. Not exactly austerity and I certainly never condone wasting food, but that’s the culture and who am I to argue against that – especially with my appetite?
So let’s take you through a day chronologically; many Maltese, especially working men, often skip an early breakfast, choosing instead to go to drink sweet tea and eat one of the naughty pastizzis from any one of hundreds of shops offering them all over the islands.
Julian Sammut runs a string of independent restaurants around the former fishing harbor at Spinola Bay, and he has been named restaurateur of the year for his focus on Maltese foods. I was to meet him at Gululu, a restaurant on the waterfront with a focus on reinvigorating ‘peasant’ food for the burgeoning food scene – that’s not to say it’s poor man’s food by any means.
I was told to prepare for a lot of food – unsurprising considering the Maltese appetite – although I did offer the caveat that I wanted no more rabbit!
A fish soup, good enough to challenge any French bouillabaisse was first; rich and peppery like it should be. Then some lampuki or dolphin fish (no not dolphin, dolphin fish) served simply grilled or braised with tomatoes, olives and woody herbs. It’s meaty and reminded me of Dover sole a little. The fish itself is only found at this size in these waters, swimming between Malta and Gozo before heading west to American waters before it becomes the more familiar mahi-mahi. It’s fished by tempting it into the shade before dropping a net – clever stuff.
Julian is a lovely guy – we chatted about rugby and cricket as well as food, our shared passions. The guide sat patiently while we chewed the cud and four hours later we were nearly done. The generosity of spirit in these islands is really infectious, welcoming strangers until they become friends – there is a cheeky sense of humour as well as a commitment to great service, something becoming less of a priority in other Mediterranean countries.
Julian then asks chef to whip up some ad hoc local specialities, especially once he found out I loved anchovies. He produced local Gbenja stuffed with a super-salty anchovy and deep-fried. Words fail me – it was about as perfect as it gets.
I must take a moment to tell you about the remarkable and unique Maltese tomato paste – it’s astonishing. Sweet sun-dried tomatoes are bashed up for hours with a range of secret ingredients from rosemary to sugar. It is a reserve, will last for months and is simply glorious spread on some freshly baked bread – an astonishing and surprising thing which the Maltese love.
After leaving Julian’s lovely restaurant I walked back to the hotel in Valetta – lively, friendly and obsessed with Maltese classics. These are coming back into fashion with the younger generations who are fighting to keep them alive. I spoke to some younger people, asking them firstly about rabbit and nearly all of them said they tolerated it when their families sat down to eat it together rather than loving it, but all of them agreed it was worth saving….and so do I.
