A Taste of Malta: The History Behind the Island's Food and Wine

Malta's food and wine tell the story of everyone who ever passed through it. Sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean, between Sicily and North Africa, the island has been settled, traded with, and ruled by a long list of civilisations — and each one left something behind on the dinner table. What ends up on a plate in Malta today is a genuine fusion: Sicilian pasta and tomatoes, Arabic pastry and spice, British puddings and tea, all sitting comfortably alongside dishes that are entirely, distinctly Maltese.

If you're planning a trip to Malta — or already here and wondering what to actually order — this is the short version of how Maltese food and wine came to taste the way they do, and what to look out for.

A Crossroads Cuisine: Where the Flavours Came From

Malta's first settlers arrived from Sicily around 5200 BC, but it was later arrivals who really shaped what Malta eats. The Phoenicians, who used the islands as a trading outpost from around 700 BC, are credited with introducing fishing traditions that still define Maltese cooking today — and, oddly enough, with bringing rabbits to the island, which weren't native at all.

The Arabs left arguably the deepest mark. They brought citrus fruit, almonds, and spices like cumin and coriander, along with pastry techniques that evolved into Malta's most famous street food. The Knights of St John, who governed Malta from 1530, brought a more refined European sensibility, expanding winemaking and introducing dishes like kapunata, Malta's answer to ratatouille. Centuries later, British rule added things like marmalade, tea, and meat pies into the everyday Maltese diet, sitting right alongside the Mediterranean staples that came before.

The result is a cuisine where you can taste the island's entire history in a single meal.

The Dishes That Define Malta

A few dishes come up again and again, and each one carries its own piece of history:

Pastizzi are Malta's signature street food — flaky, Arabic-style pastry parcels filled with either ricotta cheese or curried mashed peas. They're so woven into daily life that the Maltese have a saying, jinbiegħu bħal pastizzi ("selling like pastizzi"), used the way English speakers say something is "selling like hot cakes."

Ftira is a ring-shaped Maltese bread, traditionally sliced and filled with tuna, olives, capers, and tomatoes. It's recognised by UNESCO as part of Malta's Intangible Cultural Heritage — a reflection of how central it is to the island's food culture. Gozo has its own variation, baked flat with toppings, closer to a pizza.

Fenkata (rabbit stew) is considered Malta's national dish, slow-cooked in red wine, garlic, and Mediterranean herbs. Its popularity has a rebellious history — under the Knights of St John, rabbit hunting was restricted to protect the population, and eating rabbit became a small act of local defiance that stuck around long after the restrictions were lifted.

Bigilla, a dip made from dried broad beans, garlic, and chilli, is Malta's take on the dips found right across North Africa, usually served as a starter with bread or crackers.

Wine: Malta's Two Native Grapes

Most people don't associate Malta with wine, and historically that's been fair — when the Knights of St John arrived in 1530, they judged the island's existing grapes only good enough for eating, not winemaking, and focused on importing wine from elsewhere in the Mediterranean instead.

Two indigenous grape varieties survived that period regardless, and they're still the most distinctly Maltese wines you can drink today:

Girgentina is Malta's native white grape, likely brought over from Sicily by the Phoenicians. It's low in alcohol, fresh, and light-bodied, with citrus and floral notes that pair naturally with seafood and salads. Because it's so closely tied to the island's terroir, it's often blended with other varietals like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc to round it out.

Ġellewża is the island's native red grape, with a name that traces back to the Arabic word for hazelnut. It produces lighter, fruit-forward reds with notes of cherry, and is also used to make a semi-sparkling rosé. It's rarely found outside Malta, since most of what's produced is consumed locally or by visiting tourists rather than exported.

Malta joined the EU in 2004, which exposed local winemakers to far more international competition — and pushed quality up significantly as a result. Today, the island has under 2,000 acres under vine, spread across a handful of producers, with most of that wine still rarely leaving the island. Trying a glass of Girgentina or Ġellewża while you're here isn't just a drink — it's tasting something that, realistically, you won't find back home.

Tasting It All in One Place

Reading about Maltese food and wine is one thing — tasting how it actually fits together with chocolate is another. At Malta Chocolate Factory in Bugibba, we run hands-on pairing experiences built specifically around this island's flavours:

• Maltese Wine & Chocolate Pairing — a guided tasting that pairs Maltese wine, including the island's native varietals, with artisan chocolate made on site.

• The Taste of Malta Artisan Wine Pairing — our deeper dive into Malta's wine heritage alongside handcrafted chocolate pairings and local foods and flavours, ideal if you want to properly understand what makes Girgentina and Ġellewża unique while tasting them for yourself.

• Make & Feast: Maltese Chocolate, Food & Wine — a hands-on, three-hour Maltese culinary experience for ages 18+, combining chocolate dessert making, food, and wine in one extended session if you want to go beyond a single pairing and spend a proper afternoon or evening immersed in it.

All three sessions are run in Bugibba, St Paul's Bay, and make a relaxed, flavour-focused afternoon or evening out — a different way to experience Malta's history than a museum or a guidebook.

Malta Chocolate Factory runs hands-on chocolate, truffle, and pairing workshops in Bugibba, Malta. See all our workshops →