We are what we eat

Apparently, and without surprise perhaps, pasta is the nation’s favourite ‘dish’. To celebrate this startling fact, we’ve gathered together a list of the various articles we’ve penned on Malta Insideout in the past year or so about Maltese food and eating habits, from favourite and traditional dishes to our naughty (but nice for some) snacks. We also covered the growing issue of obesity; apparently, the average adult weight is going up 200 gms a year. And taken a look at some popular eating holes where pasta mounds are served.

Pasta - we're loving it!

Was there a need for the Malta Standards Authority’s food consumption survey after all? Even a tourist on a mere week’s visit here will get a good idea of the nation’s diet. Perhaps the time and effort spent on the survey should have been directed into awareness about healthy eating along the lines of Jamie Oliver’s astounding and applauded TED talk on diet and obesity.

Diets and waistlines
Food for thought on the health of the nation: Jamie Oliver would have a field day in Malta!
Malta’s traditional food – healthy or not? Perhaps once, but not today?

Iconic Restaurants & popular eateries
The Pride of Pastizzi at the Crystal Palace, Rabat – where tray upon tray of pastizzi are baked round the clock!
The Olympic, Mosta – work-a-day restaurant with a 1960s look n’ feel
Perfect pizzas at Maxokk, Gozo – a hole in the wall bakery cum take-away pizzeria where traditional toppings make the day.
Gourmet Gozo – a round-up of one man’s choice places to dine in Gozo from breakfast to supper!
Cockney’s, Valletta – it does a good seafood pasta. Yes, let’s hear it for pasta again!
Fontanella, Mdina – a tea and cake institution, with waistline-inducing treats.
Prego, Valletta – a cafe in a time warp with famed egg & ham sarnies dripping with mayonnaise.

Food we like!
Bread – nothing like the crust and soft doughy inside of a fresh Maltese loaf.
Pork – don’t we just love it!
Pastamania – we don’t like to waste left-over pasta: here’s a recipe for frying up spaghetti.
Sweets and pastries – Sicilian and Arabic infuence on Maltese, oh-so-sweet desserts.
Ricotta Pie – a family favourite and we love it in miniature as pastizzi.
King Carnival of Cakes – the traditional prinjolata. A mountain of cream cake with goodies inside.

Fruit & Veg (the healthy stuff!)
Citrus Fruit – January is for the best of Malta’s citrus fruits, so get marmalade making! See if you can scrounge some lemons from a neighbour too!
Pumpkins aren’t just for Halloween – they are all-year-round produce and feature in a lot of traditional dishes.
Olive Oil – Malta’s industry is homespun, not commercial but our native trees have unique health-giving properties.
Strawberries celebrated – in Malta, the strawberry season lasts almost all year.
Prickly Pears – not eaten as much here as in our neighbour, Sicily. Research shows these humble fruits pack nutritional punch.
Figs – so prolific, yet little used. But you can pick them for free from wild trees (ask farmer first!).

Photo: courtesy of Nanette Johnson of gourmetworrier.com