Maltese food is quite humble in nature and is known as ‘the cuisine of the poor man’. It is typically Mediterranean with influences from Arabs, Italians, French, Spanish and the British.

Malta has a rich culinary tradition and is technically the first ever fusion cuisine in the world. During the reign of the Knights of St. John in Malta, each of the Langues brought with them their own ingredients and recipes. The native Maltese worked in their kitchens and that knowledge was then brought home and the food was integrated in the local cuisine.

These are some of the typical Maltese dishes and beverages:

Rabbit Rabbits are reared and farmed in Malta and are very tasty.  There are some restaurants that specialise on just rabbit.	Widow Soup This is a vegetable soup made with whatever vegetables are in season, cooked in a thick tomato stock.  Some people add little pasta to it but this is not necessary.	Arjoli This is a julienne of vegetables, spiced up and oiled.
Maltese sausage The Maltese sausage is a confection of spicy minced pork, coriander seeds and parsley, wrapped in stomach lining.	Snails Cooked with garlic and served with a green sauce made with garlic and fresh herbs and accompanied with fresh crusty Maltese bread.	Lampuki Pie Filleted dorado mixed together with spinach, chestnuts and sultanas and encased in a short-crust pastry.
Pastizzi Hot pastries filled with either ricotta cheese or peas.  The pastry is formed of multiple sheets of transparently thin and crunchy layers.	Stuffed Aubergines Oven baked aubergines filled with minced meats, breadcrumbs, onions, garlic and parsley.	Bigilla This is a puree made from beans and herbs.
Timpana Baked macaroni in a meat tomato sauce wrapped in pastry.	Ross fil-forn Delicious baked rice with a meat tomato sauce.	Bragoli Thin layers of beef form a parcel filled with a hard-boiled egg, pork mince, parsley and breadcrumbs which is then simmered very gently in gravy.
Hobz  biz-zejt A Maltese bread or ftira, rubbed with tomato and olive oil then filled with garlic, onions, tuna and gerkins.	Qaghaq ta' l-ghasel It is a pastry stuffed with a honey mixture.	Mqaret A date-filled deep fried pastry

Restaurants There is a very good choice of restaurants in Malta and they range from deluxe to fast food and from European to Oriental cuisine. Table service is normal, but many bars and cafeterias have table and/or counter service.

Beer Maltese beer is excellent. Local beer includes Cisk Lager, Caqnu Lager, Hopleaf and Blue Label. Foreign beers are also available.	Wine Malta has two indigenous grape varieties, Girgentina and Gellewza.  In addition to these indigenous grapes, a variety of international wine grapes are grown in Malta.  These include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Carignan, Chenin Blanc and Moscato. Thanks to Malta's sunny climate that lasts all year round, grapes tend to ripen much quicker than in the colder northern grape-growing countries. Maltese wines are generally of excellent quality.  Well known foreign wines are also available.	Soft Drinks The national soft drink is Kinnie.  A unique tasting, non-alcholic fizzy drink made from bitter oranges and a variety of aromatic herbs.