Maltese Ross il-Forn – Baked rice

Ross il-forn in Maltese literally translates to baked rice. It is a popular rice dish in Malta and can be considered the ultimate Maltese comfort food. Although it takes some time to prepare the dish from scratch, there is nothing too complicated about it. Once at it, I like to make extra portions and freeze…

Qagħaq tal-Ġunġlien – Maltese Sesame Rings

Qagħaq tal-Ġunġlien literally translates to sesame rings. These are traditional Maltese biscuits made from wheat flour, lemon and orange peel and a bunch of aromatics, including cinnamon, cloves and anise seed. You will also find them shaped in a figure of eight and called Ottijiet (otto = eight in Italian). They are commonly found all…

Għadam tal-Mejtin, Maltese Almond Cookies

Għadam tal-Mejtin, which literally translates to “dead men’s bones”, can sound a bit creepy. But never mind the name… they are absolutely delicious almond cookies. The name comes from the shape of the cookies, which are prepared in the form of a bone. These traditional Maltese cookies are prepared in the beginning of November, in…

Imqarrun il-Forn, Maltese Baked Macaroni

Imqarrun il-Forn (baked macaroni), also known as baked pasta (Għaġin il-Forn), is a traditional and popular Maltese dish. It is very often served as starter during Christmas lunches, however, it is also enjoyed throughout the year at family gathering and Sunday lunches. The dish combines penne or rigatoni, a rich tomato ragù sauce, hard-boiled eggs,…

Maltese Christmas Log

The Maltese Christmas Log is very different than the Yule log, popular throughout Europe. Instead of sponge cake, the Maltese one is made with crushed biscuits and a variety of nuts, fruit and sometimes chocolate chips. It is very popular during the festive season, and besides it being sooo delicious it is very simple to…

A day in Gozo

We recently visited Malta, our home country, for our annual family visit. We were not exactly in total holiday mode though, as my husband had to work remotely and we also had a lot of errands to run. However, we enjoyed our time there and it was good quality time with our families. Of course…

Kwareżimal – Maltese Lenten Cookies

This recipe reminds me of home and the beautiful smells that would fill our house while baking these cookies. The orange blossom water smell also reminds me of Spring, which happens to be round the corner. 🙂 Kwareżimal refers to the forty days of Lent, during which traditionally in Malta most animal products were avoided. In fact,…

Memories of home

The past 5 weeks have flown by so fast! We had a great time with our families, with the highlight of the trip being celebrating my parents’ birthday and my brother’s wedding. We also met some of our old friends to catch up over drinks, lunch or a bbq. Although we had planned to do a lot…

Malta’s Other Gems

Apart from Valletta, the Three Cities and Mdina, which I have covered in detail in my other posts, there are other beautiful places you may want to visit while in Malta. Starting from the south of Malta, the small and quiet seaside village of Marsaxlokk will give you a glimpse of local lifestyle. Historically, it has been a fishing village…

Gozo, Malta’s Sister Island

Għawdex, as Gozo is referred to in Maltese, is just 25 minutes away by ferry from Malta’s northernmost point. When compared to Malta, Gozo is quite different, mainly because it is more rural. Although small in size, it offers a lot in terms of natural beauty. It is a place to relax, enjoy nature, hike and a…