Traditional Maltese food includes bread, soup (minestrone, fish), pasta and pastry dishes. Stuffed dishes are a feature of Maltese cuisine and stewing is a favourite method of preparing food. Stuffat Tal-Fenek (rabbit stew) is a national dish. Pastry is used with every type of food: cheese, vegetables, meat and fish, and even pasta. Lampuki pie, made using dorado fish, is one of Malta's national dishes. "Pastizzi" are popular snacks. These are thin crispy pastry parcels with a variety of fillings, such as ricotta cheese. Sweet foods include date pastries, macaroons and fresh fruit (apricots, melons, nectarines, oranges, peaches and pears).Beer and wine are produced locally. Non-alcoholic drinks are coffee, tea and various soft drinks.

Maltese cuisine is the offspring of a long relationship between the indigenous people of the islands and the many foreign conquerors over the centuries. The excellence of the Maltese foods lies in its simplicity. Traditional food is rustic and based on seasonal produce and the fisherman’s catch. “Fenek” (rabbit) is the national dish. Pasta is a staple food of the Maltese. Pastry of all kinds is used to encase vegetable, cheese, fish, meat, rice and pasta, producing tasty and filling dishes.