Why Malta's pastizzi is the must-eat snack on a European cruise
The classic snack of Malta comes in several flavours.
It's pastizzi perfection. The delicious crunch of flaky pastry, the salty ooze of warm ricotta cheese. On a port stop during an NCL cruise in Europe, we have just one day to explore Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Top of our must-do list is really a must-eat: find the best pastizzi.
If there's a more satisfying way to spend a euro or less than on a Maltese pastizz, straight out of the oven, then - frankly speaking - I haven't found it yet. The classic snack of Malta comes in several flavours, though tradition suggests you start with ricotta cheese or mashed pea fillings.
Tourists bite into the hot pastries, often unaware that the palm-sized bites have a fascinating history that goes back thousands of years and tells the story of immigration, colonisation and resilience. It's enough to know they are delicious, affordable and convenient on the go.
Historians suggest pastizzi first appeared in Malta more than 3000 years ago, a tasty byproduct of geopolitical population changes. Flaky Arabic pastry fused with Mediterranean-inspired fillings and whatever was fresh in Maltese village gardens.
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Even during military sieges of Malta throughout its long history, when attacking forces blocked food supply to the island, resilient citizens always had the basic ingredients on hand to make pastizzi.
When the island nation became a British Crown Colony in 1814 (and remained so for the next 150 years), Pommie soldiers brought their own food influences and cravings to Malta. The mushy peas were surely their idea.
Queen Elizabeth II lived in Malta from 1949 to 1951, during the years Prince Philip was stationed there in the Royal Navy. She described the period as one of the happiest times of her life. As we sail away from the harbour at day's end, hearts and bellies full, I'm guessing the pastizzi had something to do with her contentment.
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