The excellent Mediterranean cuisine that’s criminally underrated here

4 hours ago 3

Ben Groundwater

The dish: Aljotta, Malta

Aljotta fish and tomato soup from Malta.

Plate up

You only have to look at Malta on a map to understand the culinary influences and the impressive pedigree here. To the north there’s Sicily, a powerhouse of cuisine. To the west, Tunisia, home to its own fiery, complex gastronomy. To the east, Greece, including Crete. To the south, Libya. What an incredible position to draw influence from. That goes some way to explaining the excellence of Maltese cuisine, which remains criminally underrated here in Australia, though has been enjoyed by many cruise passengers making their way around the Med.

One of the highlights for those travellers in Malta, no doubt, is aljotta, the rich, delicious fish soup that draws influence from French bouillabaisse. There’s nothing wasted in this dish: a whole fish, head, tail and all, is simmered in a broth of tomatoes, bay leaves, mint and water. That fish is then removed, rice is added to the broth and cooked through, and then the fish meat added back in, and the whole lot garnished with lemon and parsley. Simple food, great ingredients, perfect dish.

First serve

Many visitors and settlers have made their mark on Malta over the centuries. Given the resemblance of aljotta to bouillabaisse, the theory of its creation relates to the Knights of St John, also known as the Knights Hospitaller, a Catholic military order founded in Jerusalem, and who had their headquarters in Malta for more than two centuries.

Many members of the Knights moved to Valletta from France during the 17th and 18th century, and no doubt brought with them traditional cooking methods that translated easily to the seafood-rich diet of the local Maltese. Thus, aljotta, a home-cooking staple and national treasure, was born.

Order there

In Valetta, try aljotta at the ever-popular Rampila restaurant (rampila.net).

Order here

Aljotta is very much home-cooking comfort food in Malta, which makes it difficult to find in the smattering of Maltese restaurants that exist in Australia. Fortunately, it’s easy to make. You’ll find a recipe here.

One more thing

The Knights of St John ruled Malta from 1530 until 1798, when a certain Napoleon Bonaparte turned up on his way to Egypt and demanded his fleet be allowed to resupply in Valletta. He was denied, and so invaded, conquering the Knights within a week.

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Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist, broadcaster, author and occasional tour guide with more than 25 years’ experience in media, and a lifetime of experience traversing the globe. He specialises in food and wine – writing about it, as well as consuming it – and at any given moment in time Ben is probably thinking about either ramen in Tokyo, pintxos in San Sebastian, or carbonara in Rome. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwaterConnect via email.