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SHOPPING IN MALTA

Malta Information — Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:42 am

Author: Malta Information

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:42 am

SHOPPING IN MALTA

Shopping in Malta is colourful markets with fresh fish; quaint old shops in Valletta’s backstreets; and the latest continental fashions in shopping plazas.

But more than anything, it is an excuse to stop off at a café and people gaze. Shopping is a cultural window on the Islands too.

You’ll find plenty of tempting must-buys to take home. For a taste of the Mediterranean, choose among the many local deli treats from olives and sun-dried tomatoes to fine wines. If you want something to appreciate for longer, try the intricate, filigree silverware or a work from one of the Islands’ renowned artists.

Deli Delights

With the Islands drenched with sun nearly all year round, it’s not surprising that some of the best buys are products of the climate.

Gozitan thyme honey, the rich flavours of sun-dried tomatoes, sun-ripened olives, fresh figs, capers, peppered goats’ cheese known as Gbejniet, sugary "helwa", nougat and fine wines. The list is endless. Many visitors love the Maltese snack pastizzi so much that they even buy the frozen variety to cook back home.

If you’re here for summer, why not stock up on a few treats for Christmas? The Islands’ wineries have won international accolades in recent years and are happy to arrange tastings. Their most prized vintages are among Malta’s best-kept secrets.

Where to buy
For deli treats like olives and Gbniet cheese, you can try any local village shop or supermarket. Specialty shops in the old centres of Cittadella and Victoria, Gozo, and Valletta’s covered market between St Paul and Merchant Streets are good options. For nougat try a village festa for the best selection. Decorated carts are piled high with local sweets.

Art & Books

The Maltese Islands with their deep colours and rugged landscape have long inspired artists and sculptors both local and foreign. Many excellent artists work in Malta today. The Centre for Creativity at St James Cavalier, Valletta, often shows their work. Look out for exhibitions held by the Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, a Maltese heritage foundation. It holds spectacular displays of Maltese art, antiques and artefacts from private and church collections. The Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta, holds regular exhibitions as well.

For a memento, buy a coffee table book or an old maritime print. There are excellent publications which give you a different angle on places you may visit and glimpses of the Malta you may not see. They show the treasures which lie behind the walls of Mdina’s palaces and tucked away in Valletta’s tiny back streets.

Where to buy
Private galleries are dotted across the Islands, often not in the main centres. The Centre for Creativity, St James Cavalier, Valletta, can help with enquiries on local contemporary artists, as can staff at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta. St James Cavalier, an arts centre in a 16th century fortress, showcases Maltese and foreign art and sculpture in its series of exhibitions. Collections of Melitensia - books and maps on Malta - are best found in Valletta and Sliema bookstores. Look also in the Manoel TheatreBookshop, Old Theatre Street, Valletta.

Crafts & Jewelry

Malta’s jewellers have a worldwide reputation for quality and craftsmanship. Craftsmen work in both silver and gold. Choose from intricate filigree broches, bracelets and earrings or classic designs in gold.

Traditional handcrafted glass is produced across the Islands. Some factories are open for visits. Check attractions on the interactive map for where they are. Favourite objects include vases and figurines sometimes swirled with Mediterranean-inspired hues of blue. Potteries produce too vast a range of items to describe, but there is something for everyone from practical items for the house to more decorative objects.

Basketware and wickerwork are local crafts with a practical purpose. Maltese homes use cane blinds, hasira, on doors and windows to cut out the harsh summer sun. But there are numerous smaller items to take home.

If you’re visiting Gozo in high summer, don’t be surprised to find heavy-knit sweaters on display all over the Island. Plan for winter and stock up with colourful and classic pure-wool knits. Woven wool rugs in cream and white are also favourite buys.

Gozo is also famed for its fine lace. Women still perch outside on doorsteps working the bobbin. There has been a revival in recent years in this traditional craft.

Where to buy
The Ta’ Qali crafts village is a convenient place to see a range of crafts and find craftspeople at work. Many hotels and local operators organise tours which include a visit to Ta’Qali en route to Mdina.

In Gozo, try the Cittadella Crafts & Shopping Centre in Victoria and Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts Centre at San Lawrenz. Visit the Folklore Museum at Gharb to see how Gozitan history was centred on wool, cotton, and agriculture. Small shops in Victoria and other localities stock crafts and produce.

For jewelry try Valletta’s back streets. Jewellers are concentrated mainly on Santa Lucija Street with some larger outlets on the main Republic Street.

Lace is on sale all over Gozo and Malta.

For more information on any crafts, enquire at The Malta Crafts Centre in St John’s Square, Valletta. It acts as a showcase of the Islands’ crafts and provides information on where best to buy the various items.

Wines

Malta’s viticulture dates back to the Romans and before, but owes its revival to the Knights of St John. Today, the Islands have several notable vineyards and producers. The climate and distinct terroir produces some fine whites and reds, some from the indigenous grape varieties, Gellewza and Girghentina Several wineries offer tastings and tours.

Where to buy
You can find a variety of Maltese wines at supermarkets.

Fashion, Music and More

Sliema and its urban neighbour, coastal St Julian's, are the place for international-style shopping at reasonable prices. There are shopping centres with music, continental European, UK and American fashions, perfumeries, shoes and brand names together with fast-food outlets, restaurants and cafés.

In Sliema, shopping action is found on two main streets, Bisazza Street and Tower Road, but the side streets house interesting options, especially for fashion, sports, interiors and shoes. Up the coast, St Julian's has excellent shopping, leisure and entertainment outlets.

Valletta itself is a shopping mecca, attracting locals and visitors from around the island. Bargains are easy to find, especially along Republic Street, the main thoroughfare, which boasts the widest range of locally produced goods and international brands. Valletta has several shopping malls and arcades. Amongst the grid of streets with tiny crafts shops, restorers and household shops, Valletta has designer names, fashion, music, jewellery shops, cosmetics, bookshops and much more too. Valletta’s main shopping areas are along Republic Street and Merchants Street.

The advantage of shopping Malta is the abundance of café and restaurants to stop off at.

Antiques

As home to so many of Europe’s nobility from the 16th to 18th centuries, it is not surprising that Malta has a reputation for some of the finest antiques and examples of craftsmanship. From furniture and silverware to maritime prints, art, distinctive Maltese clocks, the Islands’ museums and palaces house myriad gems.

You’ll find antique shops in almost every town. Some handle finer items, while those offering what seems like bric-a-brac reveal cherished curios and items of bygone times. Both style of shop are a delight to browse. Alternatively, visit an open-air market. In Victoria, Gozo, you’ll find several rustic antique shops spilling their wares out on the pavements.

To view antiques in their setting, visit the palaces open to the public, especially Palazzo Parisio, Naxxar, and Casa Rocca Piccola, Valletta, both homes to Maltese nobility.

If you want to export antiques, first check if the artefact is over 50 years old. If it is, you will need an export licence issued by the Museums Department.

NIGHTLIFE IN MALTA

Malta Information — Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:06 am

Author: Malta Information

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:06 am

NIGHTLIFE IN MALTA

From the hothouse of clubs to cool, romantic courtyards, Malta at night has moods for all.

The Islands have a vibrant calendar of theatre and concerts, classical and modern. Many are held outdoors or in historic venues. There are annual cultural events such as the three-month summer Maltafest. Another regular is the international Jazz Festival in July. Now over ten years old, it’s seen legends and newcomers perform in a spectacular venue by floodlit Grand Harbour.

Malta is fast becoming the place for clubbing. Top international DJs appear for guest weekends throughout the year. Paceville and St Julian's are the centre of the scene. For excitement of a different kind, try your luck at the casino.

As a country providing locations for some Oscar-winning films, Malta is naturally a film-loving society. The Islands have several state-of-the-art multiplex cinemas always with the latest releases.

Dining al fresco is one of life’s simple pleasures. Choose from romantic palazzos to bustling harbour restaurants and discover the range of Maltese cuisine, wine and beer.

For a lively night out, nothing beats a summer festa. Saints, fireworks, food and fun are all part of this cultural phenomenon; one not to be missed.

Club & Scene

The Islands have launched onto the club scene big time in the past few years. Internationally-renowned DJs are frequent guests here, and not just in summertime. The main nightlife action is in Paceville, on the coast near St Julian’s.

The club scene is all-week affair. There is a variety of venues, from large clubs to quieter bars with no entrance fee but where some excellent house DJs entertain.

Classical & Jazz

If you’re a music buff or just simply wish to have a special, musical night out, you’ll be spoilt for choice. The Islands not only host several major musical festivals, but they also offer weekly musical events.

There are organ recitals in baroque churches and regular orchestral and soloist concerts in some stunning historic venues like the Manoel Theatre and St James Cavalier.

Valletta is the venue for several annual festivals: the Valletta Baroque Festival; the summer Arts Festival; and the Opera Festival.

Highlights of the year include the established Malta Jazz Festival held in a wonderful location below the bastions of Valletta, overlooking a floodlit Grand Harbour. In the past decade, the festival has attracted jazz legends and the best of aspiring newcomers. There is often a series of jazz nights at the Cavalier, and in several café-bars.

Another main event is the Choir Festival in November. This attracts international and local choirs in informal and spirited competition.

Folk & Band Music

Band music is one of the most popular traditions on the Islands. Every town and village has at least one, usually two, band clubs. Band music is taken seriously here, and is the mainstay of many open-air events. The highlight of the year for band music is the parish festa. If this is your style of music, you’ll find a variety of band marches and performances throughout the year in various locations.

If someone mentions Ghana (pronounced ‘arna’), you are in for an unusual and fascinating musical form. Ghana is Maltese folk music at its most individual and traditional. In bygone years, the lyrics were created afresh each time. Ghana originated in village bars and is always sung by men, accompanied by guitar.

The lyrics tell stories of village life, with its wonderful personalities, and of events in local history. Today, you might chance across an impromptu Ghana in a rural bar. The Centre for Creativity at St James’ Cavalier has Ghana nights from time to time and it is also performed at various heritage events.

Look out also for music by Etnika, a traditional folk group reviving ethnic Maltese musical forms and instruments. Their music, using traditional bag pipes, horns and drums, was once part of the Islands' daily life, and used in a variety of social contexts - from weddings to funerals - and by town criers and street vendors. Etnika reinterpret this unique and forgotten musical heritage for a contemporary audience.

Cinemas, Theatres & Operas

Malta is among the first countries in Europe to have the latest releases, ranging from blockbusters to art house films. The Islands are well served with several multiplex cinemas.

You’ll find anhouse movies, re-releases and non-English language films. There other cinema at the Centre for Creativity, St James’ Cavalier, Valletta. Here, the programme is geared more towards art is also a winter season of art house movies organised by the University of Malta film club. Various foreign organisations, such as the Italian and French Cultural Institutes and the German-Maltese Circle, also have regular film seasons.

Cinema-going is a popular leisure activity. Not surprising given the Islands’ own interest in the film industry. With its backdrop of historic buildings and stunning land- and seascapes, the Maltese archipelago has long been used as a location for some major films: Midnight Express and Oscar-winners Gladiator and U-571 are among the most memorable. Malta has recently also hosted Hollywood blockbusters such as The Count of Monte Cristo and the epic Troy, as well as prestigious period dramas, including the BBC's Byron and Daniel Deronda.

The other attraction here for the film industry is the Mediterranean Film Studio facility with special tanks designed for the filming of underwater and natural horizon seascapes. For some fun, why not visit Popeye Village, the original film set of the 1980 Robbin Williams' movie? Today, it is a popular attraction and a water sports and activity centre.

Theatre is a lively and well-represented part of the local cultural scene. And the baroque 18th century theatre, The Manoel, in aptly named Old Theatre Street, Valletta, makes a wonderful venue for the performing arts.

Built in 1731, and one of the oldest working theatres in Europe, it has been fully restored to its earlier splendour. It is a wonderful setting in its own right. The theatre runs guided tours of the auditorium, back stage and the theatre museum.

The Manoel opened in 1732 to a season of French classics. Today, it offers a full calendar ranging from comedy to classics, in both English and Maltese, and by both local and international actors and performers. The Sala Isouard, an adjacent palazzo now part of the Theatre, also hosts events.

The Manoel, and other venues in Valletta, are the scene of several annual festivals: the Valletta Baroque Festival; the Arts Festival; and Opera Festival.

While there is no professional or repertory theatre on the Islands, dedicated amateur groups stage excellent performances. Highlights of the year include the open-air Shakespeare performed in the baroque gardens of San Anton Palace in July.

For some fun, and great kids’ entertainment, try the Christmas Pantomime at the Manoel or a musical, usually held in Sacra Infermeria of the Knights, now the Meditereanean Conference Centre.

Theatre performances are held in other venues, such as the Old University building in Valletta and the University of Malta at Tal-Qroqq.

The Islands have several venues for opera: the Manoel Theatre and Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta; as well as theatres in Victoria, Gozo. It may strike you as surprising that there are so many venues on the Islands, but in the past Malta had a dedicated opera building in Valletta. The opera building was destroyed in World War II. But the site where it once stood is to be developed into a national arts centre, more versatile for performing arts than its predecessor.

Casinos

Everyone has to have an evening's flutter once in a while. And there is no better time than on holiday. Malta has several excellent casinos. Choose from an elegant colonial-style villa, an ultra modern hotel complex, or a restored 17th century, harbour-side palace. All provide great entertainment whether you're new to the tables or have tried your luck before. And when it comes to dining out, you'll find the casinos offer a superb choice of cuisines from international fare to Mediterranean specialities at their excellent restaurants. As well as bars and open-air venues for a chat and a sociable drink or cocktail.

FOOD & DINING IN MALTA

Malta Information — Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:53 am

Author: Malta Information

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:53 am

FOOD & DINING IN MALTA

Dining al fresco is one of life’s simple pleasures. It’s almost a daily possibility in Malta. Choose from courtyards of baroque palazzos to harbour restaurants and local café-bars. Find somewhere secluded, or dine in a busy trattoria.

The Islands’ cuisine is influenced by the people who made their home here over the centuries, from the Arabs, Italians and Spanish to the French and British. Traditional Maltese cooking has distinct touches of the Sicilian and Moorish. Look out for rich sweets, pastries and deserts of ricotta, almonds and figs as well as tomato and wine sauces with pasta, rabbit and fish.

Restaurant menus follow the seasons using the best of available fare: from tomatoes, zucchini, herbs and olives to fish like lampuki, a national favourite, swordfish and tuna.

International cuisine is available everywhere. Most restaurants are influenced by Italian or French cuisine, but there are plenty specialising in Oriental, Tex Mex and other themes. In true Mediterranean style, children are welcome everywhere.

For a quick, but substantial snack during the day try some pastizzi, bite-sized, ricotta or pea-filled flaky pastries. You’ll never be far from refreshments or snacks. Just pop into a local bar.

Malta produces some fine wines from native grapes and most visitors soon discover the excellent local beers.

Culinary Heritage

Traditional Maltese food was until recent years relegated to the home. As in all parts of the Mediterranean, the daily main meal, often still cooked at lunchtime here, is an occasion to bring the family together. Until the past decade or so, this home cooking was found only in village bars.

Today though, there has been renewed interest in the Islands’ rich culinary heritage. There are numerous television and radio programmes and weekly columns on Maltese fare - you’ll even find recipe write-ups in Air Malta’s in-flight magazine.

This revival has also encouraged more restaurants to offer local fare. They proudly serve their own version of specialities such as Lampuki Pie (fish pie), Rabbit Stew, Bragioli (beef olives) and various ricotta sweets and semi-freddo deserts like Cassata.

Seasonal Favourites

Traditional Maltese food is rustic and based on the seasons. In the era before refrigeration, this made sense. Families were inventive with the best of the seasonal produce. The housewife would stock up with the seasonal gluts, often preserving or drying produce to make use of them later in the year.

In the past, as in most southern Mediterranean diets, meat was scarce so fish played major role. Even today, many older people follow the Catholic tradition of eating fish on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Specialities use a lot of vegetables, from zucchini, artichokes, the giant cabbage and cauliflower that grow here, sun-ripened tomatoes and potatoes. Stuffed marrows and tomatoes, and thick vegetable minestra (soups) are frequently on the menu in homes and restaurants.

Look out for widow’s soup which includes a small round of Gbejniet (sheep or goat’s cheese). Dried and fresh beans are another mainstay. On most food shop counters, you’ll see Bigilla, a thick pate of broad beans with garlic. It is sometimes sold direct from vans in village squares. Another vegetable speciality is Kapunata, a Maltese version of ratatouille.

When fish is in abundance, you’ll find Aljotta (fish soup) laced with garlic, chilli, tomatoes, rice and liberal handfuls of chopped marjoram or parsley. A trip to Marsaxlokk fish market on Sunday mornings, will show you just how varied the fish catch is in Maltese waters.

Depending on the season, you’ll see spnotta (bass), dott (stone fish), cerna (grouper), dentici (dentex), sargu (white bream) and trill (red mullet). Then there’s swordfish and tuna, followed later in the season, around early to late autumn, by the famed Lampuka, or dolphin fish. This tasty, white, versatile fish is a particular favourite here. While, octopus and squid make some rich stews and pasta sauces.

No mention of Maltese food is complete without talking about the bread. Some visitors make sure they grab a loaf before boarding their planes so they can take back a simple, but incredible slice of Maltese life. Bread here is made from sour dough, left from the previous day’s batch. Cooked often in wood ovens, the bread is crusty yet springy in the centre.

A perfect snack is ‘hobz biz-zejt’, served in nearly every bar and still the ‘packed lunch’ of farmers and workmen. It is a large thick round of bread dipped in olive oil, rubbed with ripe tomatoes and filled with a mix of tuna, onion, garlic, tomatoes and capers. In restaurants smaller ‘bruschetta’ are served as appetisers.

The other daily snack is the pastizzi, a flaky pastry parcel filled with ricotta or mushed peas. Each baker and bar has their own version. The pastizzi makes a wholesome all-day bite when you’re out and about.

Deserts and pastries are for those with a sweet tooth! A favourite delicacy is the Kannoli, believed to have originated in Sicily. It is a mouth-watering tube of crispy, fried pastry filled with ricotta, and sometimes also with chocolate chips or candied fruit. Other favourites include various, Sicilian-style, semi-freddo deserts with a mix of sponge, ice-cream, candied fruits and cream pressed into moulds and chilled.

After dinner, you may be offered helwa tat-Tork, a very sweet sugary mixture of crushed and whole almonds. But more than likely, desert will be a simple but delicious offering of fruits from melons to figs, peaches, apricots, and citrus fruit.