What’s so special about Maltese Bread?

The Maltese Hobza – a definite must before you leave the Maltese Islands ...

Maltese bread is so tasty that one of the main things that locals miss when they’re traveling abroad is precisely the delicious Maltese hobza (Maltese loaf). Yes, it really is THAT good!

Crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside, the Maltese hobza is one of the top types of Maltese food that you must absolutely try at least once, before you leave the Maltese Islands.

It is said that nothing compares to Maltese bread!

Best eaten when fresh, the Maltese hobza is served in abundance in restaurants, snack bars, pubs, etc.

The bread can be bought from all supermarkets and grocery stores on the islands.

If you’d like to see how this type of bread is made, visit a local bakery.

We guarantee that you’ll find it hard to leave when you’re exposed to the delicious and inviting aroma of the Maltese hobza! In fact, it can safely be said that most of the popular Maltese dishes cannot really be fully appreciated if they’re not accompanied by a crunchy Maltese loaf.

If you’re visiting the Maltese Islands, you can’t really miss the local bread … it’s practically everywhere.

Even if you just go for a beer or a glass of wine in one of the many wine bars or pub ... there’s a good chance that you will come across Hobz tal-Malti (Maltese loaf) being served as appetizers in the form of “hobz biz-zejt”.

Hobz biz-zejt are slices of Maltese bread with olive oil, spread with tomatoes or kunserva (tomato paste), olives and capers. That’s hobz biz-zejt in its basic form.

There are many other ingredients that can be added to the bread to make it even more tastier, such as tuna, onion and gbejniet (peppered cheeselets).

Gbejniet are made from a goat’s or sheep’s milk. These home-made cheeselets come in three variations, fresh ones, peppered cheeselets or dried cheeselets.

Apart from the traditional and very popular Maltese hobza, the ftira is another type of Maltese bread that is also worth a try.

The ftira is a ring shaped, low rise bread bun. It’s much less crusty than the Maltese hobza but equally delicious!

Usually served with the same filling as Hobz biz-sejt but not necessarily.

It is said that tastiest ftajjar can be found on Gozo island.

Here you can taste the popular Ftira Ghawdxija (Gozitan Ftira) which is generally filled with potatoes, ricotta, Maltese sausage and rosemary.

There are many other types of fillings that you can savor while you’re in Gozo or Malta.

Many visitors literally fall in love with the local bread and it is not unheard of to see visitors buying a Maltese hobza to take home with them! :)

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