Maltese vs Israeli food & cuisine

Bagels are not traditional in Israel, more tied to Ashkenazi communities in the U.S.

Ptitim, or Israeli couscous, was invented in the 1950s as a rice substitute during shortages. Made from wheat, it has a chewy texture and comes in pearl or shaped varieties, cooked like pasta, pilaf, or casserole. Regular couscous, brought by North African Jews, is also common.

Rice is a staple, eaten plain, in pilafs like mujadara, or in rice kugel. 

Unlike some cuisines that feature elaborate cooked fruit desserts, Maltese cuisine tends to focus on fresh fruits in their natural state. A common way to enjoy them is sliced, chilled, and served as a platter – stone fruit, figs, melons, pears, grapes, citrus, or pomegranates. Malta is famous for its Malta bloods – oranges of deep red color, and juicy sweetness.

Roasted vegetable dishes with eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes are common, as are khamutzim (pickled vegetables), connecting Israeli food to wider Middle Eastern and Balkan pickling traditions.

Avocados, introduced in the 1920s, are now hugely popular; per capita consumption is about 10.5–12 kg annually, among the world’s highest and second only to Mexico. Advanced farming made avocados Israel’s largest fruit crop, driven by high local demand, particularly for breakfast and dinners.

Fruits like persimmons, grapefruits, stone fruits, berries, and the sabra (prickly pear), the national fruit, are widely eaten – fresh or in sorbets and smoothies. Dates, figs, grapes, and pomegranates are culturally important, often eaten dried, in baking, or for color and flavor.

People enjoy pork in many forms, from simple grilled cuts to stuffed flank, to local sausages. Home cooks often added a bit of pork to everyday dishes like kawlata, a vegetable soup, or ross il forn, a baked rice dish.

Beef features in signature dishes: bragioli (beef olives) wraps thin beef slices around stuffing that typically contains bacon, hard-boiled eggs, breadcrumbs, and herbs, then braises everything in red wine and tomato sauce. Beef mince fills stuffed vegetables like marrows and aubergines. Timpana, a baked pasta casserole enclosed in puff pastry, traditionally combines minced beef and pork with chicken liver and bacon.

Chicken appears more casually in home cooking. Bħal fil-forn, a traditional peasant dish, combines chicken, beef, or pork with potatoes in onion sauce.

Kosher dietary laws indicate how meat is slaughtered and prepared, while the country’s mix of cultural backgrounds has introduced a wide variety of meat-focused dishes into Israeli cuisine.

Among poultry, the chicken the first choice, but Israelis actually eat more turkey than Americans  – even without Thanksgiving on the calendar. Turkey’s firmer texture is ideal for pastramis and salamis, so farms began raising it in large quantities. Later, with refrigeration making fresh meat easier to store, turkey found new life as a convenience food – in the form of schnitzel or burger patties. Today, it’s a staple on Israeli tables.

In many Arab neighborhoods, mutton has long been feeding big families. Sheep are still raised in villages for household needs. It’s often slow-cooked in stews, grilled for kebabs, baked in pies, or braised with spices and herbs. You’ll see it in dishes shared with Arab, Druze, and Bedouin cuisines – like mansaf or kebab skewers. It’s also common for Jewish holiday meals. Mutton has a role as communal meat – historically tied to village or family feasts.

Beef also has a strong presence – Israel tops the Mediterranean region in overall meat consumption and ranks as the 6th largest consumer per capita worldwide. Beef takes many forms: slow-cooked brisket, hearty cholent , and pastrami are favorites. Add to that the influence of American cuisine, and you’ll find plenty of juicy burgers and steaks, too.

Liver dishes are particularly popular in Israeli cuisine. From chopped liver and skewered goose liver to liver sausages and silky pâtés, it’s a category with lots of variety.

Rustic stews and broths play a big role too. Aljotta is a fish soup with garlic, tomato and herbs that feels very “home kitchen”. Octopus and calamari get slow-cooked until tender. Tuna, anchovies, and other fish might be cured, salted, or packed in oil — a practical part of local flavors.

It is very challenging to narrow down the common preparations; fish recipes come from the global Jewish diaspora and are endless.

Pickled herring on Israeli tables is an exclusive appetizer compared to other Middle Eastern tables. Fish kufta (hinting at its meat cousin kofte) is fried with spices, herbs, and onions and served with tahini or yogurt sauce. Overall, cold fish dishes, primarily from the Ashkenazi culinary tradition, are both popular and convenient to serve during Shabbat, when cooking is prohibited.

Dairy has always played a big role in Israeli farming and in everyday eating, shaped by both Jewish and Mediterranean traditions. You won’t see raw milk used much in cooking, but dairy pops up in breakfast cereals, desserts, and creamy dishes.

Israel has some locally popular cheeses, though many are adaptations of Mediterranean styles rather than completely unique inventions.

Butter and cream show up too, mostly in baking and sauces, but olive oil is an everyday essential.

Maltese desserts play somewhere between sweet and savory, keeping spices relatively mild. You’ll find cinnamon here and there, but forget about the cloves or cardamom you’d get elsewhere in the Mediterranean. Instead, local honey does the work, along with seasonal figs, dates, and citrus when they’re ripe.

Ricotta cheese shows up constantly, bringing that creamy richness. Pastries? They’re all about being flaky and crispy. The real focus is on texture.

Along with honey, fruit blossom waters, and almond syrup, silan is a characteristic Middle Eastern and Israeli sweetener. Silan, a date honey or dark sticky syrup, is a substitute for sugar, used in many desserts.