Maltese vs American food & cuisine

Chicken is the top protein by far, with beef and pork trailing behind, and cheese (especially cheddar and mozzarella) is practically everywhere. In American stores, potatoes show up in every guise – fresh, mashed, frozen fries, chips. Sugar and corn syrup slip into sodas, condiments, and nearly every snack on the shelf.

Pancakes and pizza are other carbohydrate favorites. Pancakes are fluffy, baking powder–leavened cakes served here with butter, syrup, or fruit. Pizza, brought by Italian immigrants, spread nationwide with regional styles like New York thin crust and Chicago deep dish.

Mac and cheese is a comfort classic of pasta baked in cheese sauce, now a staple in every kitchen. Breakfast cereals, invented in the U.S., became a quick breakfast, especially for children.

Corn remains central to Southern cooking and fast food, eaten as cornbread, grits, tortillas, popcorn, or sweet corn. Rice’s role is smaller, but is key in Southern, Cajun, Creole, and Asian American dishes, from jambalaya to fried rice.

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.

Americans consume sweet potatoes more frequently and in a wider variety of ways than people in most countries.

Fruits are snacks and breakfast additions to cereal and yogurt, they feature desserts – apples, cherry pies, cobblers, cakes, ice cream toppings, juices, smoothies, and sauces – apple sauce, cranberry sauce, chutneys.  In the U.S., a big chunk of what counts as ‘fruit consumption’ is actually fruit juice, especially orange, which for decades was seen as a breakfast essential.

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.

Meat is associated with American identity, strength, reinforced through social and media narratives, though concerns about health, sustainability, and animal welfare are beginning to challenge consumption patterns.

Barbecue culture, BBQ ribs, slow-cooked pork or beef ribs with smoky barbecue sauce are super American foods. Americans now eat 50 billion burgers a year. Many assume burgers and hot dogs are low-end foods, but in the U.S., chefs now elevate them with dry-aged beef, foie gras, or artisan buns, making them gourmet, Instagram-worthy, and still culturally familiar.

Turkey is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving. Outside of holidays, turkey isn’t eaten as frequently, especially whole. Instead, it appears as sliced deli meat, ground (a leaner substitute for beef), or as sausage.

Fried chicken was not invented in the U.S., but it was transformed there into the globally recognized dish we know today.  In the U.S. South, fried chicken became distinctive: heavily seasoned, with a crispy crust, deep-fried in oil.

Today, American meat traditions sit at a crossroads: cherished for tradition, questioned for their climate impact.  Beef consumption gradually declines, chicken rises, and new options like blended proteins and lab-grown meat emerge alongside growing environmental awareness.

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.

Asian American communities, especially in Hawaii and along the West Coast, helped make raw and grilled fish more common. Caribbean and Latin American communities contributed to the popularity of ceviche, salted fish, and other coastal favorites, especially in Florida and urban areas.

Shrimp, tuna, and salmon are staples in the U.S., shrimp is the most popular seafood overall. Canned tuna is the second most popular seafood product. Of those Americans who eat canned tuna, the vast majority, 83 percent, eat it for lunch. In fact, canned tuna is the only regularly consumed seafood at lunch.

Cheddar consistently ranks as the #1 or #2 most-produced cheese. The U.S. cheddar is milder, moister, and more uniform than traditional English versions. Philadelphia cream cheese is an American invention that has become globally popular.

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.

Americans have a strong cultural sweet tooth, and their desserts tend to be very sweet and indulgent, often using large amounts of sugar, butter, and cream. The portion sizes of desserts also tend to be larger than in many cultures. Generally, desserts focus on ease, comfort, and sharing, not ceremony.