Sure, a lot of children today are suckers for McDonald’s and Burger King, but growing up in Malta, quick home-made snacks always took the proverbial (and sometimes literal) cake. 

Here are some which you might remember, and apologies from beforehand if this makes your stomach rumble:

1. Pasta with Bovril

Or Marmite, but who are we kidding, Bovril’s the real legend. Anyone else guilty of throwing in a cheeky La Vache Qui Rit in there?!

2. Bread with Nutella

Next level bread right there. Of course, there’s always that one person that takes things a little too far, and in this case it was the guy throwing butter in there as well.

3. Ravjul

The big question persisted – could you eat more than 15 ravjul? As you got older, it got closer and closer, to the point where you could out-eat your siblings / father / dog / entire family. 

4. Froġa tat-Tarja

One of the simplest dishes ever – probably why it was one of the most memorable. Just get some Vermicelli Spaghetti, throw into a pan with a couple of beaten eggs, some olive oil, and enough grated cheese to block all block arteries. Yes please. 

5. Maltova

This dish might have originally started off only for infants, but some people just couldn’t get over it well into their childhood / early adulthood. It’s not like we did it…no, it was just some people, we promise. Also featuring a cheeky cameo by our old friend Bovril.

6. Minestra

How do you make sure your child is getting all the vegetable intake they need? Well, just stuff all the vegetables into one thick soup, and voila’, minestra! Optional extremely rigorous liquidizer action for the fussier kids. (And sometimes… adding Bovril). 

7. Toasted Ħobża tal-Malti

Is there anything better than Maltese bread? Yes, Maltese bread that’s a little bit more crispy with darker outlines. Be careful though – you’ll only have five quick seconds to apply the butter to make sure it melts properly!

8. Ross il-Forn

Ah, baked rice. With optional chicken liver, or even beef / pig / calf brain. Never change Malta, never change.

BONUS: La Vache Qui Rit with everything

The ultimate guilty pleasure addition to any dish. Heck, we know at least one person who added La Vache Qui Rit to all of the above. Again, you don’t know him…it’s just, you know, a friend of a friend…

Which dish was your favourite growing up? Tell us in the comments and tag someone who still indulges in them!

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).