A Complete Guide To The Long-Standing Tradition Of The Famed Maltese Majjalata
Majjalatas are one of Malta’s most popular food gatherings ever. Maltese people really enjoy meeting up in hoards and hog roasting suckling pigs. We go completely out of our way trying to come up with an excuse to do so, but not everyone is sure what to do and where to go if the need for one arises.
But the roasting is actually not the highlight of these majjalati. The highlight is us grabbing plate after plate of juicy, deliciously divine and palatable pork meat and shoving it down our more than willing throats, surrounded by the people we love and gossiping about the people we love a bit less.
If you decide to attend a majjalata, you should expect at least four vital things which make up every single piggy roast ever — jolly humans, heavenly food, deafening conversations and the greasiest limbs in all the land.
However, every majjalata has a merciless coup de grace — indigestion. Is it worth it? Yes. Of course it is. Indigestion is the epitome of Maltese tradition and character.
Going to a majjalata does not mean that you’ll only be eating pork. Pork is only 65% of your meal. There will be sauces, stuffings, salads, a choice of at least two different varieties of potatoes and obviously bread.
As God our witness, we will riot like the French at the Bastille if we have no bread to accompany our meal.
There are numerous places you can invade with your clan to enjoy a nice majjalata, and we’ve compiled a list of seven places for you to choose from. Because if you really want to make the most of this, you can try a different place every single day.
1. Ta’ Susina Farmhouse
This restaurant/farmhouse does not solely serve suckling pig. They also serve other dishes which will make your weird friend who does not like pork shut his mouth and eat his damn chicken.
Ta’ Susina is literally a farm, so it doesn’t really get any more authentic than this.
2. Tal-Larinġu
Il-Larinġu is a master of all trades. He’s the owner of a clubhouse, a horse-riding school and, he’ll also feed you a pretty good majjal. Tal-Larinġu will not only feed you pork, but he will whip out a plate of ħelwa tat-Tork for you to wipe your tears with after. Larinġu doesn’t joke around when it comes to food.
This is an ideal venue for bachelor parties and can comfortable host hoards of hungry Maltese people.
3. Scicluna Farmhouse
This Gudja Farmhouse will not roast the pig in front of you, but it will still serve you a giant plate of pork cheeks and a side of colossally-sized fries.
Get the proper Animal Farm feel as you feast on their overlords and stare at the in-house horse, goats, chicken, geese and a really weird bird with beady eyes. You’re welcome guys.
4. Ta’ Soldi
An Mġarr restaurant which offers savage portions and a variety of Maltese dishes. That all aside, you all know why you want to go to Ta’ Soldi; it’s the damn set menu which gives you the choice of pigging out on pigs and bebbux until you can’t breathe anymore.
If you’re still capable of using your lungs properly after that, don’t worry; there’s imqaret, ħelwa tat-tork, ice cream, nuts and coffee as dessert. Oh Maltese cuisine, never change.
5. Malta Falconry Centre
If you want to be involved in the pig roasting ritual in a more private setting, you should totally call up the Malta Falconry Centre.
They accept bookings for majjalatas, baby showers, barbecues, buffets and coffee mornings. You don’t need a special occasion to organise a majjalata for you and the special people in your life. Go on, treat yourself; you deserve it.
6. Is-Sienja Kiosk
These guys will take away all the hassle and headache of organising a majjalata. Just give them a call and they will literally plan it all out for you. That’s pretty cool considering how busy you’ve been lately, what with the kids and work and all that.
7. Your local każin
Most każini organise street majjalata parties to raise money for their festa. It’s generally fairly cheap to attend one of these parties, and some of them are for a great cause.
Sometimes, all you need to do is snoop around the local pjazza to see whether or not there will be a fund-raising majjalata.
Tag someone who needs a majjalata in their life!
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