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The Whats, Hows, And Wheres Of The Delicious Maltese Tradition Of The Fenkata

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Fenek. The sweet soft meat of rabbit has been feasted on by Maltese people by centuries, and it is to this day seen as one of the country’s most favourite signature dishes. To understand better our relationship with rabbit, one must delve a bit deeper into our country’s history.

Malta was never capable of sustaining chunky animals like cows in large quantities, since they literally eat all the greenery in sight. So the meat or poultry available in our country was almost always consumed by our overlords.

Being surrounded by sea, our main source of tummy satisfaction came from fish. But for how long can you seriously eat fish on a daily basis without starting to want something different? Not too long, it turns out.

When the Knights lifted the ban on rabbit hunting, the common Maltese folk could suddenly eat the delicious white meat we so longed for. This is probably why eating rabbit is still done in an almost celebratory way.

When it comes to eating rabbit, one thing is for sure; it will be messy AF.

It’s almost impossible to eat this glorious meat using a knife and a fork. And anyway, if you did that you would seriously be missing out out on the best part of eating rabbit.

Most times it’s served as spaghetti with rabbit sauce as a starter. But the main course would be either stewed or fried rabbit. Some restaurants give you the choice, but most times it’s served either fried or stewed.

Generally, rabbit is almost always served as a two (or three) course meal, and this was traditionally done because rabbits are kind of tiny. When hunting for rabbit, you’re never really sure how much of them you will manage to catch. If it’s just the one rabbit and you have a family of six to feed, you need to improvise.

So most times, the offals are served as sort of a starter. They’re usually fried and served with some herbs as garnish. Nothing special when you think about it, but these juicy bits are considered a bit of a delicacy by some.

Secondly, you would get your pasta with rabbit and tomato sauce, and finally you would get actual chunks of rabbit meat served with either vegetables or roast potatoes.

Now let’s get to business.

There’s ample places where you can enjoy a good hearty plate of rabbit, so choosing one might be a bit of a stressful process. We’ve made up a list of some of the most renowned places on the island where you can get your rabbit cravings satisfied.

1. Nenu Artisan Baker, Valletta

Nenu specialises in traditional Maltese cuisine and serves everything from Maltese ftira to zalzett tal-Malti, that beautifully salty Maltese sausage. Here, you can chill out with a glass of wine for a quiet Maltese experience.

You can get your rabbit liver as a starter. As main courses, you can order the rabbit ravioli or fried rabbit. The ravioli are an interesting twist to the dish since rabbit is generally served with regular pasta. It’s a nice dish to try out if you don’t fancy using your hands to gorge on rabbit meat.

2. Mġarr United Bar, Mġarr

This Mġarr spot is a haven for big eaters. It offers you the possibility of getting your rabbit either just as spaghetti with rabbit sauce, or spaghetti with rabbit sauce plus a bunch of extra rabbit chunks all over it. As a starter.

For those of you who still need to get their main course, these guys will serve you either a whole fried rabbit, served in four different ways.

For those of you who aren’t satisfied with having just rabbit, you have the option to order a combination of rabbit and horse, or rabbit and quail… or all three together, because gluttony is clearly Malta’s favourite sin.

3. Tal-Familja, Marsascala

This family restaurant boasts otherworldly dishes which can easily be confused with actual art.

What makes this place special, though, is the way the rabbit is served. Their starter rabbit liver dish is served with cherry tomatoes and garlic, but you also have the option of getting your rabbit served with spaghetti.

They also serve their liver with chocolate orange sauce, if you’re a bit more experimental when it comes to food.

4. Ta’ Kris, Sliema

Ta’ Kris serves homemade comfort food. The quaint restaurant offers a very warm and welcoming atmosphere. If you’re looking for a quiet and cosy place serving ikel ta’ dari, look no further than this gem in the heart of Sliema.

5. Ta’ Marija Restaurant, Mosta

If you’re looking for culture, food and heritage, Ta’ Marija is the place to be. However, they serve their rabbit dishes in a very interesting manner, so be prepared for a pleasant surprise. Their lush rabbit highlight is served with creamy rice and parmesan cheese.

At this place, you can also get rabbit ravioli cooked in sage and roasted walnut butter. You could also get rabbit liver served on a bed of salted fried potatoes, if that’s more your kind of thing.

For those of you who really want to get the traditional rabbit at Ta’ Marija’s however, there’s the traditionally rich rabbit and spaghetti dish. They also serve the rabbit stew and fried rabbit, along with a very interesting boneless stuffed rabbit — totally not a miss.

6. New Life Bar and Restaurant, Baħrija

If you want to seriously pig out and not be able to breathe properly for a day or two, do yourself a favour and head down to New Life in Baħrija. This bar serves behemoth-sized dishes. We’re not even joking.

Wear your stretchy pants to this place, because your regular ones definitely won’t survive the struggle. You’ll be fed a whole rabbit along with half a giant plate of fries. They cook their rabbit like a mean boss also, by the way. So if you want to take this whole rabbit thing as a personal challenge, head down to Baħrija.

7. Ta’ Soldi, Mġarr

Ta’ Soldi is another one of those places which seriously don’t joke around when it comes to portions. You can order the Fenkata Mġarrija, but be warned; this dish will most probably put you in a food coma.

It opens with an appetiser of galletti, ġbejniet, olives and arjoli. Next, you will be fed spaghetti with rabbit sauce as a starter. After that, get ready for incoming wine-cooked rabbit with peas, salad and fries. This grandiose meal closes off with a giant serving of mqaret, ħelwa tat-tork and nuts.

Do you know anyone who needs a proper fenkata? Tag them in the comments below!

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