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Forget New Orleans' Mardi Gras festivities. Skip the Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro. Embrace the feast days leading into Lent in a Mediterranean style! The tiny country of Malta is said to have one of the world's grandest Carnival celebrations, which will be held from February 27 to March 4 this year. It also has a rich culinary heritage due to the influence of several different colonial powers over the country's 4,000 year history, according to Tony Cassar of the Maltese Gastronomic Portal ilovefood.com.mt.
According to the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the roots of Maltese Carnival celebrations reach back to the early 15th century and the origins of the grand pageantry associated with the festivities are attributed to the Knights of the Order of St. John during the 16th century. The Carnival celebration has evolved into a massive, multi-day celebration complete with parades of enormous and colorful floats, dancers, music, elaborate costumes, and of course, special foods.
Tony explained that in traditional Maltese cuisine, "almost every single dish is linked with a feast, a religious event, or a specific period during the year." The origins of Carnival beautifully illustrate the interconnectedness of food, religion, and culture. The word "Carnival" derives from the Italian phrase "carne vale," meaning "removal of meat," denoting the austere Lenten period during which eating meat was prohibited and sweets were not consumed.
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Perlini
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Prinjolata
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Consistent with the patterns of the Mediterranean Diet, Carnival allows for limited indulgence within cultural parameters. Today the
focus of culinary indulgence during Maltese Carnival celebrations are two sweets, perlini and prinjolata (pronounced prin-yo-la-ta). Perlini, pastel-colored, sugar-coated almonds, were traditionally thrown from parade floats into the crowds of onlookers. Prinjolata is a rich cake and custard confection that appears in Maltese shops prior to Carnival and is sold by the slice from stalls during the festivities in the city of Valletta. Its name comes from the Maltese word for pine nuts, prinjoli, which cover the outside of the treat along with candied cherries and chocolate drizzles.
Following the indulgence of Carnival, the Lenten fast meant abstaining from meat and sweets for the 40 days leading up to Easter. Therefore, meals were vegetarian or fish-based during this period.
It is in the spirit of Carnival that we offer two party-friendly appetizers this week, and in the spirit of Lent that we offer a traditional Maltese fish soup and a vegetarian dish from Crete.
Click on a photo or recipe title below to link to the full recipe: |
