The lovely Sarah Von recently made a list of her favourite foods and it inspired me to do the very same. I am from the Mediterranean, and we Meds love our food. We’re fairly serious about it. Back in Malta, most of our social gatherings revolve around food: Sunday roast; summer barbecues; fenkati (where we all get together and eat rabbit, which is delicious, by the way). So it’s no surprise I enjoy cooking and going out for dinner. My tastes are quite varied, but here’s my top 5 dishes, in no particular order.

1. Hobz tal-Malti biz-Zejt
That’s Maltese for ‘Maltese bread with oil’. Maltese bread is this special kind of loaf which is very crusty on the outside, and extra soft and doughy on the inside. Perfect for dipping. We have it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper. And it tastes like… Alright, so imagine manna, then dip it in ambrosia. Yeah. Like that.

2. Pad Thai
I can’t remember where i first tried Pad Thai, but it is the ultimate stir-fry, and my comfort food. I order it in on those evenings when all I want to do is stay in and watch movies.

3. Grilled Calamari
I love seafood. I guess that’s also down to my Mediterranean heritage. And my favourite of the lot is fresh calamari, grilled, with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. It reminds me of summers in Malta down at the Valletta waterfront.

4. Edamame
My favourite snack, when I can find them. They’re super healthy and more-ish and gorgeous with a sprinkling of rock salt.

5. Sushi
My mind still considers sushi ‘exotic’ because I was 20 the first time I tried it. As well as the taste of it, I’m hooked on my little ritual when I eat it: the wasabi, the ginger, the soy sauce, the chopsticks. If any of these things is missing, it ain’t sushi.

What are your favourite foods?