The first rainstorm late in September brings out the Maltese snail in droves, and people can be seen collecting them in the countryside to make into a stew. This may sound rather unappetising to the gourmet, more used to his escargot encased in a shell and heavily flavored with garlic, but if you are not around to smell them when they are being boiled, you will find the taste very good, eaten cold with a green sauce of fresh herbs and garlic, accompanied by crusty bread. D uring the summer when each village commemorates the feast of it's patron saint with a pyrotechnic display you will find elaborate gilded stalls selling opaque, white and clear, dark brown nougat made with sugar and nuts. M altese people do not generally favor cooked desserts such as sweet pastries. The better restaurants have good sweet trolleys, but often a light imitation cream is used instead of fresh cream, principally because of the difficulties of transporting fresh cream daily in very hot temperatures.
Modest establishments tend to offer simply ice-cream or gateaux.
M altese wines are not expensive and some are of excellent quality. Gozo wines tend to be stronger. Maltese beers and lagers are of high quality. A rmed with this rudimentary knowledge of Maltese cuisine you can now look for the right variety of settings to try out the food. There are some very attractive restaurants nestling in the small bays where you can dine next to the water's edge with a view of the fishing boats.