Exploring Traditional Christmas Treats at Ta Qali Crafts Village
Exploring Traditional Christmas Treats at Ta Qali Crafts Village
The Ta’ Qali Artisan Village is taking place until the 24 December, from 5–10pm on weekdays and 2–10pm on weekends. On Christmas Eve, the village is open from 2–7pm
What do you get when you combine the best traditional treat makers on the island with the Christmas celebration at the crafts village? You get Beehive Confectionery bringing all of their best stuff right to you at Ta’ Qali crafts village! This is a candy wonderland that will satisfy any sweet tooth! Complete with a popcorn machine, candy floss, jelly beans, gummy worms, sweet and sour gummies, licorice spirals and more candy than you can imagine as well as all the main traditional Maltese holiday specialties. Traditional handmade items you can expect to find include:
Gaghaq tal-ghasel (honey rings)
honey rings
These pastry-filled biscuits come in a ring shape with dates and zest of mandarin as the inside filling.
christmas logs
chriistmas log
Everyone has a slightly different recipe, however, the Maltese like to make long salami-shaped cake filled with crushed hazelnuts and walnuts, mixed dried fruits and any other specialty that the family recipe offers. These are cut into bite-size pieces to enjoy any time of day or night.
Cannoli of pistachio, white, milk and dark chocolate
mini cannoli
I loved that Beehive makes their cannoli slightly different and smaller in size. It’s more of a tube shape and is filled with a creamy filling and topped with either crushed pistachio or chocolate shavings.
Torta Ta’ San Martin (St. Martins Pies)
This special torte is made with chopped nuts and dried fruit. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, orange peel, and dates make up the bulk of this beautiful and very traditional holiday dessert.
Pudina Tal Hobz (bread pudding)
Starting with stale bread and adding in select warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and mixed with cocoa powder and rinds from the citrus fruits, this chocolate warm spiced cake is sure to please any winter senses.
Maltese Strawberry Lamingtons
Traditional hand-made strawberry cakes: These looks like a pink snow-capped hand-sized cakes that any local can recognize immediately. Strawberry jam in between two thin cakes and topped with a blizzard of strawberry blended icing sugar and coconut shavings. Need I say more? Delish!
almond biscuits
We refer to them as cookies in the United States, these biscuits of almond flavor come in several different shapes and approaches. Some were more of a meringue biscuit, while others were crunchy texture and possibly topped with a walnut in the middle. Whether it’s an almond biscuit or almond pastini, as there are many almond biscuit variations to choose from and no matter which one, you can taste the almond extract of the finest quality.
mince pies
These small pies are filled with dates and orange zest and warm blends of spices. You can always spot the signature star baked into the pie and topped with powdered sugar. It’s sweet and savory in one.
imqaret (date-filled pastries)
A true signature item, these pastries are served warm hot off the pan.
And let’s not forget Beehive’s signature Qubbajt (nougat) both soft and hard and nut free for children with possible allergies. When you come to Beehive there is something for everyone!
You will also find the most beautifully decorated and deliciously soft gingerbread biscuits which were made fresh each morning. We took some of them home and everyone enjoyed one after dinner. It is sure to please any biscuit and ginger lover out there! Or my personal favorite of the bunch was the hand-dipped bounty bars both milk and dark chocolate with the creamy coconut filling.
Robert Caruana, along with his wife, Mari and his children are all part of Beehive Confectionery company and you can find them all over the island for any festa and special holiday spreading Maltese specialty treats for all to share! The store they have built for this holiday crafts special is beyond what even Willy Wonka himself might bring! Come out with the kids and check out Ta’ Qali Christmas events at the Craft Village and be sure to save room for the Christmas treats! They also have take-home bags where you can fill your bags with all the delights that you want to take home with you. Mix and match and make it your own!
