Walk past almost any Maltese bakery window at this time of year, and you might do a double take. Neatly lined up between the pastizzi and the qassatat are rows of pale, bone-shaped biscuits, glossy with white icing. No, the baker hasn’t gone overboard with Halloween. These are Għadam tal-Mejtin, better known in English as November Bones, and they’re one of the most meaningful sweets on the island’s calendar.

These bone-shaped pastries have a soft, buttery shortcrust shell and a generous almond filling. The ends are rounded and slightly knobbly, while a layer of white icing gives the finished pastries their distinctive skeletal appearance.

Inside, ground almonds and sugar form the basis of the filling, although every family seems to have its own recipe. Citrus zest adds a little freshness, and some recipes call for a pinch of spice. Others leave out the extras, allowing the rich almond flavour to come through.

If you’ve ever tasted a figolla at Easter, the flavour will feel familiar. The two treats share much of the same DNA, pastry outside, almond inside, but while figolli come shaped as lambs, hearts and bunnies, November Bones stick firmly to their theme.

In Malta, November is traditionally known as the Month of the Dead. It begins with All Saints’ Day on 1 November and All Souls’ Day on 2 November, when families visit cemeteries, tidy and decorate their loved ones’ graves, light candles, and attend Mass in their memory.

November Bones grew out of this tradition. Their name literally translates to “bones of the dead”, and they were baked to remember family members who had passed on. It might sound a little morbid to outsiders, but for many Maltese families it’s quite the opposite. Sharing something sweet is a gentle, warm way to keep memories alive and turn a sombre time of year into one of togetherness.

In that sense, they’re a small, edible reminder of a much bigger idea, that remembering the people we’ve lost can be done with love, not just sadness.

With Halloween now well and truly part of the season in Malta too, it’s easy to lump the two together. But November Bones belong to a much older custom rooted in the island’s Catholic calendar. Many cultures around the Mediterranean and beyond mark this time of year with special breads and sweets for the dead, and Malta’s version is a lovely example of how a local tradition has held on through the generations.

As for exactly when the first batch came out of a Maltese oven, nobody can say for certain. Written records of Maltese food history are thin on the ground, and much of what we know has been passed down in family kitchens rather than in books. 

Now you know that those curious bone-shaped biscuits aren’t a spooky gimmick. They’re a sweet piece of Maltese heritage, made to honour the people who came before us and shared with the people we love today. So, if you spot them in a bakery window this November, don’t just walk past. Step inside, grab one (or a box), and taste a little bit of Malta’s story.