Situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta with its archipelago is a strategic bridge between the European and African continents. Rich in history, Malta has come out from a long colonial past; having been a cradle of civilisation before the construction of the pyramids in Egypt, then a Phoenician commercial hub, and then conquered by the Roman empire and becoming a Roman civitas or free city, passing to the hands of the Arabian Empire, then on to Norman, Angevin and Aragonite rule, until in 1530 the Knights Hospitallers of St John took over the islands till 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte took over only to be ousted by the British two years later. Since gaining independence from the British Empire in 1964, Malta has become a member of the Commonwealth and one of the 10 states that joined the European Union in 2004.

Such a rich history has made Malta a country rich in traditions, including its particular cuisine – flavored by rich elements adopted from the cuisine of the numerous rulers that passed through the islands over time.

Poultry has been, since early medieval times, part of the Maltese diet. In rural areas families used to raise their own poultry, a habit that still lingers on in certain villages. Poultry was especially popular during the Lenten days, when red meat was forbidden for Christian believers.

Today, the Maltese table still savours poultry dishes. Poultry is mainly raised in farms, according to high standards, but still in the traditional method, making out of Maltese poultry a genuine and natural product. Most of Malta’s poultry farms are situated on the outskirts of such traditional villages as Mgarr.

Mgarr is an agricultural village in the northwestern part of Malta. The stepped fields that mark the Maltese countryside surround the village itself. Village life is still very much tied to parish activity, and the yearly highlight is the traditional festa of Santa Marija, where local parishioners still bid for the right to carry their patron’s statue around the village streets.