Malta

Malta’s Mediterranean climate supports pepper cultivation in open fields and tunnels. Farmers raise sweet frying peppers and hot Capsicum annuum such as long green and red chilies (similar to Italian peperoncino and Turkish sivri), cayenne-type, and increasingly jalapeño and habanero for niche markets.

In Maltese cuisine, long green chilies and milder “peperoncini” are used in kapunata (ratatouille-like stew), pasta sauces, and lampuki (dolphin fish) dishes. Hotter red chilies are dried and flaked into spaghetti aglio e olio and seafood plates. Pickled hot peppers accompany cheeses, olives, and bigilla (broad-bean dip).

A few artisan producers make chili-infused oils and pastes using local long red chilies and imported habaneros. While no Maltese-specific chili cultivar is famous abroad, local peperoncino-type and long green varieties are integral to everyday cooking.