Imqaret: Malta's Date Pastries, What's Inside and Where to Buy Them
Imqaret are diamond-shaped Maltese pastries filled with spiced date paste, usually fried and sold warm. Here is what's inside them and where to buy them.
On this page
Imqaret are small diamond-shaped Maltese pastries: a thin sweet dough folded over a thick, spiced date paste and usually fried until crisp. The name is the plural of maqrut, the Maltese word for diamond-shaped, which describes the way the filled strip of dough is cut on the diagonal. This guide covers what goes into the dough and filling, how fried and baked versions differ on the plate, how imqaret are served, and the Valletta stalls and bakeries where you can buy them.
They sit alongside the savoury side of Maltese baking, so treat them as the sweet end of a snack run that might start with pastizzi. If you are working through the island's classics, our Maltese food guide sets imqaret next to ħobż biż-żejt and Stuffat tal-fenek.
What imqaret are: pastry, date filling and a diamond shape
Each imqaret is a thin layer of sweet pastry wrapped around a dense filling of cooked, mashed dates, sealed along one edge and cut on the diagonal into diamonds. The cut sides stay open, so the dark date paste shows at both ends of every piece. That exposed filling is the visual signature: a pale pastry diamond with two glossy brown ends.
Imqaret are eaten by hand and are at their best within minutes of coming out of the oil, while the pastry is still crisp and the filling hot. Once they cool, the pastry softens and they behave much more like a biscuit, which is why the warm ones from a specialist stall are a different proposition from a boxed bakery batch. Expect a dark, sticky centre and a thin, slightly chewy shell.
What goes into the filling and the dough
The filling is built on pitted dates cooked down with water until they collapse into a thick paste. Citrus zest goes in with them, usually orange, and many recipes add orange blossom water for a floral note; cinnamon, cloves and aniseed supply the spice. A little anisette or aniseed liqueur sometimes appears in the dough as well as the filling, and the dough itself is a simple short pastry of flour, butter, a little sugar and water.
One practical point if you plan to bake them yourself: the dough needs to be soft enough to fold over a thick paste without cracking, so it carries more water than a standard shortcrust. The date paste also has to cool and firm up before it is spread, or it will tear the pastry as you roll. Neither step is difficult, but both reward patience more than speed.
Fried or baked: the texture trade-off
Traditionally imqaret are deep-fried, and that is what gives them their flaky, blistered exterior and the contrast between crisp shell and soft filling. Fried, they are eaten on their own or with ice cream. Baked versions, sometimes called imqaret il-forn, come out firmer and more biscuit-like, which makes them better for dunking in tea and easier to keep in a tin.
The choice matters when you are buying rather than baking. A specialist stall selling them hot from the fryer gives you the traditional texture; a bakery batch is more likely to be baked, so expect something closer to a filled biscuit. If you want the fried version, look for a stall that is cooking them in front of you rather than a shelf of pre-packed pieces.
How imqaret are served
Imqaret are served warm, and the simplest serving is plain, straight from the paper. The common upgrade is a scoop of ice cream alongside, which works because the cold cream cuts the sweetness of the date paste. Some recipes also pair them with ħelwa tat-tork, the dense Maltese halva, for a heavier dessert plate.
On a restaurant dessert menu they usually arrive plated with ice cream rather than in a paper bag, and the portion is smaller than what a street stall hands over. If you are eating a full Maltese meal, imqaret make a sensible shared dessert rather than a course of their own. For a lighter, savoury snack earlier in the day, pastizzi are the better-known option.
Where to buy imqaret in Malta
The best-known buying point is the kiosk at the Valletta bus terminus, which sells hot imqaret to people arriving and leaving the city. These are walk-up counters rather than shops, so you buy a couple of pieces and eat them standing.
In Valletta itself, Nenu's bakery and Scoglitti are both named as places to buy them, and imqaret also turn up on restaurant dessert menus across the island. On Gozo, il Rikardu inside the Ċittadella in Victoria serves them as a dessert. Availability at any individual bakery or restaurant shifts with the day, so treat these as known sellers rather than a guaranteed stock list.
What imqaret cost
A price of 30 cents each was quoted for the Valletta bus terminus kiosk in 2014, which gives a sense of how they sit among Maltese snacks: cheap, sold singly and bought in twos or threes. That figure is a decade old and should not be treated as today's price. Ask at the counter or check the board before you order, particularly if you are buying for a group.
Because imqaret are sold by the piece rather than weighed, the total depends on how many you take, and a paper bag of four or five is a normal order. Carry some euro coins for the smaller stalls in case there is no card machine. If you are budgeting a day of Maltese eating, imqaret are one of the cheaper snacks you will buy.
Buying them fresh
The gap between a hot fried imqaret and a cooled baked one is wide enough to plan around. Hot from the fryer, the pastry shatters slightly at the first bite and the date paste is molten; twenty minutes later the same pastry has softened and the filling has thickened. That is not a fault, just a different texture, and the baked bakery version is pleasant in its own right with tea.
If you are buying to take home, baked imqaret keep far better than fried ones and will survive a few days in a sealed tin. Fried imqaret are a eat-now purchase. Warm either type briefly before serving to bring the filling back to a spreadable consistency.
Imqaret through the year
Imqaret are sold across Malta all year, not just in a short season, and the stalls in Valletta operate as everyday snack counters. They also appear on festive tables, particularly around Christmas, and at weddings and traditional festas, where a plate of them sits among the other sweets.
That year-round availability makes them an easy thing to try on a first morning in Valletta rather than something you have to chase. Pair one with a coffee near the bus terminus before walking into the city. If you are comparing Maltese pastries, imqaret are the sweet counterweight to the savoury bakes covered in our guide to ftira.
Fried stall or bakery batch?
For a first taste, buy one hot from a Valletta stall near the bus terminus or the City Gate approach and eat it while it is still warm, then try a baked bakery version later for comparison. The fried one shows you what imqaret are meant to be; the baked one is what you can usefully carry home. If you only have time for one stop, make it the stall.
Either way, buy by the piece, pay in cash if you can, and do not expect a long shelf life from the fried version. Our Maltese food guide covers the rest of the island's classics if you want to build a proper eating itinerary around them.
Explore more Malta guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce imqaret?
Imqaret is the plural of maqrut, the singular Maltese word for the diamond-shaped pastry. The q is not a hard English k, so the easiest approach is to ask for imqaret and point at the tray, which works perfectly well at a stall.
What does imqaret taste like?
Expect a soft, sweet date centre with warm spice from cinnamon and cloves, a citrus lift from orange zest and orange blossom water, and a faint aniseed note. The pastry itself is only lightly sweet, so the filling does most of the work.
Is imqaret suitable for vegans?
The dough is commonly made with butter, and some recipes add eggs, while the filling is dates with citrus and spices, so butter and egg are the usual sticking points. Recipes vary, so ask at the counter or read the ingredient list before assuming a particular batch is suitable.
Sources
Notes for your Malta trip
Optional updates when we add or correct a Malta or Gozo guide.
You might also like
Continue reading
More guides you'll find useful
