Imqaret (Maltese Date Pastries)
Traditional Maltese fried date pastries scented with citrus, aniseed, and warm spice. Crisp outside, sticky and aromatic inside.
Ingredients
- Pastry
- 400g plain flour
- 75g semolina
- 75g butter or margarine, softened
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Pinch salt
- 150-180ml water
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Date filling
- 500g pitted dates, chopped
- 120ml water
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp aniseed or ground anise
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground cloves
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water (optional)
Instructions
- Make the pastry: Mix the flour, semolina, sugar, and salt. Rub in the butter or margarine, then add water gradually until a firm dough forms. Knead briefly, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.
- Make the filling: Place the dates, water, orange zest, aniseed, cinnamon, and cloves in a small pan. Cook gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the dates soften into a thick paste. Stir in orange blossom water if using, then cool completely.
- Fill and shape: Roll the dough into long strips about 10cm wide. Spoon a line of date filling along one side of each strip, fold over to enclose, and press the seam gently. Cut diagonally into diamond shapes.
- Fry: Heat vegetable oil to 170-180°C. Fry the imqaret in batches for 3-4 minutes, turning until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Serve: Let them cool slightly before eating; the filling stays very hot.
Imqaret are one of Malta’s best-loved sweets: diamond-shaped pastries filled with spiced dates and fried until crisp. They are often sold from street stalls and at village festas, where the smell of warm dates, citrus, and spice is hard to miss.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve warm as a dessert or afternoon sweet
- Dust lightly with icing sugar if desired
- Pair with coffee or tea
- Excellent with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream
Traditional Notes & Tips
- The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape
- Do not overfill or the pastry may burst while frying
- Semolina gives the pastry a pleasant bite
- Orange zest and aniseed are key flavours
- Imqaret are best eaten fresh, though they can be reheated briefly in the oven