More than 50 years after his grandparents emigrated from Żejtun to the UK, Daniel Abela is keeping Maltese culinary traditions alive and wants to share them with a new audience.
The 29-year-old musician is the founder of Mimli, an online Maltese food retailer specialising in nostalgic sweet treats such as figolli (Easter sweet pastry with an almond filling) and biskuttini tal-lewż (almond macaroons). Inspired by his childhood and frequent visits to Malta, Abela hopes to introduce the unique flavours of Maltese cuisine to a wider public.
Daniel Abela“Mimli was the first word I could say in Maltese,” Abela said. “When we visited Malta, people wouldn’t stop feeding us, so we’d say ‘mimli, mimli’, meaning ‘we’re full’”.
His Maltese roots come from his mother’s side. Her parents, Carmelo and Jean, emigrated to the UK in the 1950s, part of a wave of Maltese migration in search of better opportunities after the war. His father is of Scottish and Lithuanian descent.
Food has always played a significant role in his family’s story. His grandfather was a baker in Malta, though Abela knows little about that period of his life. “He was a great chef. I loved his imqarrun (baked macaroni).”
Despite not knowing much about his grandfather’s career, Abela feels a strong connection to him through baking.
“It always makes me feel close to him. Baking has a funny way of keeping things alive – family, culture, tradition,” he said. “Keeping these recipes alive makes you feel like you’re making someone proud.”
Abela’s love for Maltese cuisine started early. While his mother, Denise, took charge of the main dishes like ross il-forn (baked rice) and timpana (baked pasta with meat sauce in shortcrust pastry), he was eager to help and took on baking duties.
“I’ve always been passionate about food and bringing people together. When I was eight, I wanted to open a qassatat (savoury pastry with a ricotta or mushy pea filling) café,” he laughed. That childhood dream would later inspire Mimli, which he officially launched this month.
Mimli currently offers a selection of traditional sweet treats, including kwareżimal (traditional Maltese biscuit usually baked during Lent), figollini (small figolla balls), pastini tal-kokonut (coconut macaroons), biskuttini tal-lewż and qagħaq tal-ġunġlien (sesame rings).
Looking ahead, Abela plans to expand into savoury options such as ross il-forn, arjoli (tuna tomato dip) and bigilla (mashed beans, olive oil, salt and red pepper). However, he is taking things step by step.
He noted that many non-Maltese people struggle to distinguish Maltese cuisine from Greek or Italian food. Through quality ingredients, passion and a mix of tradition and modernity, he hopes to change that.
“Maltese food is special and I would like people from everywhere, not just the Maltese, to recognise its quality.”
Mimli is based in Essex, UK and orders can be placed online.