Tal-lampuki hawn!

The lampuki season is here again! Tradition recalls how on the feast of St Lawrence, the parish priest would approach the fleet on board of a luzzu (traditonal Maltese dgħajsa) to bless the fishing vessels and the crew before the onset of the lampuki (corphene dolphin fish) season in hope for better fishing landings.

This is the oldest published recipe in the Maltese language known to-date. The source is the first edition E.L. Vella’s 𝐶𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑏 𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶ℎ𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑎 [1894]. ‘Pompa’ was the name used to prepare a lampuki pie.