Ġbejna
Small round sheep cheeses of Malta and Gozo, eaten fresh, dried or coated in crushed pepper.
Also: ġbejniet, gbejna, Maltese cheeselet
Ġbejna, plural ġbejniet, is the traditional cheese of the Maltese islands, made from sheep milk, sometimes mixed with goat, set with rennet and drained in small round moulds that were once woven from reeds. It is eaten in three ways. Fresh ġbejna is soft, white and mild, and is kept in its whey. Dried ġbejna is salted and left to air on screened shelves until firm and sharp. Peppered ġbejna, tal-bżar, is dried cheese rolled in crushed black pepper and often preserved in oil or vinegar. Gozo is especially known for it, and it turns up in ravioli, in qassatat pastries and on the bread and tomato snack ftira.