The blood orange is a variety of orange with red, almost blood-coloured flesh. The distinctive dark flesh colour is created by the presence of a type of pigment called anthocyanins which although common to flora it’s quite uncommon in citrus fruits. Blood oranges have a fairly unique flavour compared to other oranges, being distinctly berry like as well as having the usual citrus flavours. During the times of the Nights of Malta, the Maltese Archipelago was world famous for the quality of its blood oranges.

The Red Mullet or surmullets are a species of the goatfish, family Mullus barbatus and Mullus surmuletus. In Malta they are known as Trilja.

Whilst commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Mullet is normally caught in winter when the weather does not allow fishing in deeper waters.

The red pepper or bell pepper is a member of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colours, including red, yellow, orange, green, white, and purple. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as “sweet peppers”

This lovely spice actually masquerades as a member of the peppercorn family, it’s actually the ripe berries of the Peruvian (schinus molle) and Brazilian (schinus terebinthifolius) pepper trees, however, they do have a peppery flavour. They are actually a member of the cashew family, which means anyone with a cashew allergy would be best advised to avoid them. Pink peppercorns have a similar flavour to black peppercorns but are milder, some say slightly sweet and quite fruity. So they are great for adding a slightly different peppery element to a dish.

Garlic is a cousin of the onion family, commonly known as Allium. Its other relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive. Garlic is native to the northern Middle east namely Iran and Central Asia it has been commonly used for millennia as a seasoning.