Kwareżimal
Kwarezimal is a traditional Maltese recipe, usually baked during Lent.[1] They are spicy chewy biscuits, combining a mixture of spices and ground almonds and then drizzled with honey and some chopped almonds. They are vegan, since they contain no animal protein, eggs, or dairy products.
Kwarezimal was developed by the Knights of Malta. The word kwarezimal refers to quaresima, the forty days of Lent. Sugar was not avoided during Lent as some practice it today. Unlike today, sugar was considered a type of spice due to its high cost and humoral qualities.
In medieval Europe, animal products were to be avoided during times of penance. The choice of ingredients may have been limited, but that did not mean that meals were smaller. Neither were there any restrictions against moderate drinking or eating sweets. Banquets held on fish days were popular occasions for serving food that imitated meat, cheese and eggs in various ingenious ways; fish could be molded to look like venison and imitation eggs could be made by stuffing empty egg shells with fish roe and almond milk and cooking it in coals.