Shane Delia's Malta: Everything you need to know

When chef and presenter Shane Delia began filming Shane Delia’s Malta, he returned to the ancient Mediterranean archipelago with a renewed desire to understand its food through the people who carry its traditions forward. The series is grounded in lived experience – of cooks, artisans, producers and families like his whose stories reveal the cultural layers woven through everyday Maltese life.

“While uncovering the nation’s stories for Shane Delia’s Malta, I felt both an immense pride for our past, and hope for the future,” Delia tells SBS.

During the six-part series, the chef moves through fishing harbours, rural farmlands and bustling village centres to observe how migration, trade and resilience have shaped Malta’s distinctive flavours. “Malta’s geography determines its history, and so too, its incredible food.”

In each episode, Delia meets locals who share the dishes and memories that define their sense of home. Their stories reveal a cuisine that is bold, generous and deeply connected to place.

“Maltese cuisine represents the best of its people – innovative, welcoming, and delighting in tradition. I can’t wait for Australia to experience a taste of Malta at home.”

Maltese cuisine represents the best of its people – innovative, welcoming, and delighting in tradition.

Here’s everything you need to know about the show, including where to watch, what recipes Delia shares and more.

What happens in Shane Delia’s Malta?

Over six episodes, the series follows Delia as he discovers the flavours and stories that shape Malta’s evolving food culture. Guided by locals, he uncovers regional traditions, techniques passed down through families, and creative approaches redefining how Maltese food is understood today. The result is an intimate portrait of a nation expressed through its dishes, its people and its enduring spirit.

Shane Delia’s Malta sees the chef meeting locals across Malta. Credit: Shane Delia’s Malta

Where can I watch Shane Delia’s Malta?

Shane Delia’s Malta six-part series premieres on SBS Food on Sunday 24 November at 8.00pm and will be available to stream free on SBS On Demand.

Who is Shane Delia?

Shane Delia is an acclaimed Australian chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter with Maltese heritage who is known for exploring Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. Through his long partnership with SBS, he has travelled widely to share food stories rooted in culture, memory and place. Shane Delia’s Malta is one of his most personal projects to-date that sees him reconnecting with the country that shaped his family narrative.

What recipes does Shane Delia share in Shane Delia’s Malta?

Throughout the series, Delia prepares dishes that highlight Malta’s unique blend of rustic comfort food that families across the islands have feasted on for years. He traces the land and sea for beautiful produce which he also uses to create innovative interpretations of modern Maltese dishes.

A key recipe is red wine braised octopus with sweet spices (stuffat tal-quarnit), a hearty stew reflecting Malta’s deep maritime heritage. Delia explores its slow-cooked richness and the aromatic spice blends that local families traditionally pass down.

Red wine braised octopus and sweet spices (Stuffat tal quarnit)

Credit: Shane Delia

He also cooks Maltese bread-crumbed potato and corned beef patties, a nostalgic favourite linked to resourceful home cooking in the post-World War Two years. The dish remains a beloved staple for its simplicity and satisfying flavour.

A contemporary touch comes through cured tuna with Maltese sweet and sour sauce, drawing on the island’s fishing culture while showcasing a refined balance of acidity, sweetness and spice.

For dessert, Delia creates wild cumin honey meringue with carob frozen nougat, a dish that combines native ingredients with Mediterranean influences to present a distinctly Maltese flavour profile in a modern dessert format.

Together, these recipes offer a glimpse into Malta’s culinary diversity, celebrating both tradition and creativity.

What does Shane Delia discover in his new series?

Delia’s journey reveals how Maltese cuisine has evolved through centuries of migration, trade and cultural fusion. He learns how families preserve knowledge through generations, how young chefs reinterpret heritage ingredients and how community remains central to Maltese food identity. The series uncovers a culture defined not by nostalgia, but by an enduring commitment to hospitality, connection and reinvention.

Episode Summary

Episode 1 (Malta)

Shane Delia with Manwel of Ta’Barbetta bakery. Credit: Shane Delia’s Malta

Delia begins in the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, where he discovers how deeply Maltese cuisine is shaped by the Mediterranean. He visits his family’s hometown of Żejtun, and at the local Ta’Barbetta baker, discovers pudina ta’ hobz, a traditional bread pudding. He then crosses to the island of Gozo to explore its rural traditions before heading back to his villa to cooks his own takes on classic Maltese recipes.

Episode 2 (Valletta and The British Legacy)

In Valletta, Delia examines the cultural and culinary legacy left by British rule. He explores the city’s remarkable heritage while uncovering how its culinary identity has evolved alongside centuries of change. The episode opens with a visit to wartime Lascaris War Rooms buried beneath the city to learn about the huge influence that the British had, and still have, on the Maltese way of life. Above ground, Delia experiences Valletta’s cafes, bars, and bustling market stalls before discovering its evolving fine-dining scene. Delia is inspired by the balance of history and innovation in the fine dining scene and realises that, while Maltese food carries centuries of influence, it also retains a distinctive Mediterranean identity.

Episode 3 (The Three Cities and The Knights of Malta)

Shane Delia on the water in Episode 3. Credit: Shane Delia’s Malta

Delia’s journey takes him across the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities – Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua – once the stronghold of the Knights Hospitaller. For nearly 300 years, the Knights ruled Malta, leaving an indelible mark on its architecture, culture, and cuisine – particularly the tradition of fine dining.

As Easter approaches, Delia immerses himself in one of Malta’s most significant cultural periods, where ancient traditions are tied closely to food. Delia observes the preparation of traditional treats such as Fegolli and Qaghag tal-Appostli, sweet breads baked by prisoners at Corradino Prison. He learns how baking has become both a skill-building activity and a community service, with inmates contributing to the island’s culinary traditions during this festive period. These experiences highlight the interplay between history, faith, and food in Maltese culture.

Episode 4 (Mdina, Rabat and the Arabs)

In the ancient cities of Mdina and Rabat, Delia explores the deep marks left by Arab rule. He learns how the Muslim period shaped Malta’s architecture, language, produce and cooking techniques: foundations that still underpin Maltese cuisine today.

From citrus and almonds to the introduction of irrigation systems, he sees how Arab agricultural knowledge transformed what could be grown and cooked. He also discovers how spice blends, slow-braising methods and preserved ingredients entered Malta’s food culture during this era.

Rabat is home to some of the best pastizzi, the traditional Maltese flaky pastries, often filled with ricotta or peas, and he takes the chance to observe the traditional methods used to make them, from rolling the dough to baking.

Pastizzi in Rabat. Credit: Shane Delia’s Malta

Episode 5 (The Phoenicians)

Travelling further back in time, Delia investigates the legacy of the Phoenicians. Their influence appears to be everywhere, from ancient sites to ingredients. It may have even helped to historically and culturally shape what many locals consider to be Malta’s national dish: rabbit.

Delia follows the movement of key ingredients the Phoenicians traded across the Mediterranean, including olives, grains and salted fish, which became embedded in Maltese cooking. He also uncovers how early preservation techniques – like curing, drying and fermenting – laid the groundwork for flavours still recognised in Maltese dishes today.

Episode 5’s delicious recipes include wild cumin and honey meringue with carob frozen nougat. Credit: Shane Delia’s Malta

Episode 6 (Gozo and The Final Feast)

Delia returns to Gozo, Malta’s fertile food bowl. Here he explores how traditions were shaped by the island’s first settlers, the Neolithic builders of Ġgantija. He also joins locals who continue to rely on the land and sea as their ancestors once did. He meets growers and producers whose vegetables, cheeses, honey and seafood form the backbone of everyday Gozitan cooking.

The final episode of the series culminates in a final feast that celebrates Malta’s enduring food culture. As preparations for the final feast unfold, Delia helps create dishes that capture Gozo’s rustic food identity, from farmhouse staples to recipes passed down through generations.

Shane Delia’s Malta premieres Monday 24 November on SBS Food and SBS On Demand. Episodes air weekly at SBS Food starting Monday 24 November at 8pm.

Shane’s earlier series, Middle East Feast with Shane Delia, is also streaming at SBS On Demand.

Middle East Feast with Shane Delia

Shane Delia’s Malta: Everything you need to know

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