For many Maltese families, a tin of corned beef is more than just a pantry standby. It’s a reminder of their resilience and resourcefulness, and 164 years of British rule. Malta’s cuisine was shaped by waves of influence, but few left a stamp as enduring as the British.
“There’s no doubt that the British have had a huge impact on Maltese history,” says Australian-Maltese chef Shane Delia in the new SBS series, Shane Delia’s Malta. “One way that can still be seen today is through our cuisine.”
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Shane Delia explores Malta’s history. Credit: Shane Delia’s Malta

The British Empire first ruled Malta in 1800, after the Maltese people revolted against French occupation. From then, Malta remained under British rule until it gained independence in 1964. Today, it remains part of the Commonwealth.
After the war, Maltese tastes were so familiar with corned beef that it became a staple ingredient. Generations of families learned how to incorporate the tinned meat into weeknight meals and celebratory dishes alike. Over the decades that followed, these meals were cooked and eaten by Maltese families so often that they became embedded in Malta’s food culture.

Thumbnail of Shane Delia's Malta

“I can remember my [Maltese] grandmother eating [corned beef],” Delia says on the show. A simple tin of corned beef “has so much going on in there that’s a [reminder] of time gone past”.

…even through the hardest times, through necessity, you can make the simplest ingredients something really special.

Corned beef: the perfect British ingredient for a frugal, Maltese meal

In the series, Delia explores corned beef and tells viewers that the tin of meat can still be easily transformed into a meaningful dish. As he puts it, “even through the hardest times, through necessity, you can make the simplest ingredients something really special”.

Here are five traditional Maltese dishes that elevate a simple can of corned beef into meals that are both rich with heart and flavour.

1. Maltese bread-crumbed potato and corned beef patties (pulpetti)

Delia makes this iconic Maltese corned beef dish in his new show, filmed in Malta. To make the patties, Delia combines mashed potato, herbs, seasoning and corned beef. He then shapes the mixture into a plate of patties which get fried until crisp.
Pulpetti

Pulpetti

The chef says dishes like pulpetti show the Maltese can make any ingredient, even corned beef “our own”.

2. Maltese baked macaroni (għaġin il-forn with corned beef)

Għaġin il-forn is the Maltese answer to baked macaroni: hearty, saucy and layered. In periods when fresh meat was expensive or hard to find, families often stirred corned beef through the tomato sauce or baked mix.

Corned beef adds richness and depth to the macaroni, turning an everyday pasta bake into a protein-packed meal that stretches a single tin into a large family dish.

3. Corned beef pie (torta tal-bulibif)

A rustic, old-school favourite, this pie traditionally combines vegetables, tomato paste and corned beef baked inside flaky pastry. The dish reflects Malta’s British links — part Cornish pasty, part Mediterranean pantry pie — and became a staple on the island during wartime rationing. Corned beef pie remains a cherished dish of the Maltese people today.

4. Maltese baked rice (ross il-forn)

Similar in spirit to għaġin il-forn, this dish is a baked rice casserole that often incorporates corned beef for richness. It’s the kind of meal that Maltese families make on Sundays, or when feeding a crowd cheaply. The corned beef brings savouriness and moisture, balancing the crusty top with soft, sauce-coated rice beneath.

5. Corned beef and vegetable soup (brudu tal-corned beef)

This traditional soup evolved from wartime and post-war cooking, when fresh meat wasn’t always available. Mixed with potatoes, carrots, onions or any vegetables on hand, corned beef melts into the broth, giving it body and flavour.

It’s the definition of Maltese comfort food: warming, frugal and quietly nourishing.