Food in Ireland long ago

Milltown, Co. Galway

Long ago the food people used was different from the food people use now. These foods were a lot more wholesome than the food people have now. They used to make oaten meal cakes. They never bought flour except at Christmas time. Everybody used to buy a stone or two then. Oaten bread was considered very wholesome. They used butter and potatoes too. They used to make their own butter nearly always. They used fish and eggs also. They would have a lot of butter to sell at markets very often.

The drink that was used were was very different from what the people use now. The drink used mostly in Summer was called whitewater. Whitewater was made from oaten meal and water. They used butter and milk very often too. There was another drink called whey and it used very often.

There was also a food called Boxty. There is not much Boxty made in Ireland now. There are some old proverbs about boxty one of which is; Boxty bread is gone ahead since Judy lost the scraper. There was another food something like porridge called prásán. It was also considered very wholesome. Prásán was made from oaten meal and water. When people would be digging potatoes out in the field they would make a field out in the field and roast the potatoes and eat them.

Collector: Mary Margaret Grady

Informant: Thomas Grady (grandparent)

Place: Milltown, Co. Galway

Tag: Food, boxty, potatoes, oats, whitewater, market

Footnote: Duchas, http://www.duchas.ie

 

This page was added on 26/05/2017.

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