School: Star of the Sea, Glengivney (roll number 12334)

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1. Food in Olden Times (continued)

   

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   messed in a basin and mixed with flour, then rolled on a bake board and covered over with flour and cut into "farls" or squares. The farls were then put on the pan until they turned brown in colour. When raw potatoes were used "boxty" was usual name for this dish, but when used, boiled potatoes were used it was known as "fadge" and if butter could be afforded to grease the pan and to put on the fadge when using it was considered a luxury. If allowed to cool it was not so good.
   Most of the people had a goat that supplied them with milk. When the dinner was ready the potatoes were placed in a basket made of sally rods and left in the centre of the floor and all the people sat around. There were no tables in olden times. All that they had was a basket. The basket was usually placed on the pot in the centre of the floor. This was usually the dinner and fish and butter milk were generally used with the potatoes.
   The bread they ate was oaten bread and some of the richer people had wheaten bread. Oat bread was made in olden times as follows. Two bowlfuls of oat meal into a basin and mixed with hot water and when well mixed was turned into a flat cake, and put on a griddle. Griddles were made by the blacksmith and they stood quite straight by the fire-side. Sometimes they remained there for half a day, or for hours at least in order to harden the cake well.
   There was another meal in the middle of the day. Some of the people did not eat this meal. It was called "nettle gig". The people used to boil nettles. When boiled the people stewed the nettles and kept the juice. The juice of the nettles is a cure for chin-cough.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. products
      1. food products (~3,601)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Kathleen Mc Henry

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Dan Mc Laughlin

   Relation

   Relative (other than parent or grandparent)

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   75

   Address

   Glennagiveny, Co. Donegal