School: Carraig Áluinn (roll number 16.474)

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1. Foods - Boxty (continued)

   

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   clean and one could be seen hanging at the side of the kitchen dresser. The grating of boxty required great patience, because as the potato grew smaller the fingers of the person grating were liable to come into contact with the rough side of the grater. The holes of the grater were bored from the inside and the outer edges were very rough. Sometimes portions of the skin of the fingers was taken off. The small portion of potato remaining was generally thrown away or left aside for pig feeding. The grated potatoes were collected in a large basin and the nextt process was “wringing the boxty”. For this part of the work a coarse linen or fine muslin bag, called a “boxty bag” was used.. It was about 9 inches in depth and 4 or 5 inches wide. It was almost filled with the grated potatoes, closed at the top, and then the bag was well squeezed between the hands, to remove all the water from the potatoes. The dry matter was then collected in another basic. Often these basins were made of wood by the cooper and some of them are yet to be seen in farmers’ houses. The water from the potatoes was allowed to “settle” and the sediment which collected on the bottom was almost pure starch. Some people added this starch to the dry potatoes, but often it was used for starching clothes – shirt fronts, etc.
   When all the potatoes were “wrung” a few boiled potatoes, bruised up, were added and also some flour and a small quantity of salt. These ingredients were well mixed together and then formed into “dumplings”. These were about six inches across and about 2 inches thick. They were neatly

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. products
      1. food products (~3,601)
         1. bread (~2,063)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs Mary O' Dowd

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   58

   Address

   Druminuff, Co. Leitrim