The Society For The Preservation of Irish Soda Bread has been around for over 20 years with a web site and 3K members of a Face Book Group. You will also find Folk Tales and other Irish Culture items for man does not live by bread alone.
The prime focus has been to promote the Traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe, around since the early 19th century, of Flour, Salt, Baking Soda and Buttermilk (or sour milk).
The site is now operational and I am researching Irish logs (1937-39) to expand my knowledge. Thank God Modern Ireland is prospering, but I'm old enough to remember old Ireland.
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God Bless, Ed O'Dwyer calling Nenagh, Co Tipperary home no matter where I live.
Would you believe the first time I had proper corned beef was in London around aged 24. Growing up in Fermanagh in the 70’s and 80’s the only corned beef was the tinned “bully beef” kind. There seems to be a slightly stronger tradition of it down in county Cork but that may be linked to the supply of corned beef to the Royal Navy who had a major deep water ports in the area, particularly spike island off Cóbh (Queenstown).
I presume you have sultanas and currants which appear in Irish Cook books. Raisins are big in the US, (and sold in Irish stores) so things here usually cross back over to Ireland at some time. The book "All in the Cooking" first published in 1946 Ireland and used to teach cooking in Irish schools through the 1970s has a recipe for "Soda Apple Cake": 5ozs flour, pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon bread soda, Sour milk. Filling: 3/4 lb. apples, sugar to sweeten, pinch ground cloves. Does that look familiar? As with all things, once something is added to the basic recipe, the name changes. Don't know how old you are, but if this is your mother's or grandmother's recipe, she may have learned it in school. Thanks for the note. Interesting to know that Soda Apple Cake is popular in County Armagh. Wish it was in County Tipperary when I was a kid. :-)
My Irish ancestors arrived here decades before the famine, so it's interesting to learn that soda bread wasn't even on the menu. Personally, I like both varieties, traditional and with raisins, each for different kinds of meals. Thanks for the lesson, and loved to see the actual images of the reports. I will go out and read more of these.
Thanks for your interesting history. I note that despite a major Irish population in Australia, Samhain was never big here. I expect it's because it's our spring, and a harvest festival simply would be out of place. For example, carved vegetables would be a feast for insects and just rot in the sun. There've been attempts to move our festivals to the other half of the year, but because of global connectivity, it just doesn't work.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this scary Irish tale. The Irish brogue reminded me of the tales my grandad would tell me when I was a child. I felt like i was back in the old country sitting by a warm peat fire. Thanks Eddie Walsh !
