School: Westland (roll number 8428)

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1. Bread

   

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   Oat-meal cake, Boxty bread, pancakes, and Oat pancakes were the principal breads in this district in olden times.
   Oat meal cake was made from oats grown and ground in the district; Boxty bread was made from potatoes also grown locally; pancakes were made just the same as they are made at present.
   Wheat was grown in the district but not made into flour. It was bought from the growers by dealers and sold by them in the city of Dublin. The country people just bought their flour in shops, as if they had never grown it themselves.
   Querns, or Grindstones, were just for personal use. They were used for grinding oaten-meal for home use.
   Oaten bread was made in this way. A certain amount of oaten meal was put in a basin, salt and flour was added, it was wetted with boiling water. It was flattened out to about half an inch thick and it was supported by a bread-stool to bake in front of the fire.
   Boxty Bread was made as follows:- About half a stone of raw potatoes were peeled and grated and put into a very clean vessel. A gallon of spring water was poured over the potatoes, and they were left for half and hour or so. Then some of the potatoes were put into a clean muslin bag and squeezed until it was dry, this was continued until the potatoes were dry.

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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

   Collector

   Betty Mc Whirter

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Drumlayne, Co. Meath

   Informant

   Miss Mc Whirter

   Relation

   Relative (other than parent or grandparent)

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Drumlayne, Co. Meath