Potatoes were the only food used in ancient Ireland for many years. The people ate potatoes and salt three times each day and those who were rich used milk with them. Later on they ground oats from which they made bread and porridge by means of querns. They made that bread by mixing the ground oats with water and placing it before the fore until it became hard because they had no ovens. They made the porridge by boiling the grain in water until it was thick. When the maize meal was brought into Ireland, the people made square bread. They kneaded the meal with milk, placed it on a griddle and over the fire and cut it into squares. This they ate hot with sour milk or butter