Boxty
 A slice of boxty served as part of Irish breakfast | |
| Alternative names | Poundy, poundies |
|---|---|
| Type | Potato pancake |
| Place of origin | Ireland |
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, flour |
Boxty (Irish: bacstaí or Irish: steaimpí) is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The dish is mostly associated with the north midlands, north Connacht and southern Ulster, in particular the counties of Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Fermanagh, Longford, and Cavan. There are many recipes but all contain finely grated, raw potatoes and all are served fried.
The most popular version of the dish consists of finely grated raw potato and flour. The grated potato may be strained to remove most of the starch and water but this is not necessary. The mixture is fried on a griddle pan for a few minutes on each side, similar to a normal pancake. The most noticeable difference between boxty and other fried potato dishes is its smooth, fine-grained consistency.
An old Irish rhyme is: "Boxty on the griddle; boxty on the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man!"[1]
As the interest in
Method of preparation
Boxty can be made several ways. When baked in a pan it is sometimes called "boxty bread". Potatoes are grated over
Boxty may also be pan-fried like a
Boxty dough can also be boiled like dumplings. This type of boxty is known as "boiled boxty" and is a traditional dish around Halloween in the 'north midlands' of Ireland, especially the counties of Cavan, Leitrim and the southern parts of Fermanagh.[6] Preparation of the dough requires squeezing excess moisture from the grated potato and combining with mashed potatoes and flour and seasoning with salt. The dough is formed into round dumplings known as "hurleys".[6] The hurleys are dropped into a pot of boiling water and boiled for over half an hour, then removed and stored for later. When ready to be eaten, the hurleys are sliced and the slices are pan-fried in butter.[4] Modern variations can include
The traditional preparation known from an 1854 edition of Dublin University Magazine was made by mixing potato with either flour or oatmeal and adding animal fat or butter to form a cake. Potato graters were made from tin cans. With the addition of egg yolk, butter and milk, it is possible to roll the dough to 5/8 of an inch thick for cooking on a griddle. Boxty was most popular served with a smear of butter for tea but was also eaten for breakfast.[8]
St. Brigid's Day
In Ireland,
Etymology
Likely Irish, possibly from the Irish arán bocht tí meaning "poor house bread"[9] or bácús meaning "bakehouse".
See also
References
- ^ "A Brief History of Boxty, Ireland's Potato Pancake". theculturetrip.com. 5 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ "Boxty that is made in Leitrim is to be sold in one of the country's biggest supermarket chains here". Shannonside. Archived from the original on 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ ISBN 9781567180442. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- ^ ISBN 9781903018668. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "Authentic Irish: Think inside the Boxty". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ a b "Halloween perfect time to share in the beauty of Boxty". BBC. Archived from the original on 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ISBN 9781903164150. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ ISBN 9781442227156. Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ISBN 9780199640249. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
