The Culinary Delights of Traditional Waterford Food

Waterford Blaa

Waterford has a well-established reputation as a city offering great food experiences to visitors and locals alike and no trip to Waterford would be complete without sampling some of the fine locally produced food. 

Top of the list to try is the world famous ‘Blaa’. This floury bread product is exclusive to Waterford and is eaten mainly at breakfast time. The ‘Blaa’ is so unique that it achieved protected status by the EU in 2013 in the same view as is in place for Champagne, Feta cheese, Parma ham and others.

The Blaa was first introduced to Waterford City by the French Huguenots who settled here in 1693.  They brought pain blanc to Waterford which was corrupted by Waterfordians to blaa.  Locals enjoy their blaa with a ‘rasher’ of bacon or some ‘Red Lead’ (luncheon sausage) in the middle as a mid-morning snack. Other popular fillers include cheese and onion crisps and sliced ham, which the locals pronounce ''hang''. It is common for locals to eat hang blaas on the side of the road before the big match.

The rasher was actually invented in Waterford City by Henry Denny who set up his operation in Waterford City in 1820 and this is where to both developed and patented several production techniques and from this the modern bacon curing process and thus the ‘rasher’ was invented in Waterford.  Along with the rasher, Waterford is also home to the Cream Cracker as Jacobs Biscuits was set up on Bridge Street in Waterford in 1881.

Waterford people are also fond of their offal meat due to the sheer number of meat producing factories that were located here at one time or another.  It is said that the only part of the pig that we leave behind is the squeal, which is testament to the ''waste not want not'' Irish attitude prevalent in the city. Waterford people are especially fond of salted pork ribs (cured like bacon) boiled until the meat is falling off the bone and served with mashed spuds and cabbage. Sometimes cabbage is mashed into the spuds with other ingredients to produce Colcannon, which is still served up by many an Irish mammy to this day.  Some Waterford folk are fond of boiled pigs feet also, but this is a delicacy of sorts and would not suit everyone’s taste.  Other types of offal meat, such as chucks and loin bones can be added to a white Irish stew with beef, carrots, parsnips, onions etc. to add flavour. The marrow and fat that seeps out of this meat gives the stew a delicious and unique taste.

So if you happen to be eating out in a café or restaurant in Waterford why not do as the Deise do and order up some good old fashioned Waterford fodder.