Currabinny Cooks: Ispíní, wurst, merguez, chorizo — sausages are so versatile
Currabinny Cooks October 2. Sausages and Grapes. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan
Pork is by far Ireland's most consumed meat. This might be surprising to some, as you almost never see pigs or pig farms when travelling around the country. Pig meat in the form of ham, pork and bacon has been one of the most traditional of Irish foods since prehistoric times. At a feast, a leg of pork was traditionally reserved for a king, a haunch for a queen and a boar’s head for a charioteer.
The champion warrior was given the best portion of meat and fights would often take place to decide who should receive it. This was in the age of wild boars, who roamed Irish forests and were hunted. It did not take long before these wild pigs were domesticated. Cattle and other livestock could be kept for milk or wool but the only reason for pig rearing was a source of food. The pig population in Ireland exploded as our reliance on the potato crop grew. Pigs could be fed perfectly well on potatoes, meaning that even very small holdings could keep a pig or two. Eventually, we would develop different ways of using up all of what the pig had to offer resulting in such staples as trotters (crubeens), knee joints (glúiníns), chitterlings, sausages, blood puddings and rashers. Even pig hair was used for paintbrushes and the intestines blown up and used as a kind of football.
