'It’s a dynamite food': Why iron-rich black pudding should be part of your diet

Many people baulk at the thought of eating fresh blood black pudding, but it predates potatoes, soda bread, whiskey, and stout as a source of nourishment

Kate Ryan: ‘We should seek out fresh blood black pudding makers and support them.’ Picture: Joleen Cronin

High in protein and a rich source of easily absorbed iron, blood is a nutritious food, and it has fed and nourished Irish people for centuries. Although some may baulk at the idea of consuming fresh blood — we won’t mention the liquid leaking out of your steak — there has always been black pudding, a traditional and delicious food that has a place in Irish history far longer than the tourist classics of soda bread and stout, spiced beef or even spuds.

Black pudding is not just a historical artefact. It’s a living, changing — and nutritious — part of the Irish diet. It’s something that Cork-based food writer Kate Ryan is passionate about: “A black pudding is a complete food. It has everything you need. It has proteins, it has fats, it has minerals, micro- and macronutrients. It’s delicious. Plus, you have all the spices running through it with their individual properties as well. It’s a dynamite food.”