Breads, Cakes & Sweets

Baking is synonymous with Ireland, and we are all familiar with the homely smell of breads and cakes wafting from the oven!

The art of baking has been an integral part of daily life in Ireland for centuries and is now enjoying a huge revival across the country. There are few things as welcoming as fresh home baking! Before the advent of soda bread in the 19^th century, thin oakcakes were cooked on a bake-stone or on the griddle over an open fire.

Bread was also associated with the Bible and was given to the poor in the sign of friendship and Christianity. In olden days, many monasteries were self-sufficient and monks would grow their own wheat, ground it, and use it to make bread. This bread was offered freely to the local community and the poor, although many people would leave a donation according to their means.

Bread recipes in Ireland have been passed down from one generation to the next. Many daughters in Irish homes spent a lot of time learning the art of baking from their mother. It was considered a true gift for a girl to have a ‘light hand’ for baking, and something of which she could be very proud.