Clonakilty not only boasts stunning beaches and breathtaking scenery, but it’s also the source of Ireland’s most famous black pudding. It’s none other than Clonakilty Black Pudding - and very good it is too! The traditional recipe used dates back to the late 19th century and is considered part of Irish culinary history. Only natural ingredients are used, and no hearty full Irish (breakfast) would be complete without it. Find out more about this mouth watering classic.
OK, you may want to skip this bit, but Clonakilty Black Pudding is actually fried or grilled pig’s offal in intestines or maybe this sounds better; a blend of pork, breadcrumbs and natural herbs and spices. Since the 1880′s the Harrington family made and sold black pudding to the people of the area from their butcher shop at 16 Sovereign Street (now Pearse Street) in Clonakilty. In 1976 Edward Twomey bought the shop and as a result acquired the recipe for Clonakilty Black Pudding.
Since 1976 demand has grown hugely and in 1983 it was necessary to build a separate production plant for Clonakilty Black Pudding. Nowadays it’s possible to purchase this Clonakilty classic from almost any large supermarket in Ireland. The product range has expanded also to include Clonakilty White Pudding and Ispini Low Fat Sausages (ispini is actually the Irish name for sausages).
Whether it’s breakfast, brunch or lunch, grilled or fried it’s absolutely delicious!
How to fry Clonakilty Black Pudding
Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan.
First of all you need to cut the black pudding - each piece should be about half an inch thick.
Cook until crispy, turn over and repeat on the other side.
For a healthier option you can grill Clonakilty Black Pudding:
Your oven should be turned on the medium heat.
Again each piece of black pudding should be about half an inch thick.
You’ll probably need to turn occasionally and both sides should be cooked until crispy.
Nobody could resist Clonakilty Black Pudding on buttery Irish Soda Bread. Take a look at our Irish Soda Bread article.
Clonakilty Black Pudding is also part of modern cuisine and regularly appears on gourmet menus as a starter served with salad, or even sometimes as the primary meat ingredient in some main courses.
Try this, it’s delicious!
Fried rice with Clonakilty Black Pudding:
You’ll need Clonakilty black pudding, long grain rice, an onion, 100g mushrooms, dark soy sauce and salt & pepper to season.
-Boil the rice.
-Chop the onion, finely, the mushrooms and thinly slice the black pudding - chop into smaller pieces if desired.
-Heat a small amount of butter (butter really adds more flavour) and a little bit of oil in a pan.
-Cook the black pudding for about 4 minutes.
-Add the onion and mushrooms and sprinkle a few drops of soy sauce.
-Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-Once the rice has been strained add it to the pan and follow with a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce. Add more if required.
Fore more mouth watering recipes check out the Clonakilty Black Pudding website.
For somewhere to stay in the area, check out our Clonakilty hotels page.
