A History of Irish Baking (Part 5)

Vikings, Markets Towns, and International Trade.

The Viking arrival in Ireland (795 CE) brought significant changes to Irish food culture, particularly in trade, cooking methods, and urban food consumption. While the core Gaelic diet (dairy, grains, meat, and fish) remained dominant, the Vikings introduced new foods, food preservation techniques, and the first urban marketplaces.

As with the arrival of the Celtic speaking peoples and Christianity, the arrival of the Viking did not happen suddenly, but took place over at least 200 years. From the first recorded raid in 795 when Vikings, possibly from Norway, looted the island of Lambay or Ratlin [see Ó Corráin, Vikings & Ireland (2001)], to the establishment of Dublin (Dubh Linn) as a longphort (a fortified ship-camp for raiding and trade) in 841 CE, the arrival of the Viking was a gradual one that transformed the landscape of Ireland.

Viking settlement of Dublin, 9th century.

Similar bases established in Waterford (914), Wexford (c. 800s), Limerick (922), and Cork (c. 915), would become Ireland’s first walled towns with a market economy unlike anything seen before in Ireland. International trade had finally come to Ireland with bustling crowds of people ready to buy and sell their wares!¹

Whereas monastic Ireland was made up of small, scattered rural farms with no centralised markets which were based on a barter economy, the Vikings introduced towns with dense urban populations that were large trade hubs which had coin-based trade. These towns led to permanent marketplaces where fresh food, grains, fish, and spices were traded; urban bakeries producing bread on a larger scale; and finally, more consistent importation of goods like dried fish, grain, and honey. In all, Viking trade made certain foods more available year-round, increasing food variety, albeit for some of the population.

Through their settlements in Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Limerick, and Cork the Vikings introduced new foods such as salted (cod) and dried fish (herring). They also introduced salt and spices, such as black pepper, mustard, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and other spices.² New vegetables (cabbage, carrots, and certain apples, as well as walnuts & almonds.

The Vikings influenced how meat was prepared and preserved. The Vikings improved the preservation of meat through salting and smoking (though this practice was already in place to some degree in Gaelic Ireland. However, while the native Irish traditionally boiled meat in large cauldrons or Fulacht fiadh, the Vikings preferred spit-roasting, which may have influenced Irish cooking. Better meat preservation techniques introduced by the Vikings meant more food security, especially in winter, and this had a lasting effect on native Irish food culture.

Along with meat preservation, the Viking also introduced better wooden barrels & storage containers for butter. They may also have brought with them Scandinavian fermented dairy techniques, possibly influencing native Irish cheese-making.

In relation to bread and baking, the Vikings introduced stone ovens into Irish towns, improving bread-baking techniques. As a result of this, wheat bread became more common in urban Viking settlements, while the Gaelic countryside still relied on barley and oat-based breads, which were predominately cooked on a griddle. These stone ovens would form the bedrock of every bakery going forward from this point on.

As I said noted above, the introduction of town bakeries by the Vikings was the greatest single change to Irish food culture in relation to baking. Bread became a commercial product in Viking towns, not just a home-baked staple or something confined to the monasteries. Monastic bakeries in cities like Dublin expanded due to Viking trade as bread, grains, and flour were sold.

New ingredients (some of which I mentioned above) were used for in the baking of bread. Salt became a stable in bread, helping to preserve and improve its flavour. Spices would have found their way into bread, such as cinnamon, as well as nuts and dried fruits. Thus, enriched breads were introduced to Ireland for the first time which complemented the addition of dairy already in the bread. The Vikings continued to use beer barm as a leavening agent to help the bread rise. With the addition of urban bakeries there was an increase in leavened bread in Viking towns, but unleavened barley and oat bread remained dominant in rural Ireland.

Another phenomenon that these bakers introduced was rudimentary pastries, sweet breads or dairy based ‘desserts’. Though also produced in Gaelic Ireland, the Vikings, and later the Norse-Gaels, perfected these in urban bakeries with the use of honey, butter, milk, fruit, and nuts, which they used to sweeten, and flavour baked goods.

Examples of breads may have included bread mad with honey and hazelnuts, bread made with ale/beer, butter, honey and spices, and apple and oat cakes. Simple dairy-based desserts were common and would have included fresh curd cheese or soft goat cheese drizzled with honey and crushed hazelnuts. Warm milk thickened with oats or egg yolks and sweetened with honey and spices. Cream left to thicken naturally, served with wild berries like bilberries, blackberries, or sloes. Fermented dairy drinks (Kefir-like) may have been consumed such as fermented goat’s milk or buttermilk, flavored with honey.

It is worthwhile observing that though dairy was widely available, the richest desserts and sweet breads were reserved for high-status individuals or feast days.

The Vikings never achieved total domination of Ireland. The great High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 which contributed to the decline of Viking power in Ireland. However, the towns which the Vikings had founded continued to flourish, and trade became an important part of the Irish economy.

Intermarrying of the Gaelic and Vikings (between the 10th and 12th centuries) led to the group called Norse–Gaels, a group of mixed ethnic background. led to the group called Norse–Gaels (or Hiberno-Norse) a group of mixed ethnic background, who blended Norse and Gaelic traditions, language, and customs.

A Norse-Gael (c.11th century)

By the 11th century, the Norse towns (Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Limerick, and Cork) had Gaelicized rulers who followed the Brehon Laws (see part 3). But the impact of their towns, urban markets and trade changed the face of Irish food.

Kingdoms of Ireland, c.1014.

The arrival of the Normans would further alter the Irish foodscape, continuing to develop both bread and baking through new and innovative technologies.

I hope you have enjoyed this week’s post; I leave you with a Viking inspired ‘dessert’ of sweetened curd with nuts and berries.

Until next time, keep the faith in Irish food.

Jp

Honeyed cured cheese with nuts and berries

Ingredients

• 100g curd cheese

• 75g wild berries (blackberries or bilberries)

• 25g crushed nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, or walnuts)

• 2 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Place cheese in a bowl, drizzle with honey and mix.

2. Sprinkle with crushed nuts and berries.

3. Serve with oatcakes or wheaten crackers.

1. This is not to say that there was no international trade before the Vikings as the Celtic speaking peoples also travelled to and from mainland Europe. But the Vikings brought with the a systemic approach to trade that would gradually change Irelan’s food culture.

2. Salt existed in Ireland before the Vikings. However, the Vikings introduced a consistence supply of it.