While in Ireland, I enjoyed wonderful meals. I am conscious that some drinks and foods have different names and cooking methods and such, so, I ask questions. At our first meal, Fitzpatrick’s, I asked how should I order a Coke type drinks knowing that soda might be mistaken for a drink additive and pop might get me a blank stare. Instead of a pop (cola, soda, soda pop) I learned to ask for a fizzy. Something else that I became aware of is that there are differnces in bacon around the world.
Bacon from different parts of the world are made from different cuts which changes the look and taste of it. These different types are either made from pork belly or the back of the pig. American, Korean, Chinese, Russian, and British bacon are made from pork belly and Canadian and Irish are made from the back of the pig or the loin. All are cured or processed to achieve a certain flavor. Canadian and Irish bacon or back bacon has a similar to taste to ham. Irish bacon is cured like Canadian bacon but more oval in shape and cut with some fat around the edges to add flavor. Irish and Canadian bacon are the same thickness which is thicker than US bacon. Rashers are the British counterpart. It’s leaner, meatier and less fatty than American bacon. Italian bacon is made from the pig’s cheek and is dried to concentrate the flavor. Chinese bacon is cured pork belly which is preserved and marinated differently depending upon the region. Korean bacon is fatty pork belly and Russian bacon is all fat with little meat that is dried and salted for a year.
We didn’t have breakfast often. Camille and I preferred to hit the road with coffee and a breakfast bar. Breakfast was a luxury when we stayed at the Atlantic View B&B in Doolin near the Cliffs of Moher. I ordered bacon not thinking about the potential difference. It was lovely. It was a ham flavored slice of cured goodness which I like a little better than Canadian bacon because of the bit of fat around it. I must admit I did not try the black pudding, which is blood sausage. I tried a variation of this years ago while living in Cleveland. It is a polish sausage called Kiska made from pig’s blood. I bought it at the Cleveland West Side Market and didn’t particularly like the taste of it so I shied away from the Irish version.
Atlantic View is a pretty B&B with a view of the Cliffs of Moher. The owners were delightful and attentive people who know how to make guests comfortable. The rooms are spacious and we were lucky enough to have a view of the Cliffs. We had our own bathroom and there was a comfortable sitting area outside of our room.
There are several amenities. One drawback which they let you know about is that the wifi is not the best . This is a small price to pay for cleanliness, attention, good price and a spectacular view. They offer laundry services area 10-15 minute walk from the ferry docks and and a 10-15 minute walk to “town”. Breakfast is good and I recommend the scrambled eggs. Her boiled and poached eggs were a little firm for my taste. There was a “buffet” with cereal, juice, coffee and milk. All in all it was good and the coffee hot and plentiful.I would put this B&B on my short list for visiting this area.
REFERENCES:
Leave a Reply