Champ (food) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Champ

Alternative names	Poundies
Place of origin	Ireland
Main ingredients	mashed potatoes, scallions, butter, milk

Champ (called brúitín in Irish) is a classic Irish dish. It's made from creamy mashed potatoes. People mix it with fresh scallions, rich butter, and warm milk. It's a simple, comforting meal that's popular in Ireland.

What is Champ?

Champ is easy to make. You combine soft mashed potatoes with chopped scallions. Then, you add butter and milk. Sometimes, people also add salt and pepper for extra flavor.

This dish is sometimes called "poundies" in certain areas. Champ is quite similar to another Irish dish called colcannon. The main difference is that colcannon uses kale or cabbage instead of scallions.

Champ is very popular in Ulster, which is a region in the north of Ireland. Colcannon is more common in the other parts of Ireland. Traditionally, people would make champ when they harvested the first new potatoes of the year.

Champ and Samhain

Champ is also linked to Samhain, an ancient Irish festival. Samhain is celebrated on October 31st, similar to Halloween. It was a tradition to serve champ on this night.

In many parts of Ireland, people would offer some champ to the fairies. They would place a dish of champ with a spoon at the bottom of a hawthorn tree. This was a way to show respect and ask for good luck.

Other Yummy Potato Dishes

Many countries have dishes similar to champ. They often mix potatoes with other ingredients. Here are a few examples: