Coddle facts for kids
Coddle with carrots, which are not used in the traditional recipe
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| Alternative names | Dublin coddle |
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| Place of origin | Ireland |
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, pork sausage, rashers, onion |
Coddle (sometimes Dublin coddle; Irish: cadal) is an Irish dish which is often made to use up leftovers, and therefore without a specific recipe. However, it most commonly consists of layers of roughly sliced sausages (pork sausages) and rashers (thinly sliced, somewhat-fatty back bacon) with chunky potatoes, sliced onion, salt, pepper, and herbs (parsley or chives). Traditionally, it can also include barley.
Coddle is particularly associated with the capital of Ireland, Dublin. It was reputedly a favourite dish of the writers Seán O'Casey and Jonathan Swift, and it appears in several references to Dublin, including the works of James Joyce.
The dish is braised in the stock produced by boiling the pieces of bacon and sausages. The dish is cooked in a pot with a well-fitting lid in order to steam the ingredients left uncovered by the broth. Sometimes raw sliced potato is added, but traditionally it was eaten with bread. The only seasonings are usually salt, pepper, and occasionally parsley. Coddle could be considered Irish comfort food, and it is inexpensive, easy to prepare and quick to cook. It is often eaten in the winter months. In the days when Catholics were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays, this meal was often eaten on Thursdays, and it allowed a family to use up any remaining sausages or rashers.
Etymology
The name comes from the verb coddle, meaning to cook food in water below boiling (see coddled egg), which in turn derives from caudle, which comes from the French term meaning ‘to boil gently, parboil or stew’.
See also
In Spanish: Coddle para niños
