Farl facts for kids
A soda bread farl. This would have been connected to the rest of the bread along the straight upper and right edges
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A farl is a special kind of flatbread or cake. It's usually shaped like a quarter of a circle. This is because it's traditionally made by cutting a large round piece of dough into four equal parts.
In a place called Ulster (which is in Northern Ireland), when people say "farl," they usually mean soda bread farls. Sometimes, they also mean potato bread farls. These farls are often a tasty part of a big breakfast called an Ulster fry.
Even though they are traditionally cut into quarters, some farls made in factories today might be shaped like rectangles instead.
In Scotland, the word "farl" isn't used as much as in Ulster. But when it is, a farl can be a quarter piece of a large flat scone, a bannock, or an oatcake. It can also describe shortbread that has been baked in this quarter-circle shape.
What Does the Word "Farl" Mean?
The word farl is a shorter version of an older word, fardel. Long ago, in some parts of Lowland Scotland, fardel was used to describe a three-cornered cake. This cake was usually an oatcake and was often the fourth part of a round. The word fardell itself used to mean "a fourth" or "a quarter" in an older form of the Scots language.
How Are Farls Made?
Making a farl starts by spreading dough onto a hot cooking surface. This can be a girdle (a type of flat griddle) or a frying pan. The dough is spread into a rough circular shape.
Once the circle of dough is ready, it's cut into four equal pieces. These pieces are then cooked on the hot surface. After one side is cooked and golden, the dough is flipped over to cook the other side until it's ready to eat.
See also
In Spanish: Farl para niños
