A ''blaa'' , or Waterford Blaa, is a doughy, white

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

bun (roll) speciality, particularly associated with

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, Ireland. It is currently made in Waterford and South Co. Kilkenny. Blaas are sold in two varieties: "soft" and "crusty". Soft blaas are slightly sweet, malt flavour, light but firm in texture and melt in the mouth. Crusty blaas are crunchy at first bite, then chewy with a subtle malt taste and a pleasing bitter aftertaste from the well cooked, dark crust. Eaten mainly at

breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or " ...

with

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condim ...

, they are also eaten at other times of the day with a wide variety of fillings (including a type of luncheon meat often referred to as "red lead"). The ''breakfast blaa'' (egg, bacon rasher and sausage) is more common than the ''breakfast roll'' in Waterford. A combined 12,000 blaas are sold each day by the four remaining bakeries producing blaas: Walsh's Bakehouse, Kilmacow Bakery, Barron's Bakery & Coffee House and Hickey's Bakery. Of the four remaining bakeries, only two remain in Waterford City. Blaas quickly lose their freshness and are best consumed within a few hours of purchase. Some sources report that the blaa was introduced to Waterford at the end of the 17th century by the

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. This theory is disputed because although white

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cul ...

existed in the 17th century, it was not widely used until mass production of the industrial revolution. Blaas are sometimes confused with a similar bun known as a

bap BAP or bap may refer to: Food * Bap (bread), a type of bread roll * Bap (rice dish), a Korean food Music * BAP (Basque band), a hardcore punk group (formed 1984) * BAP (German band), a Colognian rock group (formed 1976) * B.A.P (South Korean ban ...

; however, blaas are square in shape, softer, and doughier, and are most notably identified by the white flour shaken over them before the baking process. On 19 November 2013, the Waterford blaa was awarded Protected Geographical Indication status by the European Commission.

References

External links

Specification Document for the Application of ‘Waterford Blaa PGI’

Recipe
{{Waterford Buns County Waterford Culture in Waterford (city) Irish breads Irish products with protected designation of origin

See also

References

External links