Six famous traditional welsh dishes. And the best places to eat them in Cardiff.
Wales is the land of song, famous for its castles, love for rugby and keeping its old traditions alive. It is fiercely protective of its language and customs. Welsh culinary traditions have always been safeguarded with the same patriotic enthusiasm as its culture and monuments. The Welsh countryside is filled with lush farms and boasts of the many world-class ingredients that are grown here. The national vegetable of Wales is leek which is used in quite a few welsh recipes and a trip to the countryside can make it apparent to anyone that the Welsh also take their lamb quite seriously.
1. Lamb Cawl
Lamb Cawl is a traditional Welsh lamb stew that has leeks, carrots and other vegetables that vary from kitchen to kitchen. It is usually eaten in the winter months in South West Wales. Cawl is traditionally considered the national dish of Wales and recipes for it go as far back as the 14th century. This traditional Welsh recipe is always a hit on St. David’s day and can be found in a lot of cafes and restaurants around Cardiff. Madame Fromage and Café Castan are definitely two places one should head out to, for enjoying this broth. Garlands Coffee, located at the Duke Street arcade, is also a place worth visiting if you are a Cawl lover.
2. Welsh cakes
Welsh cakes are one of Wales’s iconic recipes and are very popular with people who have a sweet tooth. It is a flatbread baked on a griddle. They resemble scones and usually have sultanas. Excellent snacks to have alongside tea, these cakes have been in vogue since the late 19th century. Fabulous Welshcakes in Mermaid quay at Cardiff bay is a great place to try out these delectable sweets.
3. Laverbread
Laverbread is another Welsh classic; it is unfortunately not quite as popular as Welsh cakes. Made from raw seaweed it is quite high in nutritional value and is considered to be an acquired taste. It is often rolled in oatmeal and served as part of the traditional Welsh breakfast. Ashton’s Fish stall at the Cardiff indoor market is the place to go to for buying freshly prepared laverbread. If you’d rather have it as part of a traditional Welsh breakfast try the Bull Terrier Café in Cardiff Market.
4. Welsh Rarebit
A sort of posh cheese on toast, Welsh rarebit was initially called Welsh rabbit. It is usually a combination of crisp toast and molten cheese, a simple yet satisfying recipe. The recipe goes back a few hundred years when Wales was known to be rather poor. This meant many Welsh people could not afford any kind of meat, which gave rise to recipes like this. Truffles located on Church Street near Cardiff castle and The Potted Pig located at high street are great place to try this fundamental, yet delicious Welsh dish.
5. Faggots
Faggots are a traditional dish in Mid and South Wales. Traditionally made from pig’s heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together with herbs and sometimes breadcrumbs. It originated as a cheap food option cooked for country people. They are usually served with gravy, mashed potatoes and peas. Faggots are available at a lot of fish and chip shops and quite a few pubs around Cardiff. The Mount Stuart at Cardiff bay is a great option and so is the Old Arcade at Church Street.
6. Welsh Beef Steak
The lush countryside of Wales provides excellent grazing, not just for its sheep, but also for cattle. The Welsh black cattle is one of the finest and oldest cattle breeds in Britain. You meat lovers know what this means, delicious succulent steaks. If you would rather stay home and prefer to do your steaks yourself, Martin Player are butchers based in Whitchurch who have excellent locally sourced steaks, for which they even have a delivery service. Other excellent places to enjoy steaks in Cardiff are Ffresh at Bute Place and Chapel1877 located at Churchill way.
This week, try a traditional Welsh recipe at one of the restaurants above or go explore some places around Cardiff that offer amazing Welsh food, there are plenty of options and you won’t be disappointed….guaranteed.