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Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
How boxty became a beloved Irish dish all over the world
There's a reason why the waft of a chipper or the scent of your granny's brown bread can transport you back to a moment in time. Smell is the only sense that connects directly to the brain's limbic system, which governs memory and emotion. So it's no surprise that certain foods are often steeped in nostalgia, particularly those from specific regions. We don't have too many of these in Ireland - think Dublin coddle or the Waterford blaa - but one that has gone from Leitrim to all over the world is boxty. Boxty, a traditional Irish potato pancake, is one food that often reminds people of days with their grandparents or breakfast with their cousins. Or evokes childhood memories if you're from the north-west, where it's a proud local dish. Donal Skehan's take on boxty It's steeped in tradition, especially in Cavan and Leitrim. Boxty is believed to have been created before the famine as a resourceful way to use both leftover mashed potatoes and grated potatoes. The name itself might stem from the phrase "arán bocht ti" as Gaeilge, which means "poor house bread". For Aine Faughnan, boxty is at the core of her childhood memories. She is the managing director for Dromod - one of the country's leading boxty makers. Her father Timmy founded the business 35 years ago after having great success baking and selling his mother's recipe in his local shop in Dromod, Co Leitrim. She said: "So my dad was making boxty in the morning very early, at like 5am, and bringing it up and selling it in our own shop. "So it would have been Granny's recipe he was using. And the bread men would come in and they'd ask him, 'Could you make some for us to bring on our routes to other stores as well?' So he started doing that and got really busy." Timmy then decided to turn the shop into a bakery and as it grew bigger and bigger, he decided to open up his own company, Dromod Boxty. Customers can now buy the beloved product online or from any of its many stockists across the country, including SuperValu. Aine said her favourite thing about Boxty is that it brings families together and is one of the truly traditional Irish foods that every tourist wants to try when they visit here. Typically made with a combination of mashed and grated raw potatoes, flour and milk, boxty can be eaten with almost anything. While some people like to go rogue and pop sugar on the potato cake, Aine likes to keep it savoury. It can be enjoyed with eggs, avocado, ham and cheese, or even used as a pizza base. For those who have never tried the dish before, she recommends keeping it simple with some gorgeous butter. She said: "I would advise putting it on the pan on a medium heat with some butter. "So melt the butter and then put it on the pan until it's nice and crispy on the outside, and then you'll have that chewy potato texture on the inside. "Some people microwave it or put it in the toaster. You can do that, but it just doesn't give you that real deliciousness that you get when you fry it." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Irish Independent
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Family run company in Leitrim celebrates 35 years in business: 'Boxty is a regional treasure'
Dromod, a company that has been handmaking traditional Irish boxty for over three decades, began in 1990 as Timmy Faughnan started making his Grandmothers recipe of Boxty and Potato bread and selling it to the locals of Dromod village. Following investment and some equipment upgrades, the company also started making pancakes and bread. In 2015, the next generation stepped in as Timmy's daughter Áine Faughnan took over leadership of the company with Timmy happy to step back and share his wisdom. In 2016, the company joined the SuperValu Food Academy, marking a new milestone in business development. This contract opened doors for Dromod Boxty and the products are now stocked in the West, Midlands and East of the country, while they also dispatch international order to the USA and further afield. 35 years on from their humble beginnings, Dromod now continues to thrive and innovate, staying true to their traditional roots while embracing new opportunities. Boxty might not be on every Irish table, but in the northwest, it's iconic. A traditional potato pancake made from raw and cooked spuds, it's been a staple in counties like Leitrim and Cavan for generations. Dating back to pre-famine times, long before Irish staples like the famous Guinness, boxty is one of Ireland's oldest traditional dishes. 'Our customers often tell us that our boxty tastes just like what their granny made,' says Áine Faughnan, Managing Director of Dromod. 'But more than that, they'll say things like, 'It reminds me of Sunday breakfast as a child' or, 'We always had this before going to a match'. "Food has that power - it holds people and moments inside it,' said Ms Faughnan. The company continues to make their products by hand in Co Leitrim, using recipes passed down through generations of the Faughnan family. As modern life gets faster, Ms Faughnan believes more people are turning back to these traditional foods, not just for comfort, but for connection. "There's a new wave of people who want something real - something they can call their own tradition. 'Boxty isn't just a recipe. It's a link back to their family, their place, their culture. "It connects generations, helping to preserve those memories and traditions so they can be shared and enjoyed for years to come. 'Boxty is a regional treasure. 'We want to share it with the rest of the country - to treasure what's truly Irish, like ham sandwiches on the way to a GAA match or a flask of tea on the sideline. "These simple foods carry our culture and connect us through generations,' said Ms Faughnan. Rooted in a family recipe and local ingredients, Dromod is committed to quality, sustainability, and flavour, proudly carrying the Guaranteed Irish mark and Origin Green Gold Membership.
