Could an Irish fry up actually be a healthy option?
The latest hot superfood may not be açaí berries, or chia seeds, or wild salmon. Instead, according to one Irish website, it’s one of the staples in a traditional full Irish breakfast: black pudding.
Read More: The perfect way to start a day - a full Irish breakfast
Blood sausage (black pudding) offers extremely high nutritional value, packed with protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc. It’s also exceptionally low in carbohydrates.
All of these accolades have landed black pudding on the list of superfoods to watch for 2016, the Irish radio station TodayFM reported.
Black pudding typically consists of pig’s blood, oatmeal, diced pork fat or beef suet, onion, milk, salt, and spices.
As noted in the comment section of this black pudding recipe from Mr. Breakfast, you can make a vegetarian version by replacing the blood and suet with black beans and mushrooms.
"All the ingredients [in black pudding] are winners, they're all healthy," Sean Kelly of Kelly’s Butcher’s in Newport, Co. Mayo told TodayFM. He also noted that the Irish delicacy has become increasingly popular among his customers in the last few years.
Black pudding joined black beans, avocado, and seaweed as foods to watch in 2016.
We previously highlighted Irish moss, a type of seaweed also known as carrageen, as a key Irish superfood.
Darren Beale, of MuscleFood.com, which compiled the list, told the DailyMail, “2015 saw healthy eating reach a new level and this year we predict this trend is only going to get bigger.
"Some of the foods have been on the up for a while like avocado oil and maca root, but others like mushrooms and black pudding have been a total surprise to us.”
For ways to incorporate black pudding into your diet, get the recipe for a traditional Irish breakfast here, or if you’re looking for a new way to incorporate black pudding into your diet, Bord Bia, Ireland’s food board, has shared the following recipe for pizza topped with bacon, black pudding and goat cheese. Yum!
Bacon, black pudding, and goat’s cheese pizza
Ingredients
- 1 ready prepared pizza base
- 2-3 sliced tomatoes
- 2-3 slices streaky Bacon, diced and cooked
- 2-3 slices of black pudding, cooked and crumbled
- 3 tablespoons goats' cheese, cut into small pieces
- A few sprigs of thyme
Instructions
Set oven to the maximum. Spread the tomato mixture or sliced tomatoes over the base. Sprinkle on the bacon and black pudding, then the cheese and thyme. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crisp and the cheese has melted.
Serving Suggestions
Cut into slices and serve with a green salad.
*Originally published in January 2016.
What's your favorite Irish food? Let us know in the comments!
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