Champ (food)

Champ (brúitín in Irish) is an Irish dish of mashed potatoes with scallions, butter and milk.[1]

Champ
Alternative namesPoundies
Place of originIreland
Main ingredientsmashed potatoes, scallions, butter, milk

Description

Champ is made by combining mashed potatoes and chopped scallions with butter, milk and, optionally, salt and pepper.[2] It was sometimes made with stinging nettle rather than scallions.[3][4] In some areas the dish is also called "poundies".[5]

Champ is similar to another Irish dish, colcannon, which uses kale or cabbage in place of scallions. Champ is popular in Ulster, whilst colcannon is more so in the other three provinces of Ireland. It was customary to make champ with the first new potatoes harvested.[2]

The word champ has also been adopted into the popular Hiberno-English phrases, to be "as thick as champ", meaning to be stupid, ill-tempered or sullen.[6][7]

Samhain

The dish is associated with Samhain, and would be served on that night. In many parts of Ireland, it was tradition to offer a portion of champ to the fairies by placing a dish of champ with a spoon at the foot of a hawthorn.[2]

Similar dishes

See also

References
  1. Carleton, William; O'Donoghue, David James (1896). Traits and stories of the Irish peasantry, Volume 4. London: J. M. Dent & Co. p. 328.
  2. Mahon, Bríd (1998). Land of milk and honey: the story of traditional Irish food and drink. Dublin: Mercier Press. pp. 138–140. ISBN 1-85635-210-2. OCLC 39935389.
  3. Allen, Darina (5 May 2018). "In the kitchen we discover more and more ways to enjoy nettles". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. Geary, Mairéad (21 March 2020). "An Irish Mammy's recipe for champ, the traditional Irish potato dish". IrishCentral.com. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. "poundies". Irish Slang Sayings, Words & Terms. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  6. "champ - Hamely Tongue". www.ulsterscotsacademy.com. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. "BBC - Northern Ireland - Voices". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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