Life during lockdown has restricted our access to so many Irish delicacies. Take the Waterford blaa, for instance. For those of us not fortunate enough to be quarantining near the land of the Deise, there's literally no way to enjoy that sumptuous yeasty bread delicacy known as the Blaa.
But thankfully Walsh's Bakehouse from Waterford have a solution for the whole country. Starting from this Thursday, their delicious blaa's will be available for purchase on a two-week run from Aldi's all around Ireland. Walsh's know a thing or two about blaa, having been in the bread game for three generations.
"The foodservice and export part of the business has essentially collapsed during this time, however a call from Aldi team looking to help support local businesses, introduce new products widely and at a fair price is a lifeline for our bakery and will help ensure our ovens remain on and the bakery open into its 100th year.
"We know Aldi customers value Irish products and we’re looking forward to seeing all the great dishes our new Aldi customers will create", said their co-founder Donal Walsh.
This will be a limited run, so if you've craving a blaa or curious what they taste like, act quickly. They'll cost €1.99 per packet.
If you were curious about the history of the blaa, Good Food Ireland explained it like this:
The tradition of the Waterford Blaa dates back to the late 17th Century, when a group of Huguenots arrived in the city. At that time, Waterford was a powerful trading city for goods like leather, wheat, flour, butter and other agricultural produce from the area. A Huguenot bakery producing bread to feed the families and children of the group was set up in Waterford city in 1702. It’s thought the round bread rolls we now know as Blaa, were first made from leftover pieces of bread dough which couldn’t be used for making loaves. Modern Waterford bakers now believe the name ‘Blaa’ was corrupted from the Huguenot words ‘Blaad’, an old French word for flour, or ‘Blanc’, French for white, which referred to the white appearance of these rolls which are dusted with flour .
