Drisheen

Most strongly associated with the city of Cork, where it has long been a signature local specialty centred on the English Market, the city's historic covered food market, and refined by local butchers over generations. Cork's status as a major centre of meat production and export from the 18th century onward gave it a steady supply of blood and helped the dish endure, though some traditions trace a similar blood pudding in Cork back much further. Its soft, gelatinous texture sets it apart from firmer Irish black puddings. Once made seasonally in distinct versions — sheep's blood in spring and summer, a beef-and-sheep mix in autumn and winter, and a tansy-flavoured version — it is now a dying tradition, with very few makers left.

Spoon-soft and trembling, drisheen melts more than it chews, with a mild iron-rich savour rounded out by milk and a whisper of herbal tansy. Warmed in butter it turns silky at the edges while staying barely-set within. It tastes ancient, gentle, and unmistakably of Cork.

Blood proteins coagulate at low heat to form a soft gel, and the added milk and fat dilute that network so it sets to a custard rather than a firm sausage. Gentle poaching keeps the casings from bursting and the interior from turning rubbery.