Belfast, Northern Ireland - May 29, 2025

Belfast Food Trail Experience

Overview

For our tour in Belfast, we chose a food trail experience.  The Belfast food trail combined cultural history with authentic Irish culinary experiences during a guided walking tour. The journey showcased Northern Ireland's rich heritage through both storytelling and tastings, highlighting local artisans, traditional foods, and the city's evolution from industrial powerhouse to peaceful cultural destination.

Belfast City Hall with Statue of Queen Victoria

Stop 1: City Hall Area - Traditional Ulster Fry

Location: The Bobbin Coffee Shop in the Belfast City Hall





Historical Context

Our tour began with stories of Belfast's transformation into a city in 1888, when Queen Victoria granted city status in recognition of two major industries: shipbuilding and linen production. Belfast was known as "Linenopolis" and became one of the world's premier linen manufacturers, particularly during the American Civil War when cotton exports ceased.

Food Experience: Traditional Ulster Fry

  • Potato farls - Traditional bread made from potatoes, a necessity from the 1700s when wheat was scarce
  • Pork sausages and bacon
  • Soda bread - Another local staple
  • Fair trade tea - Served with Thompson's, emphasizing support for ethical sourcing

Cultural Note: Our guide emphasized the importance of supporting local tea and coffee providers over international chains, highlighting the philosophy of "if you don't support them, they don't exist."

Stop 2: Sawers Delicatessen - Artisanal Irish Products

Location: 3A College Street (established 1897)
Historical Significance: Run by the Sawers Brothers since 1897, originally focused on fresh meat, cheese, baked bread, and overseas imports

Tasting Selection - All from the Island of Ireland:

Irish Black Butter (Protected Geographic Indicator)

  • Made from Armagh Bramley apples - a protected variety specific to County Armagh
  • Similar to North American apple butter
  • Serving suggestions: Excellent with pork, alternative to ham glaze, mixed into whipped cream for desserts, or on toast for hangover recovery

Artisanal Cheeses

  • Guinness cheese - Local cheese infused with Ireland's famous stout
  • Blue cheese by Mike - Local cheesemaker's creation, noted for being approachable even for blue cheese skeptics

Specialty Oils and Butters

  • Seaweed butter - Perfect for roasting potatoes
  • Smoked butter with chili - Adds "fiery hits" to scrambled eggs
  • Cold-pressed rapeseed oil - "The olive oil of Ireland," available in garlic and chili varieties

Shopping Experience

Sawers functions as both delicatessen and international food hall, featuring sections for Indian, Asian, Italian, and American foods. Famous for massive "door stop" sandwiches that could "feed someone for three and a half days."


Stop 3: Daisies - Belfast Chocolatier

At this stop, we learned a bit about the science and health benefits of  chocolate.

Historical tidbit: Hot chocolate as we know it was invented by Sir Hans Sloane from Belfast, who also founded the British Museum in London and served as royal physician in the 1700s.


Health Benefits of High-Percentage Chocolate (70%+):

  • Adapts to body's needs - provides energy or promotes rest as required
  • Reduces inflammation through flavonoid intake
  • Improves sleep patterns and energy levels
  • Helps balance nervous system, reduces anxiety and depression
  • Effects last approximately 3 hours

For our Tasting Experience:

  • 65% dark hot chocolate - Served hot despite the warm weather, demonstrating the difference quality makes
  • Alcohol-filled chocolates - Including cognac varieties at 64% proof alcohol content
  • Irish Cream chocolate - Traditional "granny's recipe" made with whiskey, condensed milk, and cream

The shop emphasized sustainable chocolate production:

  • Single-origin from Madagascar - farm to shelf process
  • Air-dried, fermented, roasted, milled, and packed all in one location
  • Rainforest Alliance certified
  • Contrasted with mass-market chocolate that removes cocoa fats and adds palm oil, emulsifiers, and milk powders

Educational note: Many commercial products can no longer legally use the word "chocolate" on their labels due to low cocoa content.

Stop 4: Born & Bred - Local Artisan Showcase

Location: Local artisan goods store

Philosophy: Everything in the store is made on the island of Ireland by local makers - nothing imported from overseas manufacturing

Here our tastings included:

Irish Cream Fudge

  • Made in East Belfast by three sisters
  • Flavored with authentic Irish cream (similar to Bailey's but cannot use the trademarked name)

Honeycomb with Dark Chocolate

  • Created in Newcastle by a family with 15 children on a solar-powered farm
  • Developed because one child was allergic to most sweets
  • All products are gluten-free and dairy-free

Traditional Cookies

  • Cookies made in Armagh with butter from Ballyrobin - emphasizing local sourcing even for individual ingredients

The store featured local artists, designers, Irish linen tea towels, leather goods, jewelry, and artwork, all produced within Northern Ireland.

Stop 5: Authentic Irish Pub Experience with a bit of beverage education

Guinness Tradition

  • Proper pouring technique emphasized - patience required for the perfect pint
  • Historical context: Once recommended for pregnant women due to iron content
  • Traditional belief that it was safer to drink alcohol than water due to contamination risks

Irish Whiskey vs. Scotch

  • Irish whiskey: Must age 3 years and 1 day (one day longer than Scotch to "be better")
  • Most Irish whiskey aged in recycled bourbon barrels from Kentucky (bourbon law requires virgin oak, used only once)
  • Creates unique flavor profiles through barrel finishing techniques

Local Beer: RockShore Lager

  • Historically, Ireland couldn't grow hops, so spirits were predominant
  • Now features 25+ new whiskey distilleries opening

And for lunch, I had a Traditional Irish Stew with delicious bread made with Guinness

Historical context: Originally a peasant dish designed to use tough, inexpensive meats:

  • Mutton (older sheep) - slow-cooked to tenderize
  • Potatoes - the abundant local crop
  • Root vegetables - whatever was available on the farm
  • Modern versions use lamb or beef mince for better flavor and texture

And we ended this stop with a bit of Protected Foods Education

Northern Ireland's Four Protected Geographic Indicators:

  1. Armagh Bramley Apples - Used in Irish Black Butter (I purchased some of this).
  2. Comber Potatoes - Specific field in Comber produces exceptional potatoes
  3. Lough Neagh Eels - Most exported seafood, highly prized in Japan at $15-20 per eel
  4. Pollan - Small white fish from Lough Neagh, looks like herring

The tour provided context about Belfast's transformation since the Good Friday Agreement (1995), emphasizing the city's evolution from conflict to a peaceful, affordable place to live. Our guide shared personal stories about growing up during the transition period.

Note of interest:

Our guide was 11 years old at the time of President Clinton's visit to Belfast in 1995 and was in the crowd and almost touched his hand.  A picture of her was in the newspaper the next day. 

Local Pride & Authenticity

Throughout the experience, emphasis was placed on:

  • Supporting local independent businesses over chains
  • Understanding the "why" behind food traditions
  • Appreciating the connection between geography, history, and cuisine
  • Recognizing Belfast's contributions to global culture (inventions mentioned: portable defibrillator, air conditioning, various maritime innovations)

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