spiceburger 3 July 2009
The Irish (of which I am one, it must be pointed out) are not particularly noted for our contributions to world cuisine. Alright, there’s Irish Stew, but I bet it was invented somewhere else. There is a thing called ‘coddle’ that’s sort of native to Dublin and is boiled sausages and ribs and can be well dodgy if made by the wrong person. But our one triumph is the Spice Burger. This is also an item that won’t have travelled far from native shores but is HUGE at home. The Spice Burger was invented in 1950 by a pork butcher on Dublin’s Northside and is a blend of beef, onions, cereals, herbs and spices coated in crumb. I must admit it is bleddy delicious and a very guilty treat. Recently the company that makes these delights went into receivership and the production of spice burgers ceased. There was an understandable and sustained public outcry and I am delighted to report that the receiver has re-opened the company for 2 days a week so that the burgers can be made – orders are flooding in in response to the public’s declaration of love for the Spice Burger and the product has been saved. Brings a grateful tear to my eye and I SO want one now it’s visceral, though I reckon it’ll be impossible to score any in this suburb of Johannesburg, or anywhere in this city – sigh…
