Aug 19

Aug 19 Welsh Tapas - Ffagodau - Figatell

Breakfast Brunch Lunch, Main Courses, Musings, Welsh, Welsh Tapas, Portfolio

I always thought that Faggots were universal.

They were a staple of my childhood and we probably had them about once a week - this was before pizzas and pasta were common place. Rice was a bit exotic. And Indian or Chinese food only if my eldest brother, who could drive, could be bothered to motor to the outskirts of Newport in his Mini to get it. Usually a Friday night when our parents were out, and we ate them in the dark watching a Hammer House of Horror film.

But I find, through extensive research (5 mins on Google) that they are predominantly found in South Wales, West Wiltshire and the English Midlands - three hotspots of my family tree! Who knew?

I love them but it wasn’t always thus. As a child I was an eating machine. I ate what I was given. I had no boundaries. Later I went through a tunnel of rejection when I found out that the contents of things like Faggots contained some unsavoury items. But now.. I have reached once again the sunlit uplands of offal.

It seems they arrived in South Wales in the bellies of agricultural workers from the Midlands and West of England who came to work in the mines, the steel mills and the ports - as my ancestors did. Tales of Faggots do appear further afield - sometimes called Ducks. There’s one newspaper article in 1843 which tells of a greedy man who ate 12 of them in one sitting.

Traditionally they are made of off-cuts and offal - especially pork, pig’s liver, heart and fatty belly meat or bacon. I have seen one variant that includes fried pigs testicles.

It really took off during the Second World War during rationing, then trailed off, but I do notice them appearing again - albeit slightly sanitised for modern tastes.

Here’s a tasy recipe, which I am adding to the Welsh Tapas Hall of Fame. I think it fits the brief very well.

For the Faggots

500g Ham, minced
300g Liver, minced
170g Stuffing Mix - that’s one box.
Couple of Black Pudding Slices.
Half a teaspoon of Mace

For the Sauce

2 Onions finely sliced
800ml Beef Stock
Flour to thicken
Teaspoon of Yeast Extract
Sugar
Butter

Method

Put the stuffing mix into a bowl and add water to make it pastey. Finely chop the ham, liver and black pudding and mix thoughly with the stuffing mix, and half a teaspoon of mace. Roll into large balls in the palm of your hands and place in a roasting tin. Into the oven for about 30 minutes.

Fry the onions in some butter and add a spoonful of sugar and let them caramelise. Add some flour to make a roux. Add the beef stock slowly stirring all the time. Then a spoonful of yeast extract, and a spoonful of instant gravy mix if you like the gravy extra brown. When it is thoroughly mixed, pour it over the faggots and leave to cook for another 30 minutes. Keep checking to make sure the gravy doesn’t dry up.

To be honest it’s best left to the next day and heated up as ‘strategised leftovers.’

Note: Faggots are reportedly one of the few foods to have been banned by Facebook. The company said afterwards the name has been misinterpreted.