blaa

{{Short description|Irish bread roll}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2020}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Blaa

| image = Waterford Blaa, bla or blah (bread of Ireland).jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption =

| alternate_name = bla, blah

| country = Ireland

| region = Waterford

| creator =

| course = Usually breakfast or lunch

| type =

| served =

| main_ingredient = white flour

|minor_ingredient = yeast, sugar, water, salt

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

A blaa {{IPAc-en|b|l|ɑː}}, or Waterford Blaa, is a doughy, white bread bun (roll) speciality, particularly associated with Waterford, Ireland.Healy, Alison. [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1118/1226961466746.html "Waterford’s blaa roll bakers honoured in awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009014312/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1118/1226961466746.html |date=9 October 2012 }}, The Irish Times, Tuesday 18 November 2008. It is currently made in Waterford and South County Kilkenny.{{cite web|url=http://waterfordblaa.ie/|title=Waterford Blaa - Homepage|author=pixel-industry|website=Waterfordblaa.ie|access-date=23 September 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/foodindustrydevelopmenttrademarkets/geographicalindicationsprotectednames/SpecificationWaterfordBlaaFINALVersion061014.pdf |title=Waterford Blaa Specification |website=Agriculture.gov.ie |access-date=23 September 2017 |archive-date=19 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019085924/https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/foodindustrydevelopmenttrademarkets/geographicalindicationsprotectednames/SpecificationWaterfordBlaaFINALVersion061014.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{Cite journal|title=Official Journal of the European Union|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2013:134:0049:0052:EN:PDF|journal=Official Journal of the European Union}}

Blaas are sold in two varieties: "soft" and "crusty".{{cite web|url=http://hickeysbakery.ie/blaa/|title=Our Blaa - Hickey's Bakery|website=Hickeysbakery.ie|access-date=23 September 2017}}{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20180205-how-waterford-blaa-changed-breakfast-in-ireland|title=The bread that changed how the Irish eat breakfast|last=Ruggeri|first=Amanda|date=6 February 2018|access-date=8 February 2018|website=BBC News Online}} Soft blaas are slightly sweet, malt flavour, light but firm in texture and melt in the mouth. Crusty blaas are crunchy at first bite, then chewy with a subtle malt taste and a pleasing bitter aftertaste from the well cooked, dark crust.

Eaten mainly at breakfast with butter, they are also eaten at other times of the day with a wide variety of fillings (including a type of luncheon meat often referred to as "red lead"). The breakfast blaa (egg, bacon rasher and sausage) is more common than the breakfast roll in Waterford.{{Citation needed|date=June 2014}}

File:Breakfast_blaa.jpg

A combined 12,000 blaas are sold each day{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/expo-milano-2015/cap-events/gi-win-win/walsh_en.pdf|title=The Waterford Blaa|website=Ec.europa.eu|access-date=23 September 2017}} by the four remaining bakeries producing blaas:{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/15/470417854/corned-beef-guinness-and-blaa-the-irish-bread-you-never-knew-about|title=Corned Beef, Guinness And ... Blaa? The Irish Bread You Never Knew About|website=Npr.org|access-date=23 September 2017}} Walsh's Bakehouse,{{cite web|url=http://walshsbakehouse.ie/|title=Walsh's Bakehouse Waterford: Traditional Bakery & Home of the Waterford Blaa|website=Walsh’s Bakehouse|access-date=23 September 2017}} Kilmacow Bakery, Barron's Bakery & Coffee House{{cite web|url=http://www.barronsbakery.ie/|title=Barron's Bakery & Coffee Shop, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland.|website=Barronsbakery.ie|access-date=23 September 2017}} and Hickey's Bakery.{{cite web|url=http://hickeysbakery.ie/|title=Welcome to Hickey's Bakery - Hickey's Bakery|website=Hickey's Bakery|access-date=23 September 2017}} Of the four remaining bakeries, only two remain in Waterford City. Blaas quickly lose their freshness and are best consumed within a few hours of purchase.

Some sources report that the blaa was introduced to Waterford at the end of the 17th century by the Huguenots.{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverwaterfordcity.ie/index.php?contentid=traditional-waterford-food§ionid=history|title=Traditional Waterford Food|publisher=discoverwaterfordcity.ie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719001417/http://www.discoverwaterfordcity.ie/index.php?contentid=traditional-waterford-food§ionid=history|archive-date=2010-07-19|url-status=dead}}

This theory is disputed because although white flour existed in the 17th century,{{cite web|url=http://www.microsour.com/industrial.html|title=Industrial Revolution|publisher=Kaslo Sourdough Bakery|access-date=22 October 2014}} it was not widely used until mass production of the industrial revolution.

Blaas are sometimes confused with a similar bun known as a bap; however, blaas are square in shape, softer, and doughier, and are most notably identified by the white flour shaken over them before the baking process.[http://www.thejournal.ie/blaa-blaa-blaa-waterford-bap-considered-for-eu-protected-status-220687-Sep2011/ "Blaa blaa blaa: Waterford bap considered for EU protected status"], Thejournal.ie, 8 September 2011.

On 19 November 2013, the Waterford blaa was awarded Protected Geographical Indication status by the European Commission.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/waterford-blaa-awarded-special-status-by-eu-1.1599966|title=Waterford blaa awarded special status by EU|date=19 November 2013|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=22 April 2016}}