Where would I find Pork Scratchings in Dublin? Please let me know

irishboy99_

The last time i had pork scratchings was in 1998 in Portugal.
I loved them so much and was looking everywhere for them here in Dublin. I went back to Portugal last year and they had none. Please does anybody know where i would get them in Dublin. :eek:

irishboy99_

my mouth is watering with the thought

memphis

Ok, excuse my ignorance, but what the heck are pork scratchings?

Doesn't sound to be anything to do with chocolate/crisps/sweets, correct me if I'm wrong!!!

irlirishkev

I don't know anywhere you'd get them in Ireland. This is a good thing. Pork scratchings are the snack of the devil!!! They're hairy for god's sake!!

When you had them in portugal, did you get them in a bar, a shop, or a butchers?
The real pork scratchings come from butchers shops in little baggies, in the UK, and they're just awful!! If you buy them in a pub, chances are you're getting processed 'pork flavoured' scratching type snacks, which are still pretty bad, but slightly more edible..

You won't find them in Ireland to my knowledge.

K.

memphis

So these things are kinda like crisps or bacon bites or something>??????

StupidLikeAFox

little lumps of salted pork fat i think

irlirishkev

ColHol wrote:

little lumps of salted pork fat i think

Yeah that's pretty much it. It's really really crunchy, but on top of the crunchy bit, there's a softer fatty bit (usually with a couple of hairs for bit of body).
They really are gross.. you have to try them to believe them..

kenmc

eugh. they are the vilest things ever. There's a reason that they're not available here. Eugh. Little hairy bits of pork fat and skin. me feels sick just thinking about it.......

memphis

kenmc wrote:

Little hairy bits of pork fat and skin.

So they have absolutely totally and utterly nothing whatsoever to do with Chocolate/Crisps/Sweets?

Wromg forum... moved to Food/Drink

catspring

have you tried a european supermarket. i reckon you'll probably get them there if you're gonna get them anywhere. i've never had them myself, but they sound grand apart from the hair bit. i don't think i should eat things that still have hair when you're eating them...

Blub2k4

I've only ever seen pork scratchings in the UK, it is common to see them in pubs instead of or alongside crisps and peanuts. It is pig skin that is deep fried and then seasoned and really is vile stuff, but whatever you're into.

From BBC website:
Pork Scratchings are small fried pieces of pig skin, often hairy, and sometimes with chewy and frankly unpleasant fat on the underside. They are commonly found as foil-wrapped snacks in English bars, which is probably because they can only possibly be enjoyed in tandem with beer. The two contrasting flavours complement each other perfectly, and all other experiments (pork scratchings downed with a cup of tea in front of the television, pork scratchings provided as finger-buffet component, etc.) have proved unsuccessful.

DigiMarc

A Danish friend of mine swears by this site for Danish food. www.danishfood.co.uk

They just happen to have pork scratchings in it Better known as Flæskesvær, Kim's Gammeldags in Danish.

Haven't used this one but there postage appears to be cheaper http://www.carblife.com/product.asp?numRecordPosition=11&P_ID=212&strPageHistory=cat&strKeywords=&SearchFor=&PT_ID=79.

Enjoy

Alun

Good pork scratchings are heaven with a meltingly soft layer of fat underneath the outer crunchy shell, a bit like proper pork "crackling". Bad ones are rock hard, awful and will probably break your teeth too. I used to be able to get them in Holland too IIRC, but can't for the life of me remember what they were called.

The Sweeper

Ah, the quintessential British pub snack.

I buy them when I'm sh1tfaced, eat two, then feed the rest to my friend's dog, who thinks that both they, and I for feeding them to her, rock.

They're basically pork crackling - pig skin with a lot of salt, and cold to boot.

dudara

Pork scratchings are just yummy, that is, when you get the good ones. I've bought them in the past from a dealer on ebay, and while I was in Leeds and Birmingham. They seem to be harder to find in the south.

Blisterman

They're similar to pork rinds. Kinda like rancheros except chewy once the crunchiness has worn off.

FX Meister

Be careful Irishboy99, Memphis doesn't like it when you ask for something in Dublin, he takes offence as "Ireland is bigger than Dublin" and thinks you're doing the whole Dublin is better than the country thing.
I've seen these for sale in the summit in Howth. Apart from that only in England. Horrible things though in my opinion.

MistressPandora

I freaking love pork scratchings. I only tried them recently, and at first I was a bit "Eurgh, what the hell?" but I think it's an acquired taste really, like the whole do you love/hate Marmite. Personally, I hate Marmite, but I love pork scratchings.

JimmyL

If it's just flavoured deep fryed pork skin, why not try making some yourself. If you don't have a deep fat fryer, roasting might work. You can try the chinese roast pork method of piercing skin and pouring boiling water over the skin before frying or roasting.

shoegirl

This is a bizarre thread.

I've seen what looks to me like pork scratchings in pet shops all over Ireland, but i'm not sure are they the real thing. The fact that they are sold in pet shops, unfortunately, does put me off them. That and the hairiness. . .

pickarooney

You can get them in any supermarket in Holland. Well, at least it's closer than Portugal!
Can't say I like them much, though I have a (Norwegian) friend who swears by them.

DirtyHarry

nah...you can get them in Lyon, France.....its the capital of pork scrathings....i had some about a year ago in a restaurant, they were nice but not really something id eat for ages.....so go to LYON! iv never seen them in Dublin before!

oh and Dublin IS Ireland! HA! *joke*

Alun

pickarooney wrote:

You can get them in any supermarket in Holland. Well, at least it's closer than Portugal!
Can't say I like them much, though I have a (Norwegian) friend who swears by them.

You can, I used to buy them in Albert Heijn, but they're not quite the same IMHO. They're a bit dry and tasteless compared to the ones you get in England.

What's the weather like in Eindhoven? Used to live there myself, well, Veldhoven actually

prima

Store street, Pearse Street, Kevin Street, lots of places!

pickarooney

Alun wrote:

What's the weather like in Eindhoven? Used to live there myself, well, Veldhoven actually

Would you be amazed if I said it was brutal? Seems to have finally stopped snowing now though.

D!ve^Bomb!

as someone who grew up in England i have had my fair share of pork scratchings!! they are VERY fatty and VERY salty but can be VERY VERY tasty!!!!!!

the unfortunate thing is you can feel the fat eat through your heart, once in a while is good, but i wouldn't eat them often..

yalden

I found this post while searching for hairy pork scratchings on google... this is a letter, regarding a recent situation I encountered. Happy Reading...

Red Mill Snack Foods Ltd
Wednesbury
West Midlands
WS10 0NN

Date: Thursday, April 7th, 2005
Ref: Hairy Pork Scratching

Dear Sir/Madam/Mr Porky,

I am writing to you regarding your ‘Traditional Pork Scratchings’ with new improved flavour, which are only recommended for people with strong, healthy teeth. I feel confident to say that I consume on average 4-5 packets of these per week on my lunch breaks down a local-to-work pub; The Westward Inn, Lee Mill (Devon).

I have always enjoyed the combined taste of the pork rind, pork fats, salt, flavour enhancers (E621, E635), hydrolysed vegetable protein, rusk, dextrose and malt extract and have never had any cause for complaint. However, on consuming a packet today, which I can confirm had been readily stored in a cool, dry place, away from bright light and strong odours, I picked out a pork scratching which thankfully I laid my eyes upon before placing into my mouth of strong, healthy teeth. The scratching in question caused me to gasp and wince before I placed it down onto the bar in disgust. I could not understand how your quality control program could allow such a scratching to be packaged and released out to the consumer.

I am sure that you would not expect nor condone the eating of this pork scratching, and as a result I would be interested to know what kind of measures you have in place to ensure the prevention of such mishaps. I am also interested in what you are able to offer me as an incentive to not let this travesty remove my £120 a year Pork Scratching addiction. Today’s experience was without doubt all pork scratching lover’s worst nightmare, I have enclosed the scratching for your viewing and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards,

C. Yalden

PHOTOS OF THE ENCLOSED SCRATCHING:

GiuseppeConlon

They have recently started selling these in pubs in the north a company called maguire foods have been experimenting with them, they are based in Omagh, not sure if that is of any use to you or not... Might be worth a phonecall to them they will be able to tell you if they have supplied any pubs/Off licences in the south with some.. They do the scratchings and also pork Crackling which I think is way nicer... But eating that is a fast track to a Heart attack, best to eat when drunk that way you can't blame yourself for poisoning your body.

phonemateire

Just try over the border in Nerwy or the first petrol station in the north

irlirishkev

phonemateire wrote: »

Just try over the border in Nerwy or the first petrol station in the north

Wow.. your 1st post resurrected a 5 year old thread. Impressive!

EoghanConway

But now I want to see the awful scratching that prompted the letter - the hosting website has closed down