If there is one dish that speaks most deeply to the soul of Cork city, it is drisheen. This pale, delicately flavoured blood pudding has been made in Cork for centuries, and for generations it was sold from the butcher’s stalls of the English Market, that magnificent Victorian food hall at the heart of the city. Unlike its darker, more robustly spiced cousin black pudding, drisheen is notably mild, silky, and soft in texture — closer to a set custard than a crumbly sausage — and it carries a gentle, almost mineral flavour that is entirely its own. To eat it is to taste Cork itself.
Traditionally, drisheen was made from sheep’s blood, though today it is more commonly prepared with a mixture of sheep’s and pig’s blood, combined with cream, milk, and breadcrumbs, then seasoned with tansy — a wild herb with a faintly bitter, aromatic quality that gives authentic drisheen its distinctive character. The pudding was cooked slowly in the stomach or intestines of the animal, poached rather than fried, and served sliced alongside tripe in the classic Cork pairing that was once a staple working-class meal. It was cheap, nourishing, and utterly satisfying on a cold morning.
In Cork, drisheen and tripe were so fundamental to the local diet that the two became shorthand for the city itself. Corkonians were affectionately — and proudly — nicknamed “the leesiders” and “the tripe and drisheen crowd” by people from other counties. Today drisheen is experiencing something of a revival, championed by food lovers who appreciate its remarkable delicacy. Making it at home is a labour of love, but the result is a true piece of Irish culinary heritage well worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 500 ml (18 fl oz) fresh sheep’s blood (or a mixture of sheep’s and pig’s blood — available from a good butcher)
- 250 ml (9 fl oz) double cream
- 250 ml (9 fl oz) whole milk
- 80 g (3 oz) fine fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried tansy (or substitute dried marjoram if tansy is unavailable)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- A pinch of ground mace
- Butter, for greasing
- Natural sausage casing or a loaf tin (450 g / 1 lb size) for setting
Method
- If using a loaf tin, grease it generously with butter and set aside. If you have obtained natural casing from your butcher, rinse it thoroughly under cold running water and leave it to soak in fresh cold water for 30 minutes.
- Gently warm the milk and cream together in a small saucepan over a low heat until they are just lukewarm — approximately 37°C (98°F). Do not allow them to boil. Remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the blood gently until smooth. Slowly pour in the warm milk and cream mixture, whisking steadily as you go to combine everything thoroughly.
- Add the breadcrumbs, salt, tansy (or marjoram), white pepper, and mace. Stir well and leave the mixture to rest for 10 minutes so the breadcrumbs can absorb the liquid and the mixture thickens slightly.
- Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F / Gas Mark 2). Pour the drisheen mixture carefully into your greased loaf tin, filling it to within about 2 cm (¾ inch) of the top.
- Place the loaf tin inside a deep roasting tray. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting tray to come halfway up the sides of the loaf tin, creating a gentle bain-marie.
- Carefully transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 50–60 minutes, until the drisheen is just set — it should have a slight wobble at the centre but should no longer appear liquid. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave the drisheen to cool completely in the tin before refrigerating for at least two hours, or overnight. This resting time is essential for the pudding to firm up properly and develop its flavour.
- To serve, slice the drisheen into rounds approximately 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick. Warm the slices gently in a little butter in a frying pan over a low heat for two to three minutes each side — just enough to heat through and develop a little colour — or poach the slices briefly in simmering salted water for a more traditional finish.
Tips
- Fresh blood is essential for the best results — ask your butcher to set some aside for you, as it is not always kept in stock.
- Do not rush the baking. A gentle, low heat in a bain-marie is what gives drisheen its characteristic soft, almost custard-like texture.
- Drisheen is traditionally served alongside braised tripe and eaten with good soda bread and butter, but it is equally wonderful alongside a full Irish breakfast.
- Stored covered in the refrigerator, drisheen will keep well for up to three days.
- If tansy is difficult to source, marjoram is the most widely accepted substitute among traditional Cork recipes and gives a very pleasing result.
There is something quietly extraordinary about making drisheen at home — a dish so rooted in place, in community, and in the thrifty, generous spirit of Irish cooking. It asks for patience and a certain willingness to embrace an ingredient that the modern kitchen sometimes overlooks, but the reward is a taste that connects you directly to centuries of Cork life, to the bustle of the English Market, and to a food culture that has always known how to make something remarkable from the simplest of things. We hope you enjoy every carefully made, softly set, deeply satisfying slice.
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