Food Biadh

[Màiri] Tha mi air tighinn a Bharraigh far a bheil na bèicearan as fheàrr air an eilean trang a’ deaseachadh airson fèis bhliadhnail Toradh Bharraigh. Abair gum bi farpais eatorra le lofaichean mheasan is lofaichean tì.

[Màiri] A Mhàiri Anna, tha sibhse trang a’ faighinn deiseil airson latha mòr a-màireach. Dè tha sibh a’ dèanamh ann an seo dhuinn?

[Màiri Anna] Uill tha mi a’ dol a dhèanamh lofa le tì fhuar. Bidh mi ga goil sa phoit, agus nuair a bhios i air fuarachadh, a’ dol a chur flùr is uighean innte is a-staigh dhan àmhainn.

[Màiri] Glè mhath. A bheil sibh airson tòiseachadh ma-thà?

[Màiri Anna] An tòisich mi?

[Màiri] Nach inns thu dhuinn dè tha a’ dol dhan lofa?

[Màiri Anna] Uill, b’ àbhaist gur e, fhios agad, na cnapan de margarine cruaidh a bha a’ dol innte ach tha e car doirbh fhaighinn so tha mi a’ dol a thomhas a-mach ochd unnsaichean dhen fhear seo. Nì e an aon fheum.

[Màiri] Is an e sin trì lofaichean?

[Màiri Anna] Nì e trì lofaichean. ’S e ceithir unnsaichean a bh’anns an reasabaidh ach tha mi a’ faireachadh ma tha thu a dhèanamh sin tha e dìreach rud beag ro mhòr airson aon lofa is chan eil buileach gu leòr ann airson a dhà. Is ma chuireas mi a dhà uimhir ann tha e dìreach a’ dèanamh a trì cnapach agus an uair sin a h-uile sìon eile ann an cupa. Is chan fheumadh tu ...

[Màiri] Tha e nas fhasa, nach eil?

[Màiri Anna] Tha e gu math, gu math furasta. ’S e siùcar donn a tha a’ dol ann.

[Màiri] Tha Màiri Anna a’ cur dà chupa siùcair donn ris, dà chupa sultanas, dà chupa deataichean air an gearradh gu math beag agus dà chupa tì fhuar.

[Màiri] Mairidh an lofa seo cuideachd, chanainn, am mair i?

[Màiri Anna] Cumaidh.

[Màiri] Grunn làithean.

[Màiri Anna] Cumaidh. Tha dà spàin sòda a’ dolinnte.

[Màiri] An robh sibhse a-riamh a’ bèicearachd no an e rud a th’ ann a thòisich sibh?

[Màiri Anna] Uill bhiodh mo mhàthair an-còmhnaidh, an-còmhnaidh a’ fuine, fhios agad, sgonaichean againn a-staigh cho tric agus ... Cha bhithinn-sa a’ dèanamh sin idir ach thòisich mi, tha mi a’ smaoineachdadh, gur ann an seo am Barraigh a fhuair mi an reasabaidh airson nan cèicichean seo, fhios agad, an fheadhainn a tha thu a’ leaghadh sa phoit. Bidh mi a’ dèanamh seo, is tè dhinnsear agus tè eile le bainne. Is tha mi a’ dol a chur seo air a’ chucair is a’ dol ga ghoil, eil fhios agad, gus an leagh am margarine.

[Màiri] Dè cho fada, can?

[Màiri Anna] Chan eil ach dìreach a bhith a’ cumail sùil air, fhios agad, dìreach a’ dèanamh cinnteach gu bheil an t-ìm uile air leaghadh.

[Màiri] Tha seo a-nis air goil agus air fuarachadh.

[Màiri Anna] Tha e air goil agus air fuarachadh. Chan eil e, eil fhios agad, tha e fhathast blàth. Chan eil e air fuarachadh ach dìreach gus nach eil, fhios agad, tha mi a’ dol a chur na h-uighean ann agus gus nach tòisich gealagan a’ ruith air, fhios agad, a’ tòiseachadh a bhruich ann. Dìreach fuar gu leòr airson gu...

[Màiri] Ceithir uighean, an e?

[Màiri Anna] Ceithir uighean a tha a’ dol ann.

[Màiri Anna] Fhios agad, uaireannan ma dh’fhàgas tu e gus am bi e ro fhuar tòisichidh an t-ìm a’ reòthadh a-rithist.

[Màiri Anna] Shaoilinn g’ eil sin math gu leòr. Tha mi air am flùr a thomhas so tha ceithir cupannan flùir agam ann an sin.

[Màiri] Agus tha an seorsa lofa seo cuideachd ... tha i furasta ann an dòigh agus chan eil thu a’ toirt fad na h-oidhche ga dhèanamh.

[Màiri Anna] Agus rud eile a tha math mu deidhinn, fhios agad, ma tha thu a’ dèanamh bèicearachd airson rud sam bith tha i furasta a làimhseachadh nuair a tha i deiseil, fhios agad, an taca ri, can, ma tha thu a’ dèanamh sponge agus agad ri falbh a dh’àite leatha feumaidh tu a bhith cho faiceallach no...

[Màiri] Agus tha e sgoinneil cuideachd, tha a’ chlann agaibh uile, tha ùidh aca, uill a’ chuid as motha aca, tha ùidh aca ann am bèicearachd.

[Màiri Anna] Tha. [Màiri Anna] Nise, tha i deiseil airson a dhol dhan àmhainn.

[Màiri] Ok.

[Màiri Anna] Aig...

[Màiri] Dè cho fada a-nis?

[Màiri Anna] One fifty agus coimheadaidh mi dìreach eadar trì-chairteal agus uair. Tha e ag ràdh fhàgail a-staigh uair ach on a tha fan air an àmhainn bidh mi a’ coimhead air dìreach rud beag ron sin, air eagal ’s gun loisg e.

[Màiri] Uill chan eil againn a-nis ach feitheamh chun a-màireach agus chì sinn ciamar a thèid na duaisean.

[Màiri Anna] Uill chì. Chan eil fhios agam ’s dòcha g’eil dhà no trì ann.

Chaidh am prògram seo, Fuine, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2013. Le taing do Caledonia TV.

[Mairi] I have come to Barra where the best bakers on the island are busy preparing for Barra Produce, an annual festival. There will certainly be competition between them with fruit loafs and tea loafs.

[Mairi] Mary Ann , you are busy getting ready for a big day tomorrow. What are you doing here for us?

[Mary Ann] Well I am going to make a loaf with cold tea. I boil it in the pot, and when it has cooled down, going to put flour and eggs into it and into the oven.

[Mairi] Very good. Do you want to start then?

[Mary Ann] Will I start?

[Mairi] Tell us what is going into the loaf?

[Mary Ann] Well, it used to be, you know, the lumps of hard margarine that went into it but it’s quite difficult to get so I’m going to measure out eight ounces of this one. It will do the same thing.

[Mairi] And is that three loaves?

[Mary Ann] It will make three loaves. It was four ounces that was in the recipe but I feel that if you do thatit’s just a little bit too big for one loaf and there’s not quite enough for two. And if I put twice as much in it just makes three fair-sized ones and then everything else is in a cup. And you wouldn’t have to...

[Mairi] It’s easier, isn’t it?

[Mary Ann] It’s very, very easy. It’s brown sugar that goes in it.

[Mairi] Mary Ann is adding two cups of brown sugar, two cups of sultanas, two cups of finely cut dates and two cups of cold tea.

[Mairi] This loaf will last as well, I would say, will it?

[Mary Ann] Yes.

[Mairi] Several days.

[Mary Ann] Yes. Two spoons of soda are going in.

[Mairi] Would you always bake or is it something you started?

[Mary Ann] Uill my mother would always, always bake, you know, we have scones in so often and ... I didn’t do that at all but I started, I think, that it was here in Barra that I got the recipe for these cakes, you know, the ones that you melt in the pot. I do this, and a ginger one and another one with milk. And I’m going to put this on the cooker and going to boil it, you know, until the margarine melts.

[Mairi] How long, say?

[Mary Ann] Nothing but keeping an eye on it, you know, just making sure that all the butter has melted.

[Mairi] This has now boiled and cooled.

[Mary Ann] It has boiled and cooled. It isn’t, you know, it is still warm. It has only cooled enough that, you know, I am going to put the eggs in so that the egg whites doesn’t start running (seperating?), you know, start to cook. Just cold enough so that...

[Mairi] Four eggs, is it?

[Mary Ann] It’s four eggs that go in.

[Mary Ann] You know, sometimes if you leave it until it is too cold the butter starts congealing again.

[Mary Ann] I would think that that’s good enough. I have measured the flour so I have four cups of flour there.

[Mairi] And this type of loaf too ... it is easy in the sense that it doesn’t take all night to make.

[Mary Ann] And something else that is good about it, you know, if you are baking for anything it is so easy to handle when it is finished, you know, compared to, say, if you are making a sponge and you have to take it somewhere you have to be so careful or ...

[Mairi] And it’s excellent as well, all your children, they are interested, well most of them, they are interested in baking.

[Mary Ann] Yes.

[Mary Ann] Now, it’s ready to go in the oven.

[Mairi]: Ok.

[Mary Ann] At

[Mairi] How long now?

[Mary Ann] One fifty and I will look just between three quarters and an hour. It says to leave it in for an hour but since it is a fan oven I look at it just a wee bit before that ... incase it burns.

[Mairi] Well we just have to now wait until tomorrow and we will see how the prizes go.

[Mary Ann] Well yes. I don’t know, maybe there’s one or two.

This programme, Fuine, was first broadcast in 2013. Courtesy of Caledonia TV