Farl
A farl is any of various quadrant-shaped flatbreads and cakes, traditionally made by cutting a round into four pieces. In Ulster, the term generally refers to soda bread (soda farls) and, less commonly, potato bread (potato farls), which are also ingredients of an Ulster fry.
A soda bread farl. This would have been connected to the rest of the bread along the straight upper and right edges | |
Type | Bread shape |
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It is made as farls (that is to say, flat rounds about 3/4 inch thick which are then cut into quarters). Modern commercially mass-produced potato farls, however, are often rectangular in form.
In Scotland today, the word is used less than in Ulster, but a farl can be a quarter piece of a large flat scone, bannock, or oatcake. It may also be used for shortbread when baked in this particular shape.[1]
Etymology
Farl is a shorter form of fardel, the word once used in some parts of Lowland Scotland for "a three-cornered cake, usually oatcake, generally the fourth part of a round". In earlier Scots fardell meant a fourth or quarter.[1][2]
Dish
A farl is made by spreading the dough on a girdle or frying pan in a rough circular shape. The circle is then cut into four equal pieces and cooked. Once one side is done the dough is flipped to cook the other side.
References
- "Dictionary of the Scots Language :: SND :: Farl n., v." www.dsl.ac.uk.
- "Dictionary of the Scots Language :: SND :: Fardel n.1". www.dsl.ac.uk.