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Picture this: one extremely jet-lagged American and his equally exhausted Canadian wife, wandering the unfamiliar streets of Dublin at dusk, searching for the elusive spice burger.The spice burger, invented in the 1950s by Walsh Family Foods, is described on their website as "a delicious blend of Irish beef, onions, cereals and herbs & spices, coated with a traditional outer crumb". But during June of this year, Walsh Family Foods, the sole manufacturer of the spice burger, fell victim to the recession and closed its doors! (thanks to our friend Tom for alerting us about the demise of the spice burger)
Spice burger aficionados immediately began a spirited campaign to bring back their beloved Irish treasure, described on the Save the Spice Burger facebook page as "Ambrosia for the mortal Irish man (and to a lesser extent mortal Irish woman), Walsh's spice burger has proved a satisfying meal to stumble home with after a couple of pints for over 50 years". And after a tremendous outpouring of public support, Walsh Family Foods is back in business and churning out spice burgers once again!
The relaunch of the spice burger was just getting underway when we arrived in Dublin a few weeks ago, making it hard to find, even at the local chippers. We first tried Leo Burdock's, Dublin's oldest chipper, located in the city center near Christ Church Cathedral.
No spice burger, but great cod & chips (gigantic portion for only € 8.90, don't forget the vinegar!):
Later that night at our hotel, we received a tip (from a complete stranger!) that we should "head south to Camden and Wexford and look for the Italian chippers, for sure they'll have spice burgers". After getting hopelessly lost a couple times (Dublin streets are sometimes hard to navigate because the streets change name every couple blocks) we found ourselves on Camden street (by sheer dumb luck) standing under a neon sign at Roma II.
Later that night at our hotel, we received a tip (from a complete stranger!) that we should "head south to Camden and Wexford and look for the Italian chippers, for sure they'll have spice burgers". After getting hopelessly lost a couple times (Dublin streets are sometimes hard to navigate because the streets change name every couple blocks) we found ourselves on Camden street (by sheer dumb luck) standing under a neon sign at Roma II.
Roma II sounded Italian enough for me, plus it was getting dark, so we hurried inside. And YES, they had spice burgers!
We got 2 orders to go (no salt or vinegar) and rushed back to our hotel.Each order consisted of 2 spice burger patties and 4 pieces of chips, but they wrapped both orders up together:
Crunchy crust with a savory breadcrumb-y interior flavored with lots of dried herbs/spices. Hubby Kris said it reminded him of falafel but with a oily lingering aftertaste (lard?)
I really couldn't detect any beef, which probably explains why the spice burger is often mistaken as being vegetarian.So the verdict? Not bad, although I can imagine it probably tastes a lot better at 4am on the way home from the pub.
The spice burger has yet to hit the international scene so here's a recipe you can try at home (from lecraic.com, originally published in the Mirror UK 6.19.09).
But if you're ever in Ireland, make sure you try the real deal - Walsh Family Foods is currently operating with a skeleton crew and a limited production schedule so they still need your support!
