Wales is home to a great variety of unique traditional foods, particularly hearty and simple dishes with a focus on local produce like leeks, lamb, and cheese. Here are some of the best-known and most beloved dishes that Wales has to offer.
Cawl
‘Cawl’, in Welsh, means any soup or broth, but this refers to the specific traditional dish of Cawl Cymreig (‘Welsh Soup’). A particularly famed dish of the country, cawl is widely recognised as the national dish of Wales. While ingredients vary from recipe to recipe, it generally consists of leeks, potatoes, swedes, carrots, and usually either lamb or beef.
Laverbread
Laverbread is not a bread product as the name might suggest, but rather a seaweed dish which is often eaten fried alongside bacon and cockles. The seaweed is considered a superfood due to its high content of nutrient minerals like iron and iodine.
As well as being extremely good for you, laverbread is historically a very accessible food. It is made from seaweed that grows alongside the Welsh coastline and has been eaten as a dish for centuries, with written records dating back to at least the early 17th century.
Welsh Cake
Welsh cakes are round, spiced sweet breads usually cooked on a griddle or bakestone rather than in an oven. Traditionally made from a simple recipe of eggs, flour, sugar, butter, lard, milk, spices, and dried fruit (usually raisins) or chocolate chips, these sweet breads are typically eaten as a dessert or as part of afternoon tea. They are widely beloved for their versatility and have been a longstanding staple of Welsh food culture.
Glamorgan Sausage
This is a vegetarian sausage typically consisting of cheese, leeks or onions, and breadcrumbs. Glamorgan sausages have been eaten since at least the mid-19th century, and they became extremely popular during the Second World War due to the rationing of meat, as they provide a great alternative source of protein.
Welsh Rarebit
One of the most well-known Welsh dishes, rarebit consists of hot cheese sauce served on toasted bread, often including mustard, ale, or Worcestershire sauce.
There has been much discussion over the name of this dish, which was originally jocularly named ‘Welsh Rabbit’, and since falsely corrected to ‘rarebit’ in the early 20th century. Hearty yet uncomplicated, this dish has earned its fame due to its simplicity and status as a comfort meal.
Welsh Oggie
Similar to the much-loved Cornish pasty, the oggie is a hard-crusted pastry, usually containing potato, lamb, and leek. The oggie once served as a handy lunch for coal miners and is enjoyed today as a picnic food and bakery delicacy.
Bara Brith
Similar to a fruitcake, this is a tea loaf flavoured with dried fruits and spices. ‘Bara’ meaning ‘bread’ and ‘brith’ meaning ‘speckled’, the highlight of this loaf is the dried fruit; usually raisins, currents, and candied peel. The timeless sweet treat originated in Welsh farmhouses when standard bread dough was combined with fruit and spices to create a sweet treat for special occasions.
Traditional Welsh cuisine places an emphasis on wholesome and easily sourced food with local ingredients. These dishes are beloved by many and highly associated with the nation.
If you’d like to taste some of these delicious traditional Welsh dishes, then Wales is, of course, the best place to go to try them! Our selection of West Wales Holiday Cottages makes the perfect base for enjoying Welsh food and exploring this interesting part of the country.
Want to learn more about our glorious country? Check out our guide to the national symbols of Wales and what they mean.