The Ulster fry is the Northern Irish version of the fried breakfast from the British Isles. On the plate are bacon, sausages, fried eggs, black pudding and, depending on the place, white pudding, tomato and mushrooms. What sets it apart are the breads: soda farl and potato bread, fried in the same pan in the meat fats.
Soda farl is a griddle bread made with flour, buttermilk and baking soda, which reacts with the acid in the buttermilk and makes the dough rise. The dough is rolled into a disc and cut into four; farl comes from an old Scots word meaning quarter. Potato bread, also called potato farl, contains cooked potato in the dough, a practice from the 19th century when potato helped stretch the flour. In Northern Ireland, wholemeal soda bread is called wheaten bread and may also be included on the plate.
The Ulster fry is served in homes, cafés and hotels across Northern Ireland, especially at weekends. It is a large meal, eaten slowly, with strong tea.