Crubeens (Pigs’ Feet)

Pigs’ feet, boiled with aromatics, were a hand food, perhaps to be eaten out of hand during a day at the horse races or at a country fair. They were a specialty food that turned up at public events and special occasions, not necessarily something that was a regular staple in shops. They’re sticky and unctuous, and you nibble the bits of tender, succulent meat off the bone. Pork is so widely eaten in Ireland that pigs’ trotters are readily available at butcher shops.