The Vikings may have been a lot of things but they had good taste in cattle

The name comes from the Gaelic word “maol” meaning hornless, resulting in the Anglicised Moilie. They have red colourings with white on their back and stomach. Remains from the cattle have been dated to 640AD.

Apparently the Vikings raided the cattle from Ireland around 1000AD. The East Finn breed of cattle found throughout Scandinavia has similar colourings and is also hornless. The Vikings may have been a lot of things but they had good taste in cattle.

The breed was popular throughout Ireland in the 1800s on a wide variety of habitats but thrived on the ground of the hill farmer, particularly in the ‘drumlin’ country of south Ulster. However, with the introduction of more specialist dairy and beef breeds, numbers began to decline. By the 1970s the Rare Breeds Survival Trust recognised the Irish Moiled as endangered and placed it on the “critical” list. The RBST works on the premise of “eat it to keep it”.

It may seem like an anomaly to eat something that’s endangered but if we don’t then there’s no use for it. A group of dedicated farmers are now breeding Moilie and getting into the marketplace. In order for their efforts not to be wasted we need to eat this meat.

Last Monday night I cooked some Moilie dishes at the launch of the Irish Moilie Beef cooperative for a group of farmers, producers, chefs and people working in education and food networks. Moilie beef is more expensive than mass produced varieties but it’s worth it on every level.

It tastes better, you’re putting money back into the local economy and most of all you’re contributing to the survival of part of our culinary and agricultural history.

You won’t find it in supermarkets but if you go to www.irishmoiliebeef.com you’ll find information and how to source it.

It’s important to eat every part of the animal so this week I’ve included a recipe for brisket, a cheaper cut perfect for slow cooking, and one for rump. The brisket is rubbed with barbecue seasoning then slowly cooked. It’s shredded when cooked and whizzed into a taco with soft flour tortillas.

For the rump recipe it’s grilled until rare and then served with a salad of potatoes, grilled scallions and a horseradish and black pepper dressing. If well done meat is your preference you’re probably best having slow cooked brisket or topside rather than a prime cut like rump.

Give rare or medium rare a go, and be sure to let it rest properly after cooking. Often people say they don’t like rare steak because it has blood running out of it. If you let it rest this won’t happen.