All about the Spice Bag
- Phil Selbie
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Have you enjoyed a Spice Bag recently?
The spice bag (mála spíosrach in Irish) seems to be growing in popularity around the world as a dish that is considered typically Irish and particularly sought after by younger generations of the Irish diaspora indulging in nostalgic gastronomy.
The fundamental ingredients include crispy fried chicken, onions or scallions, red and green peppers, chilli peppers, and chips (or ‘fries’ to some), all seasoned with spice and served in a paper bag, sometimes with a curry sauce on the side. Spice bags are usually bought cooked and ready to eat from a chipper (or ‘takeaway’ to some) on the way home from a night out. This culinary delight was voted Ireland's favourite takeaway food in the 2017 ‘Just Eat National Takeaway Awards’ and again in 2020.
EXTRA free giveway this month!
Attend this month’s Wild Geese Society showing of ‘The Field’ (on February 12) and you may be a lucky winner of a packet of McDonnells Spice Bag seasoning. You can then add some to your own version of this recent addition to the family of Irish ‘food-on-the-go’ which includes crubeens, spiceburgers, the jumbo breakfast roll, jambons and chicken fillet rolls.
For an even spicier listen, click on the link below and join RTÉ Radio 1's Liam Geraghty as he goes in search of the spice bag’s origins…
Philip Selbie, January 2026
[Editor's note - research reveals that this delicacy is available for on-line purchase with delivery to the Czech Republic - https://allirelandfoods.ie/product/mcdonnells-spice-bag-40g/.]
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