 For this reason, pork and [[white meat]] were more common than beef, and thick fatty strips of salted [[bacon]] (known as rashers) and the eating of salted butter (i.e.a dairy product rather than beef itself) have been a central feature of the diet in Ireland since the Middle Ages.The practice of bleeding cattle and mixing the blood with milk and butter (not unlike the practice of the [[Maasai people|Maasai]]) was common and [[black pudding]], made from blood, grain (usually barley) and seasoning, remains a breakfast staple in Ireland.