Rathmines-based sisters, Emily and Alice Duggan share a lifelong passion and curiosity for food – one which has recently blossomed into something that all of us can enjoy. Their burgeoning project goes by the name of Síolta Kitchen. Síolta, meaning “seeds” in Irish, is the basis of their two lines of produce – sunflower seed butters and halva, which is a decadent fudge-like treat made from tahini and sugar.
Speaking with The University Times, Emily discussed her experience so far with Síolta Kitchen, which has been active since July. Inspiration for the project came from a medley of factors, I’m told, the foremost being the fact that both sisters are allergic to nuts, eggs and shellfish. Coupled with a mostly plant-based diet, this pushed the sisters to be self-sufficient and experimental with their cooking.
“The first lockdown was the accelerating force behind Síolta Kitchen’s genesis”, Duggan explained, whose plans to move to Palestine to work on a community-supported farm fell through due to coronavirus restrictions. She found herself living at home with an abundance of time. To counteract the boredom, Emily began experimenting with new and exciting recipes and this is where Síolta Kitchen’s heavenly halva was first created.
As the recipe developed, it soon became clear that this was very much a two-person process. Though simple in its ingredients, halva is very precise and fast-paced in its method, with the heated tahini and sugar syrup needing to be mixed together for exactly 24 seconds because: “If you mix it for 25 seconds it’s wrong!”, according to Duggan.
Alice, after experimenting with many other seeds, found sunflower seeds to provide the best base for this butter. Their original flavour became a mix of blended sunflower seeds, coconut and sea salt. This simple but sublime base acts as the perfect medium for daring flavours such as the Sweet ’n’ Spicy Chocolate, which can be found alongside their now regular flavours of Salted Caramel Chocolate, Mocha Swirl and Raspberry & Coconut.
An important aspect of the project for these two sisters are the ethical issues surrounding the making and selling of halva. Duggan spoke of how they tried to navigate this, noting that they were both acutely aware that “it is an appropriation of some sort”. The sisters decided that they wanted to acknowledge where they discovered their love of halva and to give back in some way. Currently, they do this by donating a proportion of their profits to the Lebanese Red Cross, who experienced an unforeseen onslaught on resources after the tragic explosion in Beirut in early August. In the future Emily and Alice hope that Síolta Kitchen can become “a space and a source of education about both the ongoing conflict in certain parts of the Middle East” and the incredibly rich culture in which Emily first discovered halva while on her travels through Lebanon last year.
Our conversation then turned to their experience of Kilruddery Farmers Market, which is just outside Bray, Co Wicklow. Duggan described hearing about children who enjoy Síolta sunflower butters in their lunchboxes, as peanut butter is generally not allowed in schools due to possible allergies. She also recalled interesting discussions with an enthusiastic customer who follows a process of “seed cycling” in an effort to achieve a hormonal balance throughout her menstrual cycle.
On a final mouth-watering note, Duggan gave me some tips on how best to use Síolta Kitchen products. All halvas and the chocolate sunflower butter are great in porridge to brighten up these dark winter mornings, I’m told, and the chocolate sunflower butter can be melted over ice cream or pancakes. The sweet’n’spicy sunflower butter is great in a sandwich, drizzled over roast veg, or on toast with tomatoes, avocado or eggs, while apple is delicious dipped in the original sunflower butter. And for something extra sumptuous, marinate tofu or tempeh in a combination of their original sunflower butter, soya sauce, lime juice, ground ginger and maple syrup if you wish to ascend to vegan nirvana.
Síolta Kitchen will have a stall at Killruddery Christmas Market which runs for the first three weekends in December, and on December 17th and 18th. They are also selling gift boxes on their Instagram @sioltakitchen.
