There is soon to be formal training and standards set for the role of bean an tí.
Ciabatta sandwich or lasagne may not be listed in the average foclóir Gaeilge, but both may soon be on the standard menu offered by the State's mná tí.
A new €1.1 million training scheme initiated by Minister for the Gaeltacht Éamon Ó Cuív in Co Galway yesterday will ensure that thousands of students can no longer moan about the "droch bia" anymore.
Some 800 mná and fear tí, or family hosts, will be eligible to participate in a food preparation training scheme, which is being run by Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG). Certification will meet Fetac level 5 standard.
Comdháil Oileáin na hÉireann (the Irish Island Federation), and Údarás na Gaeltachta are also expected to support the initiative, which will be administered on a part-time basis in 12 locations. It is hoped that tourism operators in Gaeltacht areas may also be able to take part.
Ms Eithne Nic Lochlainn, of MFG, said that it had already run smaller courses on a pilot initiative, but this was the first fully certified course, involving 80 contact hours with participants.
"For many mná and fear tí, this might seem like teaching grannies to suck eggs, because they have been putting students up for years," she said. "Many are probably wonderful cooks, but this gives them an opportunity to acquire a qualification which they can develop to a higher standard."
EU and State subsidies mean that the cost to the participant will be €35 in total, she said.
