Irish Cuisine

Capall na hoibre an bia.

Food is the horse of work.[1]

Staples of the Irish Diet

Although Irish cuisine is famous for its plentiful potatoes, the starchy root only reached the island in the 16th century. For thousands of years before its arrival, most Irish people survived on a diet rich in grains, dairy, pork, and seafood. What families couldn't grow on the farm, they foraged from the woods or pulled from lakes and rivers.[2] Instead of complex recipes or zesty spices, historical Irish cuisine values fresh ingredients, natural flavors, and hearty meals.

Irish Stews, Meats, and Sausages

In old Irish roundhouses, cooking took place in a large cauldron suspended over a central hearth. Irish stew, a mix of mutton, potatoes, carrot, onion, and parsley, stems from this tradition. Seafood stews and broths were common as well. Ireland is home to numerous fish migrations throughout the year, including eels, trout, and salmon, and its beaches supply shellfish like oysters, clams, and mussels.[2][3]

Ancient and medieval Irish society prized cattle above all other livestock, but a typical farmer rarely ate beef. Instead, pork was the staple meat.[2][4] The corned beef and cabbage commonly associated with St. Patrick's Day is based on Irish dishes using bacon. Irish-Americans in growing cities had greater access to beef through the corned beef sold in Jewish delis. As a result, corned beef and cabbage is now more famous than its authentic inspiration.[5]

Besides British-style "bangers," the Irish made sausage by bleeding their cattle. Farmers periodically collected blood, which did not harm the cow, and mixed it with flour and other fillers to produce black pudding. An alternative, white pudding, is made using pork fat.[3][6]

Irish Breads and Starches

In early Ireland, wheat bread was a luxury reserved for the upper classes. Farmers ate oat, rye, or barley bread, cooked on hot stones beneath the cauldron. In rural 19th-century Ireland, when yeast was not always available, families took advantage of a similar reaction between buttermilk and baking soda to bake loaves of soda bread. Since then, soda bread has become a family favorite in both Ireland and the United States.[3]

When the potato appeared in Ireland, it solved many problems for the island's poorest families. A single acre of potato plants and a milk cow could support a family of eight, but dependence on the crop proved disastrous during the famine of 1845. Potatoes are still a popular ingredient in stews, mashed potatoes, and boxty, a type of potato pancake.[3][6]

Dairy Products in Ireland

The Irish kept cows, sheep, and goats for dairy. They drank milk fresh or processed it into cheese, butter, cream, curds, and whey. In Gaelic society, farmers owed their lords a cauldron of fresh milk every year, along with other dairy products. Pious monks fasted on whey and shunned soft cheeses as decadent luxuries.[2][7][8] Ireland is still famous for its dairy industry; the island is home to 18,500 dairy farms that produce 5,400 billion liters of milk annually.[9]

Irish Alcoholic Beverages

The Irish have a long history of fermenting, brewing, and distilling alcoholic beverages. The oldest of these is mead, or fermented honey, especially popular in medieval feasts and monasteries. The wealthy imported wine from sunnier climates; less valuable ales and ciders served the masses.[2] Knowledge of distillation likely traveled with Irish monks from the monasteries of Europe, leading to a lucrative whiskey industry centered on Ireland and Scotland. Modern Irish brewers and distillers continue to export some of the most popular and prized drinks in the world. The $2 billion industry in Ireland employs nearly 100,000 people.[10]

Bibliography

1. "Proverbs for BBC Irish," BBC News, BBC, accessed February 28, 2017.

2. Patrick W. Joyce, A Social History of Ancient Ireland, Volume 2 (Dublin: Gresham, 1903), 104-148.

3. Cathal Armstrong and David Hagedorn, My Irish Table: Recipes From the Homeland and Restaurant Eve (Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2014).

4. Fergus Kelly, "Cattle in Ancient Ireland: Early Irish Legal Aspects" in Cattle in Ancient and Modern Ireland: Farming Practices, Environment and Economy, ed. Michael O'Connell, Fergus Kelly, and James H. McAdam (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2016), 44-50.

5. Stephanie Butler, "Corned Beef and Cabbage: As Irish as Spaghetti and Meatballs," History, March 15, 2013, A&E Television Networks, accessed February 22, 2017.

6. Farha Ternikar, Brunch: A History (Lanham, Md.: Rowman et Littlefield, 2014), 43.

7. Debby Banham and Rosamond Faith, Anglo-Saxon Farms and Farming (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 110-118.

8. Lisa M. Bitel, Isle of the Saints: Monastic Settlement and Christian Community in Early Ireland (Cork: Cork University Press, 1993), 202-216.

9. "Dairy and Ingredients," Enterprise Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, accessed March 03, 2017.

10. "Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland," Ibec, Ibec, accessed March 03, 2017.

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