Irish Foods

Outside of Ireland, Irish food is often mistakenly thought to consist of nothing more than potatoes and mutton. How wrong. The food and cooking of Ireland is steeped in history and heritage and Irish food draws on the wealth of ingredients available from the sea, the land, the moors and pastureland in Ireland. Home and family in Ireland play an important part in Irish food and cooking with the kitchen still the heart of every home with Irish hospitality and their love of celebrating renowned throughout the world.

The History of Irish Food in Ireland

Countless influences have made their mark on Irish food over the centuries from the arrival of the Celts in Ireland about 600 to 500 BC, the Vikings and the English colonization of Ireland in the 16th and 17th century.

Cattle played an important part in Irish food from the middle ages until the arrival of the potato in Ireland in the 16th century. The meat was predominantly food for the rich with the poor making do with the offal, the milk, cheese and butter which were supplemented with grains and barley for nourishment.

The Potato in Ireland – A Blessing and a Curse

The potato arrived in Ireland in the mid-to-late 16th century. The damp, cool Irish climate and soil conditions proved perfect for potatoes and the potato rapidly moved from a simple garden vegetable to a staple food crop for both man and animals as it was cheap to grow and even a small plot could produce a hearty crop. The high mineral and vitamin content of the potato also made it a perfect, cheap food for the poor of Ireland and was a welcome change from the cereal crops, they had been dependent on.

The dependence on potatoes as a staple food, however, also proved a curse for the Irish with the Potato Famine in Ireland. The first in 1739 was a result of cold weather but the famine of 1845-49 in Ireland was caused by potato blight, a rapidly spreading disease which wiped out the potato crops and resulted in the death of over 1,000,000 Irish. Of those who survived over two million emigrated (many to the US and UK) and several million in Ireland were left destitute.

Potatoes remain a basic foodstuff in Ireland are served almost daily as part of a meal. Unlike Britain cooked potatoes are served in their skin, which is removed at the table. This ensures more of the nutrients remain in the potato during cooking.

Traditional Foods

Examples of Irish cuisine are Irish stew, and bacon and cabbage (boiled together in water). Boxty, a type of potato pancake, is another traditional dish. A dish mostly particular to Dublin is coddle, which involves boiled pork sausages. Ireland is famous for the Irish breakfast, a fried (or grilled) meal generally comprising bacon, egg, sausage, black and white pudding, fried tomato and which may also include fried potato farls or fried potato slices.

Colcannon is a good dish made traditionally of potato and curly kale, or sometimes cabbage. Champ consists of mashed potato into which chopped scallions (spring onions) are mixed.

While seafood has always been consumed by Irish people, shellfish dishes have increased in popularity in recent times, especially due to the high quality of shellfish available from Ireland's coastline, e.g. Dublin Bay Prawns, Oysters (many oyster festivals are held annually around the coast where oysters are often served with Guinness, the most notable being held in Galway every September ) as well as other crustaceans. A good example of an Irish dish for shellfish is Dublin Lawyer - Lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. Salmon and cod are perhaps the two most common types of fish used.

Traditional Irish breads include soda bread, wheaten bread, soda farls, and blaa, a doughy white bread roll particular to Waterford.

Here are some of the food terms and famous dishes of Ireland.

Also see A Little Irish Cookbook by John Murphy & Illustrated by Karen Bailey, 1986

Champ or Poundies	The Irish love potatoes and there are numerous recipes using them. Champ, like Colcannon, is another way of using potatoes either from fresh or as a way to use up left over ones. Mashed potatoes with green onion, with a well of butter in the center. The mashed potatoes are eaten from around the outer edge of the well and dipped into the butter. To champ means to bruise, pound or smash, hence the term poundies.
Potato Farls	Also known as potato cake or potato bread, this is very much a northern dish. It is an important - indeed essential - constituent of the Ulster Fry, alongside bacon, egg, sausage and perhaps fried soda farl.
Irish Stew	Ireland's national dish is Irish stew. A traditional Irish stew recipe was always made with mutton, but more often nowadays, is made with lamb. Often, only lamb or mutton neckbones, shanks, and other trimmings were the only basis for the stock. Yet, these would-be discards still held enough flavor after a long simmering process to do justice to a hearty bowl of stew. Irish Stew is often made with a measure of stout thrown in for added depth and flavor. Controversy reigns over whether vegetables other than potatoes should be added; adding onions, leeks and carrots not only adds extra flavor but also nutrition to the stew. The choice is yours.
Bangers	Sausages are called bangers in England and Ireland. They are traditionally made with pork, although beef bangers are now common. A banger is defined as an extraordinary lie in the Oxford English Dictionary. The term is most likely a reference to the questionable contents of sausages.
Boxty	These are simple potato pancakes. Traditionally, they are a mixture of grated raw potatoes, leftover mashed potatoes, baking powder, and sweet milk. Today, they are often flavored with onions and/or garlic.
Colcannon	This Irish favorite combines two staple foods: potatoes and cabbage. It is a filling starchy dish. Just imagine mashed potatoes with shredded cabbage and onions, and you have the idea. Colcannon is St Patrick's Day favorite.
Coddle	This is a simple stew made from pork, sausage, potatoes and onions. The term comes from the slow coddling or simmering of the dish. Hearty and filling.
Crubeens or Cruibins	Pig's feet (trotters) cooked with carrots, onions and spices or dipped in seasoned breadcrumbs and fried. This traditional Irish food is often eaten after a night at the pub.
Irish Potato	The standard white potato originated in South America. It was called Irish potato by earlier American generations to distinguish it from sweet potatoes. Potatoes were a staple of the Irish diet. Irish potatoes are classified as waxy, which means that they are ideally suited to boiling, as they will hold their shape well. They can also be roasted, broiled, or turned into potato salads and fried potatoes. They are less suitable for things like mashed potatoes, as they tend to turn gluey and dense when they are mashed.
Irish Boiled Dinner	A stew of beef and boiled vegetables in a broth often with the addition of stout beer to strengthen flavor. The beef, a less tender cut of brisket, is cooked on the stove-top for hours until tender before the vegetables are added. It is truly a meal in one pot.
Soda Bread	This Irish classic is a quick bread which uses soda as a leavener. They can be either standard breads or sweet breads.
Irish Oysters	Warmed Oysters with Chive Sauce. Oyster are now farmed throughout Ireland. They are delicious fresh from the sea, or as here in this super-quick, Warmed Oysters with Chive Sauce recipe. Great as a starter dish for a summer supper, or serve as a canape.
Irish Salmon	Smoked Salmon and Dill Sauce Ireland is famous for its salmon and in particular, smoked salmon. What could be an easier or more delicious starter than a plate of Irish smoked salmon and creamy dill sauce. Smoked salmon and dill sauce can be served as a lighter appetizer or starter, or for a main course with boiled new potatoes.
Irish Barm Brack	Barm Brack is one of Ireland's most famous bakery products. The name comes from breac which means speckled, referring to the fruit in the loaf. Brack is traditionally eaten at Halloween but is too delicious to save for just once a year. Eat it at tea time, or as part of your St Patrick's Day celebrations.
Beef in Guinness	Guinness Beef stew is an Irish pub favorite. Cooking beef in stout is similar to cooking meat in wine. It tenderizes the beef. Cook the stew slowly and you'll have a malty, flavorful and tender stew to enjoy.
Beef & Guinness Pie	Beef and Guinness Pie brings together two of Ireland's most famous products, beef and Guinness in a hale and hearty pie. The long-slow cooking of the filling creates not just perfectly tender beef, it also allows the flavor of the Guinness to permeate the meat and the vegetables and produce a thick, luscious sauce.
Irish Bread & Butter Pudding	A Bread and Butter pudding recipe is one of the easiest puddings to make. It is a great way to use up left over white bread or you can ring the changes by using brown bread, brioche or even stale croissants. The method is the same whichever bread you use. The lovely addition of a cream Irish liqueur makes this Bread and Butter Pudding extra special and a perfect pudding for not only St Patrick's Day, but any day of the year.
Dublin Lawyer	Lobster cooked in whiskey and cream.