What do you know about Irish food?

Today I want to take a closer look on Irish food. Is there a certain kind of food that people in Ireland traditionally eat? In fact, the Irish food is similar to that of other Northern European nations. On the whole, it can be said that there is an emphasis on the consumption of meat, bread, and potatoes. Vegetables, for example cabbage, turnips, carrots and broccoli are also part of the meals additionally to the meat and potatoes.

The Irish cuisine was influenced from the crops grown and animals farmed in its temperate climate. With the introduction of the potato in the second half of the 16th century, the cuisine of Ireland was influenced pretty much.

Let's dive into the history of Irish cuisine..

In the Irish mythology and early Irish literature, you can in fact find many references to food an drink. In the stories it can be seen that honey seems to have been widely eaten by the Irish people and it was used in the making of mead. What is more, there are references to ‘fulacht fiadh’ which is in fact a type of archaeological site found in Ireland. They consist of three main elements: a mound of tones, a hearth used to heat the stones and a trough which was filled with water. Into the trough, the heated stones were placed to warm the water. This construction was used to create a pool of boiling water in which the people were able to cook meat. However, there are also other theories that suggest that the sites may have been used for bathing, washing of cloth, and leather working. In 2007, two archaeologists even claimed that the ‘fulacht fiadh’ was actually used for the brewing of beer.

Excavations at some Viking settlement in the Wood Quay are of Dublin reveiled information on the Irish cuisine at these days. As the excavations showed, the meals consisted mainly of beef, mutton, and pork. It also may have been common to eat domestic poultry, geese, fish and shellfish, as well as native berries and nuts. With the help of knotgrass and goosefoot it may have been possible to make a porridge.

Later on until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century, the cuddle had been the main component of many meals. Whereas the meat was exclusively for wealthy people, the poor used the milk, butter, cheese and offal and supplemented it with oats and barley. It was very common to mix the blood of the cattle with milk and butter which leads to one special dish, the Black pudding. It is made from blood, grain, and seasoning and today it is still is a common breakfast staple food in Ireland.

In the 16th century the potato was introduced into Ireland, at that time as a garden crop. Although nowadays poatoes form the basis for many traditional Irish dishes, it was the main food crop of the poor in the beginning. Potatoes were widely cultivated, but especially by those at a subsistence level. Their diet consisted at this period of time mainly of potatoes supplemented with buttermilk.

Until the late 19th century fresh meat was considered a luxury and it was only to be consumed by the most wealthy people. Additionally, chickens had not been raised much until town grocers emerged in the 1880s which allowed people to exchange surplus goods, like eggs, and for the first time purchase a variety food items to have a greater diversity of their diet.

Because the people of Ireland relied pretty much on potatoes as a staple crop, they had to feat poor potato harvests. For that reason, there were consequently many famines throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, leading to the Great Irish Famine (1845 to 1849). The famine of these years was caused by potato blight spread throughout the Irish crop. During that time, 1 million people died and many emigrated from Ireland.

But what do people in Ireland eat these days? In the 21st century, the usual food common to Western culture has been adopted in Ireland, as it is the case in many European countries. Therefore it is common that meals consist of pizza, curry, Chinese food, and lately also of West african dishes and East European dishes. However, there is still an Irish cuisine based on traditional ingredients. This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables, fish, oysters, mussels and other shellfish, traditional soda bread, various cheeses and last but not least, of course, the potato is still a dominant vegetable in the Irish cuisine. Some traditional dishes, for example IRish stew, coddle, the Irish breakfast, and potato bread have gained popularity again.

I also want to show you a few Irish dishes in particular but I have to warn you. Since I want to show you some pictures it can happen that if you are already hungry you may just get hungrier ;) So let's go on..

Barmbrack

This delicious looking bread is called 'Barmbrack' and it is a yeasted bread with added sultanas and raisins.

Boxty

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake and it consists of finely grated, raw potato and mashed potato with flour, baking soda, buttermilk and sometimes egg.

Irish stew

It is a traditional stew made from lamb as well as potatoes, onions, and parsley.