St. Patrick’s Day is coming up in a few weeks and where is it most widely celebrated? Dublin of course. But beyond beer and lucky charms, I needed to find the answer to a more serious question - what do they eat in Ireland?
This was fascinating for me to research since I had zero idea except for maybe corned beef, cabbage and stew.
Traditional Irish food is influenced by Britain. They use a lot of seafood, especially shellfish, from the Atlantic (they have a long coastline) or things grown on their land - meat, wheat, potatoes and grain. Lots of carbs.
Foods Locally Grown in Ireland:
- Cows milk
- Beef
- Pork
- Potatoes
- Oats
- Chicken
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Sheep
10 Easy Irish Recipes You Can Make at Home
1. Traditional Irish Breakfast
Get the Traditional Irish Breakfast Recipe
2. Corned Beef
A very different experience from the canned version. Get the recipe for Irish corned beef
3. Colcannon
Mashed potatoes with some greens. - get the Colcannon recipe.
4. Boxty
Irish potato pancakes. Like a hashbrown pancake. Loose translation from a word that means poorhouse bread, still looks scrumptious! Get the recipe for boxty.
5. Irish Stew
Takes long - 3-4 hours - but is incredible because it only requires one large pot and you get so much nutritional value out of it, plus it's delicious. Get the Irish Beef Stew Recipe here
6. Seafood Chowder
Hearty and a truly full meal from just a soup. Get the Seafood Chowder recipe.
7. Fried Cabbage
Looks and tastes better than the name implies. Get the Irish fried cabbage recipe.
8. Soda Bread
Bread made with baking soda instead of yeast. It tastes dense and has a unique flavor. Get the Irish Soda Bread recipe.
9. Irish Bread Pudding
This looks like the sweet version of Soda bread to be honest. I'd love to do a side by side. This recipe calls for Irish creme liqueur. Would go great with an Irish coffee.
Get the Irish bread pudding recipe.
10. Irish Coffee
I saved the best for last. A spiked coffee. Who can say no to your 7AM beverage and 7PM beverage in one. Typically served in a tall glass like this. Get the Irish Coffee recipe here.
As a side note - Aside from four leaf clovers, what is Patrick’s Day and why is it Celebrated?
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. What is a patron saint? In Catholicism, it’s the advocate of a place, nation, activity or family in heaven. St Patrick’s Day observes the death of St. Patrick.
Recommended Irish Cookbooks
The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook: Traditional Easy and Simple Recipies for Beginners to Experts for Saint Patricks Day, Christmas, Family Get-Togethers and More
What reviews say: “For $8 this cook book was WAY more than I expected. It's a beautiful hard covered very sturdy cook book with beautiful pictures and great looking recipes…The ingredients are not exotic with a few exceptions.”
Our Irish Grannies' Recipes: Comforting and Delicious Cooking From the Old Country to Your Family's Table (Irish Heritage Cookbook)
What reviews say: It does have the traditional grandma’s recipes in there. Some of them do not have measurements on them so you have no idea how much to use…What a wonderful book, it very much reminded me of recipes that my granny and my mum would make for us.
Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
What reviews say: The book has a good blend of commentary with many excellent recipes. It also includes links to U.S. websites that sell key Irish food ingredients…I was sold on the fact that the author is Irish, that photos accompany the recipes, and that its recipes are decidedly authentic.
The Irish Cookbook
What reviews say: "This book is packed with compelling stories and fascinating information. Think of it as a course on Irish cuisine, told by a serious chef." —Boston Globe
Buy on AmazonMore recipes and learning on Irish Cuisine
- NYT Cooking has a curated list of Irish food to make (only included with NYT subscription)
- CNN’s Traveler’s List of Irish Food
- The Wikipedia on Irish Cuisine for even more knowledge (lots of history here too)
- Irish Hub of Information
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