Irish national food

WooPeeA

Hey!

I'm not native Irish so probably that's why I have no idea about Irish national food. Can you tell me something about it?

I think there's a lot of seafood, isn't it?

dpsmith

I am in with WooPeeA.

I don't live in Ireland (wish I could) And would love to
make some authentic Irish food. I LOVE to cook, not to keen on the
cleaning up part though, but who is?

BaZmO*

WooPeeA wrote: »

I think there's a lot of seafood, isn't it?

Strangely enough for an island nation we actually don't eat that much fish. I read somewhere recently that the most popular family dinner is Spaghetti Bolognese.

The most Traditional dish would be Stew, and most other dishes would be mainly Meat served with Potatoes and Veg.

The type of meat that was popular years ago would be the likes of Crubeens (Pig's Trotters), Heart Tongue. But they were mainly popular because they were cheap. Another old favourite would be Tripe (the lining of a Cow's stomach).

Another popular dish would be Coddle which is like a Stew but it's made from sausages and bacon. Although I think Coddle is more of a Dublin dish.

As a nation we're not reknowned for our adventurousness but things are changing and people are looking back to the past for inspiration.

The Sweeper

I disagree that Ireland isn't renouned for its food - the main problem is most Irish people don't eat Irish cuisine - hence spag bol is the nation's favourite dinner.

From a more positive viewpoint, you could look at some stunners like oak-smoked wild irish salmon with fresh made brown bread soda bread (simple, stunning). The bread I mean is the round, brown loaf with the cross in, as opposed to the potato farl type of soda bread.

Irish stew is a simple lamb or mutton stew that's extremely tasty if done well (though it's better with mutton).

One of my favourites would include boiled bacon with cabbage and boiled potatoes, with a parsley sauce - sounds plain, but it's really excellent if it's done properly with fresh, dark green cabbage sliced into thin ribbons and cooked in the same water as the bacon and served still crispy, and the potatoes should be floury and wonderful and not overcooked.

The potato was a staple of Irish food from the late 1500s, and so there are a lot of traditional Irish dishes revolving around potatoes.

You have to remember, Ireland for centuries was a peasant society so the foodstuffs were about making something that provided good fuel for manual labour out of simple foods. A lot of the idea that Irish cooking is unremarkable is a perception thing - pubs in Ireland and England serve Nasi Goreng as an exotic Indonesian dish - even though it's just what the Indonesians do with last night's rice leftovers at breakfast time.

For brunch or supper, try boxty - an Irish griddled potato pancake - with scrambled eggs.

We always had sheep's tripe, not cow's - it seems to be paler in colour and a little finer in texture. My mother used to make tripe for me as comfort food when I was a child. It cooks up with a texture not dissimilar to fresh calamari. Mom used to make it in a white sauce with parsley and onions and I'm loathe to even try describing it because people usually go "Tripe? YUCK!" Suffice to say it was wonderful comfort food.

Ox tongue - again a fabulous dish if done properly. The tongue needs to be boiled and skinned, then packed and weighted. We used to curl cooked tongue into a bowl, pour some of the cooking juices on (they turn later to a wonderfully flavoursome aspic jelly) and then cover it with a plate that was smaller than the rim of the bowl, and weight the plate with a 2kg dumbell! The tongue is boiled with some other flavours in the water - I think I can remember onion, bay leaf, black peppercorns and juniper berries. The overnight result could be turned out of the bowl as a sort of meat 'loaf', and you could take thin slices for sandwiches - it really is excellent. It is a smooth textured meat, as offals often are - think the texture (but not flavour) of liver or heart, with a flavour that beats the pants off plain old ham for your sandwiches.

Comfort food designed to fuel large men working in fields had a lot to do with traditional Irish cooking - so heavy on the carbohydrate, light on the lollo rosso.

Other fab dishes include colcannon (potatoes mashed with cabbage - you have to try it), curly kale (again potatoes mashed with kale this time - a traditional Hallowe'en dish was curly kale with money hidden in it - whoever get's the coin gets financial luck for the year).

A stunning Irish creation that I miss hugely is black pudding - a sausage made from blood, including some grains (usually barley) and seasoning. The flavour is fantastic - picture the texture of a salami, so flecks of fat in a smooth textured surround. Slice and fry on the pan - personally I don't like to overcook it, so just a minute on each side on a low heat does me. Have with a fried egg for breakfast - YUM. Different local butchers often have different black pudding recipes and they'll compete for who does the best.

A lot of Irish chefs embrace food from outside Ireland - french cuisine, asiatic influences, you name it - which is a little sad because there's a lot to be said for trying a new slant on traditional Irish dishes. I'd give my right arm at this moment for a slice of brown bread with some smoked salmon, followed by bacon, cabbage and potatoes all washed down with a couple of pints of guinness!

WooPeeA

Wow.. Thank you BaZmO* and Minesajackdaniels for so many informations about Irish national food! It's sounds like a good BBQ

I'll try boxty as I'm vegetarian. Maybe I can even cook one? Sounds not very complicated to cook!

BaZmO* wrote:

I read somewhere recently that the most popular family dinner is Spaghetti Bolognese.

It might be the truth. It's my today's dinner!

Alun

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

A stunning Irish creation that I miss hugely is black pudding - a sausage made from blood, including some grains (usually barley) and seasoning.

I wouldn't say black pudding was an Irish 'creation' ... it's also in the UK, Holland, Belgium (bloedworst), Germany (Blutwurst), France (boudin noir) and a good few others too.

Mr Magnolia

I doubt we have the exclusive on bacon and cabbage, lamb stew or offal for that matter Alun. It's about dishes that are quintessentially Irish not exclusively Irish. Great post btw majd.

Minder

Also Corned beef & cabbage. Corned beef is usually cut from the topside, silverside or brisket. The joint is soaked in brine to cure. The term corned comes from the corns or grains of salt used in the brine. Delicious boiled and served with new potatoes, cabbage and parsley sauce.

Barmbrack - A rich, dark fruit loaf was traditional around halloween - the loaf would contain a ring. Whoever got the ring would be the next member of the family to be married.

While we don't eat much fish for an island population, Dublin Bay Prawns and Oysters with guinness are popular dishes. A traditional irish breakfast isn't a fry - more likely to contain fish roe and potatoes or potato cakes.

While a large part of our cultural food heritage is reminiscent of a peasant society, a significant part is influenced by the settlement of Ireland by the British. So old irish cookbooks will contain recipes for game birds, venison, and sport fish like salmon and trout.

fits

Some coastal populations of the west would eat a lot of fish though. I ate more lobster in the eighties than I do in the noughties (which is none) as we caught it ourselves. Also mackerel, crabs, salmon, pollock. We even bought fresh scallops off a trawler one time (the most delicious meal ever, I still salivate at the thought of that). We just ate this stuff because we could get it. At some times of the year, everything on the dinner table would have been produced ourselves.

I think our food was based on what was available and affordable. It would be great in a lot of ways to go back to this culture of eating seasonal and local foods.

BaZmO*

fits wrote: »

I think our food was based on what was available and affordable. It would be great in a lot of ways to go back to this culture of eating seasonal and local foods.

Well there's certainly a revival in that way of thinking at the moment.

dylbert

I'm not sure if it's a national food but my Mother always made us smoked cod and onions cooked in a white sauce served with mashed potatoes and green beans, MMmmmm ummy..

BaZmO*

dylbert wrote: »

I'm not sure if it's a national food but my Mother always made us smoked cod and onions cooked in a white sauce served with mashed potatoes and green beans, MMmmmm ummy..

My mother used to make that too. We called it Ice Cream Dinner for some reason, probably because we were young and stupid...

antoniosicily

thanks guys, those are great posts to understand the traditional irish meals

WooPeeA

WooPeeA wrote: »

I'll try boxty as I'm vegetarian. Maybe I can even cook one? Sounds not very complicated to cook!

Hi WooPeeA, would you mind starting a thread in the vegetarian forum with some Polish national recipes.
I really want to take advantage of the availabilty of the Polish foodstuff.

WooPeeA

Moonbaby wrote: »

Hi WooPeeA, would you mind starting a thread in the vegetarian forum with some Polish national recipes.
I really want to take advantage of the availabilty of the Polish foodstuff.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=54896419#post54896419

Mr.Boots

Long long ago irish people ate alot of fish, well those living around the coast ate the most.
The men would fish all day in currachs(traditional irish boats) and the women would salt the fish landed.
I think ling was the main fish salted
Also people always ate fish on a friday(a tradition that has died) and on other days like good friday ect.
Remember the potato didnt arive here till the 1600's....up to that it was various cereals, milk, fish and meat.
Before the Normans arived here we didnt realy eat beef...it was to pricey....