This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)

Irish cuisine is a style of cooking originating from Ireland or developed by Irish people. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The cuisine takes its influence from the crops grown and animals farmed in its temperate climate. The introduction of the potato in the second half of the 16th century heavily influenced Ireland’s cuisine thereafter. Representative Irish dishes are Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, potato, boxty, coddle, and colcannon.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Modern era 2 Common foods 3 Traditional foods 3.1 Breads 3.2 Pork dishes 3.3 Potato dishes 3.4 Seafood 3.5 Others 4 Traditional beverages 4.1 Alcoholic 4.2 Non-alcoholic 5 Notable Irish chefs 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

[edit] History

There are many references to food and drink in Irish mythology and early Irish literature such as the tale of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Salmon of Knowledge^[1] The old stories also contain many references to banquets, although these may well be greatly exaggerated and provide little insight into everyday diets. Honey seems to have been widely eaten and used in the making of mead. There are also many references to fulacht fiadh, which may have been sites for cooking deer, consisting of holes in the ground which were filled with water. The meat was placed in the water and cooked by the introduction of hot stones. Many fulacht fiadh sites have been identified across the island of Ireland, and some of them appear to have been in use up to the 17th century.

Excavations at the Viking settlement in the Wood Quay area of Dublin have produced a significant amount of information on the diet of the inhabitants of the town. The main meats eaten were beef, mutton, and pork. Domestic poultry and geese as well as fish and shellfish were also common, as was a wide range of native berries and nuts, especially hazel. The seeds of knotgrass and goosefoot were widely present and may have been used to make a porridge.

From the Middle Ages, until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century, the dominant feature of the rural economy was the herding of cattle. The meat produced was mostly the preserve of the gentry and nobility. The poor generally made do with milk, butter, cheese, and offal, supplemented with oats and barley. The practice of bleeding cattle and mixing the blood with milk and butter (similar to the practice of the Maasai) was not uncommon. Black pudding is made from blood, grain, (usually barley) and seasoning, and remains a breakfast staple food in Ireland.

Potatoes form the basis for many traditional Irish dishes. The potato was introduced into Ireland in the second half of the 16th century, initially as a garden crop. It eventually came to be the main food crop of the poor. As a food source, the potato is extremely valuable in terms of the amount of energy produced per unit area of crop. The potato is also a good source of many vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C when fresh.

Potatoes were widely cultivated, but in particular by those at a subsistence level; the diet of this group of this period consisted mainly of potatoes supplemented with buttermilk. Potatoes were also fed to pigs, to fatten them prior to their slaughter at the approach of the cold winter months. Much of the slaughtered pork would have been cured to provide ham and bacon that could be stored over the winter.

Fresh meat was generally considered a luxury except for the most affluent until the late 19th century and chickens were not raised on a large scale until the emergence of town grocers in the 1880s allowed people to exchange surplus goods, like eggs, and for the first time purchase a variety food items to diversify their diet.

The reliance on potatoes as a staple crop meant that the people of Ireland were vulnerable to poor potato harvests. Consequently several famines occurred throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. The first Great Famine of 1739 was the result of extreme cold weather but the famine of 1845 to 1849 (see Great Irish Famine) was caused by potato blight which spread throughout the Irish crop which consisted largely of a single variety, the Lumper. During the famine approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland.^[2]

[edit] Modern era

Life in Ireland
Culture Christianity Cuisine Culture Customs Holidays Music Religion Sport Tourism Economy                   Communications Economy Taxation Transport General Architecture Geography History Military Recycling Society Demographics Education Health care Languages Media Politics Government Law Law enforcement Politics Foreign relations Policies Abortion Civil Unions
v t e

In the 21st century, the usual modern selection of foods common to Western culture has been adopted in Ireland. Common meals include pizza, curry, Chinese food, and lately, some West African dishes and East European (especially Polish) dishes have been making an appearance, as ingredients for these and other cuisines have become more widely available.

In tandem with these developments, the last quarter of the 20th century saw the emergence of a new Irish cuisine based on traditional ingredients handled in new ways. This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables, fish (especially salmon and trout), oysters, mussels and other shellfish, traditional soda bread, the wide range of cheeses that are now being made across the country, and, of course, the potato. Traditional dishes, such as Irish stew, coddle, the Irish breakfast, and potato bread have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Schools like the Ballymaloe Cookery School have emerged to cater for the associated increased interest in cooking.

Fish and chips take-away is popular. The first fish and chips were sold in Dublin in the 1880s by an Italian immigrant from San Donato Val di Comino, Giuseppe Cervi. His wife Palma would ask customers ‘Uno di questa, uno di quella?’ This phrase (meaning ‘one of this, one of the other’) entered the vernacular in Dublin as ‘one and one’, which is still a common way of referring to fish and chips in the city.^[3]

In much of Ulster (especially Northern Ireland and County Donegal), fish and chips are usually known as a ‘fish supper’.

The proliferation of fast food has led to increasing public health problems, including obesity, where it was reported that as many as 327,000 Irish children are now obese or overweight and in response the Irish Government is now considering introducing a “Fast Food Tax”.^[4] Government efforts to combat obesity have also included television advertising campaigns and education programmes in schools.^[5]

[edit] Common foods

• Dairy: butter, milk, buttermilk, cheese (Ardrahan, Corleggy, Durrus, Cashel Blue, Cooleeney, Gubbeen)^[6]
• Grains: barley, oats, wheat
• Freshwater fish: trout, salmon (frequently smoked)
• Meat: beef, chicken, geese, lamb, mutton, pork, offal
• Seafood: mackerel, cod, shellfish (particularly mussels, oysters and lobster)
• Vegetables: cabbage, curly kale, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions
• Fruits: apple, pear, plum, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, rhubarb

[edit] Traditional foods

[edit] Breads

• Barmbrack – a kind of currant cake which contains a golden ring. Traditionally eaten around Halloween.
• Blaa
• Goody – a dessert dish
• Soda bread – a popular yeast free bread
• Wheaten bread
• Potato bread
• Veda bread

[edit] Pork dishes

• Bacon and cabbage
• Black pudding – a traditional dish made from pigs blood, barley and seasoning
• Coddle – main ingredients: pork sausage, back bacon and potato
• Crubeens – pig’s trotters
• Skirts and kidneys – a kind of pork stew

[edit] Potato dishes

• Boxty – a kind of potato pancake
• Champ – main ingredients: mashed potato, scallions, butter and milk
• Colcannon – main ingredients: mashed potato, kale or cabbage, and butter
• Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie – main ingredients: mashed potato, minced lamb/beef, and vegetables^[7][8]

[edit] Seafood

The eating of seafood, particularly shellfish has always been very popular in Ireland, especially in coastal cities like Galway and Dublin. Such is the impact of shellfish in Irish culture that in Dublin the fish seller is celebrated in the traditional folk song Molly Malone and in Galway the international Galway Oyster Festival is held every September.^[9] An example of an Irish shellfish dish is Dublin Lawyer (lobster cooked in whiskey and cream).^[10] Salmon and cod are perhaps the two most common types of fish eaten. Carrageen moss and Dulse (both types of red algae) are commonly used in Irish seafood dishes.

[edit] Others

• Drisheen – a kind of black pudding
• Irish breakfast ^[11][12]
• Irish stew – a kind of lamb and mutton stew

[edit] Traditional beverages

[edit] Alcoholic

• Whiskey (particularly pure pot still whiskey) such as Jameson Irish Whiskey, Paddy Whiskey and Bushmills
• Porter (beer) or Stout such as Guinness, Murphy’s Irish Stout and Beamish stout
• Irish red ale such as Smithwick’s (sold outside Ireland as Kilkenny)
• Lager such as Harp Lager
• Irish coffee – made with black coffee, whiskey and whipped cream
• Irish cream such as Baileys
• Irish mist
• Mead
• Poitín – a very strong (often homemade) spirit made from potatoes or barley.
• Cider, such as Bulmers

[edit] Non-alcoholic

• Brown lemonade
• Red lemonade
• Cavan Cola
• McDaid’s Football Special
• Irish breakfast tea

[edit] Notable Irish chefs

[edit] See also

• List of Irish dishes
• St. Patrick’s Day

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Davenport, Fionn (2008), Ireland, Lonely Planet, ISBN 1-74104-696-3
• Mitchell, Frank and Ryan, Michael. Reading the Irish landscape (1998). ISBN 1-86059-055-1
• National Museum of Ireland. Viking and Medieval Dublin: National Museum Excavations, 1962 – 1973. (1973).

[edit] External links

• Wikibooks Cookbook

v t e Ireland topics Republic of Ireland topics Northern Ireland topics   History Timeline Prehistory Protohistory Early history Gaelic Ireland / Lordship of Ireland 800–1166 1166–1536 Kingdom of Ireland 1536–1691 1691–1801 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1922 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1922 Irish Free State (1922–1937) Ireland (since 1922) Events Battles of Tara / Glenmama / Clontarf Norman invasion Bruce campaign Black Death Tudor conquest Desmond Rebellions Spanish Armada Tyrone’s Rebellion Flight of the Earls Plantation of Ulster 1641 Rebellion / Confederate War Cromwellian conquest / Settlement of 1652 Williamite War Penal Laws First Great Famine 1798 Rebellion Act of Union 1800 1803 Rebellion Tithe War Second Great Famine Land War Fenian Rising Dublin Lockout Home Rule crisis Easter Rising War of Independence Anglo-Irish Treaty Civil War The Emergency IRA Northern Campaign IRA Border Campaign The Troubles Other topics List of Irish battles List of Irish tribes List of High Kings Gaelic clothing and fashion List of World Heritage Sites in Ireland   Geography Natural Climate Coastline Extreme points Fauna Islands Loughs Mountains Rivers list National Parks in the Republic of Ireland / in Northern Ireland Human Architecture Notable buildings Tallest buildings and structures Cities Counties Demographics of the Republic of Ireland / of Northern Ireland Ports Provinces ROI–UK border Towns Tourist destinations Transport   Politics Ideologies Nationalism Republicanism Ulster loyalism Unionism Republic of Ireland Constitution Economy Celtic Tiger Education Foreign relations Government local Oireachtas parliament Dáil Éireann (lower house) Seanad Éireann (upper house) President Northern Ireland Assembly D’Hondt method Economy Education Government local Peace process   Culture Cuisine Food List of dishes Barmbrack Boxty Champ Coddle Colcannon Drisheen Goody Skirts and kidneys Soda bread Stew Ulster fry Drinks Coffee Cream Guinness Mist Poitín Whiskey Dance Jig Sean-nós Set dance Stepdance Festivals Imbolc Saint Patrick’s Day Bealtaine The Twelfth Lúnasa Rose of Tralee Samhain / Halloween Wren Day Languages Hiberno-English Irish Shelta Ulster Scots Literature Annals Fiction Gaeilge Poetry Theatre Triads Music Ballads Céilí Folk music session Instruments Rock music Traditional singing Mythology Cycles Fenian Mythological Ulster Aos Sí Echtrai Immrama Tuatha Dé Danann Legendary creatures People Anglo-Irish Gaels Gaelic Ireland Hiberno-Normans Irish diaspora List of Irish people Travellers Ulster Scots Sport Association football Camogie Gaelic football Gaelic handball Hurling Martial arts Road bowling Rounders Rugby union Symbols Brighid’s Cross Cláirseach County coats of arms Flags N. Ireland flags issue Irish Wolfhound National coat of arms Red Hand Shamrock Other Calendar Names Place names in Ireland / outside Ireland Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland / in Northern Ireland Public houses Ireland portal

v t e European cuisine Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Kosovo Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other territories Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Jan Mayen Jersey Isle of Man Svalbard

v t e Cuisine Outline Regional African Americas Arab Asian Caribbean Central Asia European Sami Latin American Mediterranean Middle Eastern North African South Asian West African National Afghan Albanian Algerian American Angolan Argentine Armenian Australian Austrian Azerbaijani Bahraini Bangladeshi Basque Belarusian Belgian Belizean Beninese Bhutanese Bolivian Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswanan Brazilian British Bulgarian Burkinabe Burmese Cambodian Cameroonian Canadian Catalan Chadian Chilean Chinese Colombian Congolese Croatian Cuban Cypriot Czech Danish Dutch Ecuadorian Egyptian English Equatorial Guinean Eritrean Estonian Ethiopian Filipino Finnish French Georgian German Greek Guatemalan Haitian Honduran Hungarian Icelandic Indian Indonesian Iranian Iraqi Irish Israeli Italian Ivorian (Côte d’Ivoire) Jamaican Japanese Jordanian Kazakh Korean Kuwaiti Lao Latvian Lebanese Libyan Lithuanian Luxembourg Macedonian Malagasy Malaysian Maltese Mexican Moldovan Mongolian Moroccan Native American Nepalese Nigerian Nigerien Norwegian Omani Pakistani Palestinian Panamanian Peruvian Polish Portuguese Qatari Romanian Russian Salvadoran Saudi Arabian Scottish Serbian Sicilian Singaporean Slovak Slovenian Somalian South African Spanish Sri Lankan Sudanese Swazi Swedish Swiss Syrian Taiwanese Thai Tunisian Turkish Trinidadian and Tobagonian Ukrainian United Arab Emirati Uruguayan Uzbek Venezuelan Vietnamese Welsh Yemeni Historical Ancient Egyptian Ancient Greek Ancient Israelite Ancient Roman Andean Aztec Byzantine Early modern European Historical Chinese Historical Indian History of seafood Mayan Medieval Ottoman Soviet Styles Cuisine classique Fast food Fusion Haute cuisine Molecular gastronomy Nouvelle Types of food Confectionery Dairy products Fruit Herbs / Spices Meat Seafood Vegetable Carbohydrate staples Barley Bread Breadfruit Cassava Couscous Maize Millet Oat Plantain Potato Pulses Quinoa Rice Rye Sago Sweet potato Taro Teff Wheat Yam Types of dish Curry Dip Dumpling Kebab Pasta Pizza Pudding Salad Sandwich Sauce Soup Stew Technical Eating utensils Food preparation utensils Serving utensils Techniques Weights and measures See also Kitchen Meal Breakfast Lunch Dinner Wikibooks:Cookbook Food portal Drink portal

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Irish Cuisine, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.