Irish cuisine is the style of cooking that originated from the island of Ireland or was developed by Irish people. It has evolved from centuries of social and political change and the mixing of the different cultures in Ireland, predominantly from nearby Britain and other European regions.
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Soda Bread
Soda bread is a quick bread made with baking soda & without yeast.
It is made of flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk, some recipes may include olive oil and eggs.
This bread requires almost no kneading, and the dough is shaped either as a round cake, or it is flattened and cut into four pieces, known as farls.
Many Irish families add their own twist by mixing in different fruit and spices.
Soda bread was first invented by Native Americans, it was not until the 19th century that this type of bread became commonplace in Ireland.
Brown Bread
Irish Brown bread is a variety of Irish soda bread, brown bread is made with all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, rolled oats, buttermilk (for flavor and moisture), and molasses (for caramelization and color).
Once prepared, the dough is shaped into a ball which is pressed, then decorated with a cross incision on top.
It is served with Irish butter, fruit jam, or beside a stew.
Irish Breakfast
Irish breakfast is a traditional meal consisting of fried eggs, fried vegetables (tomato & mushroom), potatoes, fried meats such as bacon & sausages, both black and white puddings, baked beans, and toast.
The meal is always served with Irish soda or brown bread, a cup of tea, and a glass of orange juice on the side.
Originally, breakfast was invented as a way to prepare the people for a day of hard work on the farm, and the meal was especially popular on cold winter mornings.
Today, its huge size is making it somewhat impossible to consume on most working day mornings, so it is usually prepared on Sunday morning or Christmas morning.
Boxty
Boxty is a potato pancake, it is made with both raw grated potatoes and mashed potatoes, combined with buttermilk, flour, and eggs, and then cooked like a regular pancake, it’s like a part pancake and part hash brown.
It is said to be originated during the Irish Potato Famine, and it’s even mentioned in an old Irish rhyme: “Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan; if you can’t make boxty, you’ll never get a man.”
Boxty served for breakfast, dinner, or a midnight snack.
It was usually consumed on its own, but today it is served as a tortilla, filled with a variety of meat and vegetables.
Irish Potato Farls
Farls are a kind of baked potato bread served for breakfast.
They're typically made by combining potatoes, butter, flour, and baking powder, with the dough being cut into four symmetrical pieces ("farl" means "fourths" in Gaelic).
Farls can even be made with leftover mashed potatoes, which work well because of their lightness.
Coddle*
A coddle is a one-pot stew, coddle is often made with leftover ingredients tossed in one pot and coddled (or simmered) together slowly.
Consists of Sausage, onions, bacon, and potatoes, the ingredients are slow-cooked for hours before it is ready to eat. It’s a favorite dish of Dublin, especially in Winters.
* Coddle's name probably comes from the French word caudle, meaning to boil gently.
Irish Stew
Irish stew is a traditional folk stew, it is made of leftover ingredients, cooked slowly for a couple of hours until the meat is ultra-tender, and releases the fat into the stew, thus enhancing the flavor of the entire dish.
Originally, the stew was made only with mutton, onions, potatoes, and sometimes barley, while lamb meat and other root vegetables like carrots, turnips, and parsnips were added later. Irish stew can also be created with beef or chicken.
Seafood Chowder
Like Irish stew, Irish seafood chowder has contained a variety of seafood like salmon, prawn, trout, and shellfish, cooked with milk, cream, as well as vegetables as onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, and garlic, then garnished the bowl with freshly chopped parsely.
It is better served with Irish brown bread.
Champs
Champ is very similar to mashed potatoes. It’s made with potatoes, milk, butter, and scallions.
What makes it even better than regular mashed potatoes is the well of melted butter in the middle.
Colcannon
Colcannon is is a traditional Irish dish.
It is made of creamy mashed potatoes, butter, and cabbage or kale, colcannon often contains additional ingredients such as chives, onions, scallions, and leeks, but many also like to add bacon for flavor and texture.
It’s typically served either as a meal or as a side dish with boiled ham or bacon, Salt and pepper are the only seasonings.
Black & white pudding
Black pudding is a sausage made with pork meat, fat, and blood. The Irish like to enjoy their black pudding with white pudding, which is identical–just without the blood.
White pudding is the same as black pudding but without blood.
The sausage is often sliced and fried or grilled, and it is usually used as an important part of the traditional full Irish breakfast.
Beef and Guinness Stew
This traditional Irish stew is made with cubes of beef, onions, bacon, tomato paste, stock, Guinness stout beer, and vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and celery.
The stew is flavored with bay leaves, thyme, salt, garlic, and black pepper, while flour is added as a thickening agent. It should be cooked very slowly over low heat until all the flavors are thoroughly combined.
Beef and Guinness stew can be served with biscuits or Irish soda bread on the side, and it is recommended to prepare it on colder days or for St. Patrick’s Day.
Shephard's pie
Shepherd’s pie is made with ground beef and veggies, then topped with a creamy layer of mashed potatoes.
Traditionally shepherd’s pie uses lamb, whereas cottage pie uses ground beef.
This dish has made its way to America, and many Americans use the term shepherd’s pie for both.
Bacon and Cabbage
Bacon & cabbage are cheap, quick, and easy to prepare, it is an Irish dish that is traditionally made on St. Patrick's Day.
Bacon in the dish refers to cured pork joint from the shoulder, paired with cabbage, and sometimes potatoes, onions, carrots, or turnips. The dish is often served with a white sauce consisting of butter, flour, milk, and fresh herbs such as parsley.
In the past, bacon and cabbage were mostly consumed by Irish farmers who had all of the ingredients readily available.
When Irish immigration to the US exploded, immigrants found the cost of pork in this country to be very expensive, so they began cooking beef instead. As a result, bacon and cabbage is technically the more traditional Irish dish; corned beef and cabbage is the Irish-American variant.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage still pop up on many a dinner table come to St. Patrick's Day.
Corned beef typically is made from salt-curing beef. Usually, it's brisket that's used, as brisket is a tough cut of meat that's made tender by a long, salt-filled cooking process. The brine used to cook the brisket down into corned beef is not unlike a pickling liquid.
Cured Salmon
Ireland is globally famous for its smoked salmon. It's served all day long and can be found everywhere from breakfast buffets to Afternoon Tea, to dinner.
Bangers and Mash
This dish is traditional in Ireland and Great Britain.
It consists of sausages, mashed potatoes, and onion gravy. The type of pork sausage, known as banger sausages, are usually available around St. Patrick’s Day.
Spiced Beef
This dish is typically enjoyed in Christmas and New Year’s Eve, spiced beef can be obtained all year round in specialized shops throughout Ireland. The simplicity of preparing it is perhaps outweighed only by its length, which in some cases takes over a month or two. A joint of rump or silverside beef is salted and marinated in spices and saltpeter for a couple of days, and in some cases, up to a few weeks. Once cured, the meat is cooked in water or stout and optionally roasted afterward.
Dessert
Barmbrack
Barmbrack, usually shortened to “brack,” is an Irish fruitcake filled with raisins, fruit, and spices.
It’s typically soaked in tea and whiskey overnight, making it an even more delicious snack with afternoon tea.
Although the sweet loaf is more closely associated with Halloween in Ireland, rather than St. Patrick’s Day, it's great served any day with a cup of tea.
It becomes a fortuneteller around Halloween when Irish folks put various objects, namely a pea, a stick, a coin, a piece of cloth, and a ring, all of which have a special meaning, would be baked into the bread that is then used in fortune-telling; each person that receives a slice with any of these objects would know their fortune for the following year.
Trifle
Trifle is a layered dessert traditionally contains custard, sherry- or fruit juice-soaked sponge cake or lady fingers, fruits, jam, and whipped cream.
Berry Fool
The berry fool is a delicious treat popular in England and Ireland. This fluffy fruit dessert can be made with nearly any kind of berry, and involves mashing them and combining them with chilled heavy cream for a refreshing dish.
Irish Apple Cake
Irish apple cake became a popular dessert in Ireland. It’s often served with a traditional custard sauce.
Goody
Goody is a popular Irish dish prepared by boiling bread in milk with the addition of sugar and various spices. It is believed that goody was invented in the 18th century or before. Today, it is traditionally consumed on the 23rd of June, also known as St. John's Eve, when it is served as a dessert.
Guinness cake
Guinness chocolate cake is known as the best cake in Ireland.
It can be topped with some Baileys frosting to give it that Guinness look, and real Irish taste.
For anyone not keen on drinking Guinness or beer at all, we’ll have you know that the Guinness in this cake is more of an aftertaste, a delicious one, not to be compared with drinking it straight.
Baileys cheesecake
Baileys can be used in coffee, over ice or, in this case, mixed into a cheesecake recipe.
Cheese cake with Baileys is a perfect Irish dessert combination.
Irish shortbread toffee bars
This rich and crumbly cookie-style dessert is something everyone will love. It has a delicious combination combination of shortbread for the base with caramel in the centre and chocolate on top.
The best thing about these little winners dessert is the fact they are not so difficult to make.
Drinks
Irish Coffee
Irish coffee is made with black coffee, Irish whiskey, a little bit of sugar and topped with cream.
It is serve with a slice of soda bread for a classic Irish treat.
Irish coffee invented by Irish chef Joe Sheridan in the 1940s.
Although it originates from Ireland, the drink became popular throughout the world, especially in the USA.
Other variation of Irish coffee it can be made with different types of coffee or served with ice, while whiskey can be replaced with some other spirit.
Baileys
Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish cream liqueur – an alcoholic drink flavoured with cream, cocoa, and Irish whiskey – made by Diageo at Nangor Road, in Dublin, Ireland and in Mallusk, Northern Ireland. Owned by Gilbeys of Ireland, the trademark is currently owned by Diageo.
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