Food and Traditional Recipes in Southern Ireland

FOOD AND TRADITIONAL RECIPES

One would think that Irish food is full of extravagances. Weird animals and stuffs like that. But no, the way we could describe the Irish cuisine would be traditional, healthy and farm style home cooking, made up of warm soups and stews, home-made breads, and of course, potatoes that come roast, fried, boiled, mashed - every way imaginable.

The traditional Irish cuisine as we can see is usually made with very simple ingredients and the cooking process is quite easy. The majority of Irish food recipes are made with vegetables, meat or fish.

These ingredients are usually the base of the traditional recipes that have been the main source of food in Ireland for hundreds of years.

Popular Irish dishes include Bacon and Cabbage, Dublin Coddle, Irish Pheasant, Dublin Bay Prawns, Crannach (seaweed) along with every kind of seafood. Irish have always consumed seafood. Recently, all shellfish dishes have increased their popularity due to the high quality of shellfish found in all Ireland's coastline. The west of Ireland, produces excellent seafood, most of it caught by traditional methods dating back centuries.

There are many oyster festivals held annually in the coast where oysters are served with Guinness. The most important is on September and held in Galway. An example of a shellfish dish is Dublin Lawyer that contains lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. The most common types of fish used are salmon and cod.

Ireland has become a multicultural nation that has culinary influence from nations all over the globe. Along with traditional Irish food, there's every kind of international cuisine available in the country.

Today, in Ireland, people tend to eat more international food that their own. However, there is still many families that still cook their own traditional recipes every day. Especially with St. Patrick's day, when the Irish spirit is quite high, a traditional Irish meal is a must in parties, get-togethers and family dinners, or at least a green theme meal with spinach, asparagus, leafy greens, potatoes or rice with parsley, and a minty green dessert.

The Irish cuisine can be divided into two categories, traditional and modern. The modern cuisine is the one that is served is restaurants and hotels.

One thing Ireland is famous for is for its Irish breakfast, which is usually a fried or grilled meal that consists of bacon, egg, sausage, black or white pudding, fried tomato and it may also include fried potatoes.

In terms of history, the first recorded Irish cuisine was based on meat and dairy products, served with seafood from the coastal regions and vegetables gathered from the wild. This diet remained unchanged until the arrival from the Normans in the 8^th century, when the Irish were no longer free to hunt wherever they wanted.

The Households of that period started to grow their own vegetables, and with this practice the standard of living improved and the appearance of more dishes increased. The Irish mainly ate from livestock, having dinners with meat and vegetables. Some claim that only in the last 50 years the quality of the Irish diet has returned to what it was at the start of the eighth century.

What marked a big change on the Irish diet was the introduction of the potato from the “New World” that became the essential meal. Even today, an Irish meal without any potatoes is not considered a meal.

Modern Irish chefs are known for their ability to turn simple local produce into healthy flavoursome dishes. The Irish countryside supplies some of the world's best lamb, the southern oceans of Ireland supply an abundance of seafood, and the southern counties of Cork and Limerick provide from grains to strawberries, and of course the most creamy dairy products known for its great quality and flavour.

The Southwest of Ireland is gaining reputation for a distinctive style of Irish cooking, a mixture of French cooking and traditional Irish dishes made with the local products. It is an example of the finest Irish cooking: crusty soda breads, fresh oysters, succulent lamb, and delicious cheeses can be found the fine country houses that serve this healthy menu impossible to miss.

Some recipes of the most important Irish dishes are:

-       County Cork Irish Stew,

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

2 cups cabbage, shredded

1 1/2 cup Peas

1 1/2 cup celery, diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

12 white onions

8 Lamb chops

1 leek, sliced

Some herbs (parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary)

Seasoning

Directions

Season Lamb chops with salt and pepper. In a large saucepan, heat oil and brown the chops on both sides. Remove any melted fat that may accumulate. When all the Lamb chops are brown, add water to cover them. Bring to a boil. Add small amounts of parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary in cheesecloth. Reduce heat and simmer. Add potatoes, cabbage, Onion, leek, white onions and celery. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the Peas. If needed, add more water. Simmer for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are soft. Add seasoning according to your desired taste. Garnish with freshly cut parsley. Serve hot.

-       Irish Pub Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup Mayonnaise (regular or low-fat)

2 tablespoons malt vinegar or white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons water

4 cups Boston or Bibb lettuce, torn

4 cups salad bar ingredients (sliced pickled beets, cucumber, diced tomatoes, chopped celery, shredded cabbage, sliced onions)

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

4 oz Cheddar and/or blue Cheese, cut into wedges

Directions

In a bowl, whisk to blend mayonnaise, vinegar, tarragon, and Dijon mustard. Add enough water to make dressing thin enough to pour. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange lettuce on a platter. Arrange salad bar ingredients over the lettuce. Place sliced hard-boiled eggs on top of the salad bar ingredients. Drizzle dressing over salad. Arrange Cheese wedges around the edge of platter and serve.

As a resume, 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. It is mainly home-made and very healthy.