Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

We are all familiar with traditional Irish foods—Irish stew, potatoes, cabbage, soda bread, potatoes and cabbage, corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, and green beer. (Well, green beer is really more of an Irish-American tradition. Or maybe it is more just an American tradition. There are probably many more people drinking green beer that are not of Irish descent than are.)

Other traditional staples in Ireland included grains (especially oats) and dairy products. The Irish have been accomplished cheese makers for centuries. Soups, seafood, and meats such as beef, lamb, and pork are also traditional staples.

It has only been in the last few decades that the Irish diet has changed much. This change related heavily to more Irish having the economic means to travel to mainland Europe and other parts of the world. There they ate new foods and wanted to continue to eat them when they returned home. Today the typical Irish diet is similar to that of Western cultures.

There is also a large slow food movement in Ireland. There is greater emphasis on using the freshest foods available and taking time with preparation.

If you were to travel to Ireland today, you would find many of the same foods there as you would here.