Everyone knows you haven’t really arrived until you’ve “O”-rrived. In preparing for St. Patrick’s Day festivities, Brigitt Earley of O, The Oprah Magazine, asked Joe Scully of Chestnut and Corner Kitchen to suggest some dishes other than the predictable (and sorry, not so Irish) Corned Beef and Cabbage. He was more than happy to oblige. Six of his suggestions were included in the holiday round-up.
From the article:
When you think about Irish food, the first thing that probably comes to mind is corned beef and cabbage. But it turns out corned beef is not considered an Irish national dish, says David McKane, the executive chef of Kilkea Castle in county Kildare. “The connection with Saint Patrick’s Day specifically originates as part of Irish-American culture, and is often part of their celebrations in North America,” he says. This might lead you to wonder then: What do people who live in Ireland eat? Here, Irish chefs and restaurant owners dish on traditional Irish food, so you can serve the most authentic meal at your St. Patrick’s Day party, including soda bread and a seriously tasty trifle to whip up for dessert.
Traditionally, Irish bacon, a lean, smoked pork loin similar to Canadian bacon, was the most ubiquitous meat on the table in Ireland, namely because it was cheap, says McKane. But when Irish immigration to the United States exploded, immigrants found the cost of pork in this country to be prohibitively 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.
Irish soda bread is a quick bread made without yeast. It rises, because, when combined, baking soda and buttermilk act as a leavening agent. According to The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook, the bread is usually scored with a cross to help it rise. Irish folklore says this also helps ward off evil and let the fairies out.
