(Promoted from the Diaries - K)
Forgive the unimaginative title, and the fact that I have no pictures of food. I spent a whirlwind two days in Dublin, and managed to get hardly any pictures. Which is too bad since it was gray and drizzly all week and I've always felt green things look especially green, almost luminous, in that weather (It's worth mentioning here that I was born in Washington). In any case, I had some excellent food in Dublin and some that I can only describe as "what globalization hath wrought", much of that from what the guidebooks call "self-catering" and what I call "tired, broke, desperation".
In any case, starting with the excellent: With much fear and trepidation I tried the restaurant recommended in a Bon Apetit article on "Euro Bargains", Ely HQ, and I have to say, I was just wrong to approach with fear and trepidation, bon apetit was just right. That's all there is too it. This lovely restaurant is tucked into a narrow little slot about two blocks away from St. Stephan's Green so it's easy to get to (or as easy as anything is when trying to navigate the Dublin bus system, which is fast, reliable, and requires several years of study to use with success). You sit down and are handed a one page menu and five page wine list. Nice. I ordered venison medallions with new potato wedges. The potatoes were, it has to be said, a little salty, but I found myself not caring because it was just so profoundly good. The venison was perfectly seared but pink and bloody just beyond the crust, nestled on soft, almost caramelized onions and swimming in a wine reduction pan sauce that, according to my hastily scrawled notes was simply, "brilliant!". I may or may not have licked the plate. Sources will not confirm. I spent a total of about 30 Euros on the meal including tip (I was not sure if that was necessary) which is reasonable for a really good meal, and I do think it was a good deal, even if not out and out cheap. If you want to go though, go at lunch, their dinner menu is close to twice that.
The other really excellent meal I had was at the cafeteria at Marks and Spencer. Seriously. I'm not entirely sure how British food got such a bad reputation, but I think it was from someone who willfully ignored afternoon tea. Technically I had brunch at M&S, but since that consisted of a devon scone, apple cake (the filled sponge cake kind), and a pot of Earl Grey I think it counts as a tea, culinary speaking. I can't say enough about the scones. They were the kind of magical baked good that proves the goodness of simple food done right (especially with strawberry jam). They were so good I found myself not even caring that there was no clotted cream in sight. The tea was perfectly done, and here's the cool part, by them. I am always a little annoyed about the do it yourself tea served in even nice places in the US. They either put leaves in it or a nasty bag. I am a firm believer that tea should only steep for so long, so when it's done, you have to remove it from the leave then, and only then, so if you're served a pot of tea with leaves you only get one good pour. At M&S they brew fresh tea periodically and keep it in giant, hot urns so it comes to you brewed perfectly, because frankly if I'm going to spend 3 dollars for a pot of tea with maybe 25 cents worth of leaves in it I want someone else to do the work. It's called value added people. The cake was also lovely, appley and perfectly spiced with thick buttercream caramel frosting between the layers and on top (but not the sides) and dusted with confectioner's sugar. Not a well balanced meal, and it did serve as my lunch (I had a lot of luck with lunch) so shame on me I suppose. Oh well.
As far as the bad, I have three words for you: hoisin duck wrap. I don't know what I was thinking. I was at a convenience store (Spar, if you're interested), hungry, tired, and a long walk from the nearest decent pub and I saw this and thought "My what a zesty and intriguing combination", hoisin "duck" wrapped with roasted bell peppers, arugula, and scallion in a whole wheat tortilla. As I mentioned earlier: what globalization hath wrought. I'm sure it is obvious to you that the duck only faintly resembled a once buoyant water fowl and really the same could be said for every other ingredient (although why arugula would resemble a water fowl is anyone's guess). I ate the whole thing. I was that hungry and tired.
As far as ugly we have the Irish breakfast. Consisting of sausage, bacon, tomatoes, eggs, black pudding, white pudding, brown bread with irish butter (yum!), and some potatoes it's substantially ugly and absurdly good, not that I can claim to have eaten the whole thing.
1013 views • Categories: Irish There's little advice I can give in regard to the American Celebrations surrounding St. Patrick's Day, aside from the following:
Adding green food coloring to Budweiser is a waste of good food coloring.
Beyond that, nothing I can say will really change the way we Americans approach the celebration of all things Irish. Nor should it. However, most of what goes on, at least food-wise, bespeaks volumes on how much we really don't know about Ireland. But St. Patrick's Day, at least here in America, isn't about Ireland as much as it is about Irish-Americans.
But it is interesting just what foods are tottered out for March 17th. Some of the foods get close to traditional Irish foods. Others, not so much.
Corned beef and cabbage is as good as place to start as any, because most Irish folk, historically speaking, never saw beef on a regular basis, corned or otherwise. And if they were lucky enough to have it, corned beef was served, not in honor of St. Patrick, but as an Easter dish, as sort of an excuse to get rid of the last cured meat in the pantry before acquiring newer, fresher meats. As Bridget Haggerty wrote on the website Irish Culture and Customs:
So, what meat did the Irish eat? History tells us that pork was always the favorite. In ancient times, cattle were prized as a common medium for barter. The size of one’s herd was an indication of status, wealth and power -- hence all the stories of tribal chieftains and petty kings endlessly rustling one another’s cattle.
Long after the cattle raids were a distant memory, the majority of Irish people still didn’t eat very much beef because it was much too expensive and those who could afford it, consumed it fresh.
But there at least some attempt at eating something Irish when Corned beef is on the menu. American attempts at Irish desserts often miss the mark completely. The recipes usually contain items that are heavy on chocolate, mint, or both, and then frosted green. But one should not dismiss these recipes, as they do contain chocolate, mint or even both. (I'll pass on the green frosting, thank you).
Drinking is the best known activity on March 17th here in the States, with beer being the primary liquid refreshment consumed. Out of all of the misinterpretations we make in regard to the Irish, this is the one pastime that should be rectified. Lagers should be avoided at all costs, and mass marketed lagers even more so. Guinness and Murphy's Irish Stout are both great choices, as are any Irish ciders that you may come across.
Out of all of the bad choices one could make on St. Patrick's, the most blasphemous would be in ordering a Black and Tan. Anyone promoting this drink clearly demonstrates their lack of knowledge of Irish history. Use of Guinness in a Black and Tan is really misunderstanding Irish history.
These are, for the most part, my own opinions. We Americans have a history of viewing other cultures through our own biased lenses, and it's not my intent to look down upon anyone who doesn't get it quite right. It certainly isn't the first time that we've misunderstood a different culture's food. However, if we are to celebrate the Irish in addition to Irish-Americans, we should expand our vision beyond the scope of our own borders, and try to get their heritage at least a little bit right. Raising a pint of Guinness should do nicely, I think.
2890 views • Categories: Irish Being that today is St. Patrick's day (who, if I recall, was the patron saint of Quality footwear), I'd figured I'd delve into what comprises Irish cuisine.
It would be easy to lump Irish Cuisine in with English, and there is some crossover. But there are also some major differences. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
It might be a tad cliche to bring up the potato when talking about Ireland, but the truth is that the introduction of the tuber upon the Isle had drastic ramifications in a relatively short period of time. Consider this: the potato wasn't even known in Europe until 1570, and didn't hit the shores of England until 1590. But by 1770, a mere 180 years, it was considered a staple of Ireland. I could go into the details as to why...easy to grow, provided quick food for the poor, provided economic sustanence with as little as 10 acres of land...all of that you can read about elsewhere...the important thing to know is that Irish cuisine has a distinct point in its gastronomic history that should be acknowldged.
Prior to the potato, the cuisine has been best described by Denis Leary as food you slurp."Irish Cuisine?! What are we famous for cuisine-wise? We put everything in a pot and we boil it for seventeen and a half hours straight, until you can eat it with a straw. SLUUURP! Thanks, Ma. Where's dessert? Okay, there it is. SLUUURP. Thanks, Ma. It's not a cuisine, folks. That's penance."
There's much truth to that as the primary means of cooking was done with the use of a cauldron. Ovens have yet to be found by archaeologists looking into Ireland's past. If your using a cauldron, chances are better than good that your making things such as pottage and soups. What you would put into the pot would determine the soups you made. This was determined (as is everything when it comes to food) on where you lived. This meant fish and mollusks on the coasts, game and domesticated animals inland.
Meat-wise they ate cattle and pigs, while eating goats and sheep less often. With fish, salmon was popular as well as trout, pike, perch, and other river fish. Cod, hake, whiting, mackerel and skate as well as shellfish were pulled from the sea. Being an island, Ireland has a strong seafood community, something often overlooked when thinking about typical Irish foods.
As cattle was prevelent , this means they had the cows for milk, which means cheeses and butter. Mmm.. pork fat and butter were staples of Irish cuisine. I think this explains a fair amount.
For grains, oats and barley were the most popular. Although one can mill flour from both of these grains, they don't handle as well as say, rice or wheat flour. This might explain the lack of breads that you see elsewhere so prevelant elsewhere in Europe. The Irish had bread, just not as much of a tradition as other nations.
Vegetables? Mostly onions, celery, carrots and parsnips were found on the island, while peas and beans, kale and cabbage were introduced by others.
Once the potato was added to the diet however, things changed drastically. Soups were thickened with the potato, and it became the vegetable of choice. There are many Irish dishes involving potatoes. Colcannon is a dish made of potato and either wild garlic, cabbage or curly kale. Champ is a combination of mashed potato and egg, into which chopped scallions are mixed.
One also cannot discuss food in Ireland without touching upon class. After the introduction of the potato, the greatest increase to the population came from the poorest segment of the people. A poor family would rent between 1 and 10 acres of land for a season to grow potatoes. This enabled then to pay their rent, build a cottage and to feed themselves. While the middle and upper class could feed themselves with soda bread, apple tarts and Irish stews, the poor often would eat simply potatoes supplemented by salted herrings in winter and cabbage in summer. That's why the Potato Famine ended up being so devastating. The dependence by 3/5ths of the counties in Ireland on one crop allowed Ireland to be set up for tragedy.
This was just a brief overview of Irish food. I didn't even touch upon sausages and puddings, which are just about my favorite aspects of Irish foods.
Typical Irish dishes include:
Many Thanks to John Linnane's site, from which much of this information was pulled from. Read the whole site if your big into food history.
