Ireland - Cookery

IRISH COOKERY

IRISH BREAKFAST

If you will have the chance to sleep in one of the many B&Bs, you will find yourselves in the morning facing an abundant breakfast with some of these deliciousness:

Bacon and Eggs

Grilled Tomatoes

Sausages

Brioche or bread with jam

Milk and cereals

Tea or Coffee

Here are some changes, like the Ulster Fry that you will find in Northern Ireland, add to the above menu a potato pie, oats and soda bread, black pudding, beans in tomato sauce, fruits.
A breakfast of this kind is absolutely nourishing even if a little bit heavy, especially for the Italian tradition; but with one of these breakfast you can easily skip lunch (or do light one), and wait for dinner until 6-6,30pm.

TRADITIONAL COOKERY

Among the best things the traditional cookery offers bread plays an important role. There are many varieties and among these the most nourishing and "unusual" is Soda Bread, made with bicarbonate, and many kind of white and brown bread.

This last one, with veil of salted butter, is an optimal accompaniment to many soups: with mushrooms, fish, sea-fruits, legumes or vegetables. Especially when the weather is very bad and cold, they can a great relief. Attention for vegetarians: often also vegetables soups, contain small pieces of meat; it's best to ask in advance.

A soup (5Kb)

Among the courses worth of a taste are:

Dublin Coddle: a dish of minced sausage, ham and bacon stewed with potatoes and onions;

Irish Stew: lamb or mutton stew with onions, parsley and potatoes. Perfect "myth" of Irish cookery, is presented in some varying where it's baked in a stout beer: You must taste it !

Bacon & cabbage: Stew of bacon and cabbage.

Boxty: Dublin's speciality not always easy to find. It's a kind of potato pancake filled in different ways.

Colcannon: mashed potatoes and cabbage with butter

There are delicious fishes: trout or salmon can be found everywhere cooked in several ways. Especially in the Galway area oysters and Guinness must be tasted.

Many kind of cheeses (some also really famous in the world) even if unfortunately in supermarkets and smallest shops often you can only find Cheddar. Among the most exquisite cheeses there are Cashel Blue, St.Killian and the smoked Durrus.

Among the most widespread desserts there are apple or bilberry tarts and porter cake, cake with dried fruits and beer. Delicious are the scones, brown or white, with raisin or without, usually served with a cup of dark tea.

WHAT TO DRINK

A pint of Guinness (4Kb)

During a meal it's used to drink water or many kind of fizzy drinks. It's hard to have beer with one's meal, and you can find wine only at restaurants and at a really expensive price. Cheaper than Italian and French wines are those so-called New World wines (from Chile, Australia, California etc etc). If you go to the pub you must taste beer, especially Guinness. For the one who doesn't know it, is a stout (dark beer) extremely full-bodied, usually served at ambient temperature and not much sparkling. It's absolutely different from the one you can usually find in Italy, it's much more creamy and a little bit more sweet. If however you still find it too much bitter, try to ask it with Blackcurrants that sweetens its taste. Other stouts, especially popular in the Cork area, are Murphy's and Beamish.

Obviously you won't only find dark beers in Ireland (even if these are the most diffused) and you should ask for lager like Harp or excellent ale like Smithwick's and Kilkenny.
Really widespread is also cider, that in supermarkets is sold in can or 2 litres bottles and that can be a good stop between two Guinness.

Whiskey (with an "e" for not confusing it with the Scottish whisky) is very famous and it's also quite different from the Scotch (the Irish is distilled 3 times, Scotch 2). You can find both single malt and blended and among the most important labels there are Paddy's (the most drunk by Irishes), Jameson, Bushmills, Power's and Tullamore Dew.

It's almost impossible to find Poteen, the potato liqueur whose distillation is still illegal. You can find a softer version (40% alcohol, the original Poteen has more than double) in Duty Free at the airports.

WHERE TO EAT

The best places for eating something are the pubs, where you can find a good ratio quality/price. Usually courses are much generous, with hamburger or several kind of meat served with chips and other vegetables. You will find everywhere soups or more plain sandwiches. It's quite difficult to find a pub with a much varied meny . The time when usually food is served is between 12 and the 2:30pm. Very few pubs serve dinner.

There are also many kind of Fish & Chips small kiosks (take a look at Roddy Doyle's The Van), where you will find fish and some hamburgers. In the largest towns there are some American Fast-food (MacDonald's, Burgher King, Kentucky Fried Chicken) and some locals.
Among the irish gastronomic customs you can see they usually add salt and malt vinegar to the big potatoes large (not the one you can find at MacDonald's). I personally love it, but all of my friends are disgusted by this habit.

In restaurants you will find much more rich menus than those at the pub, but they aren't always much better and they are absolutely much more expensive. Widespread are also Italian, Indian, Chinese and other exotic restaurants.

BACK TO VARIOUS PAGE

Dublin Coddle: a dish of minced sausage, ham and bacon stewed with potatoes and onions;
Irish Stew: lamb or mutton stew with onions, parsley and potatoes. Perfect "myth" of Irish cookery, is presented in some varying where it's baked in a stout beer: You must taste it !
Bacon & cabbage: Stew of bacon and cabbage. Boxty: Dublin's speciality not always easy to find. It's a kind of potato pancake filled in different ways.
Colcannon: mashed potatoes and cabbage with butter There are delicious fishes: trout or salmon can be found everywhere cooked in several ways. Especially in the Galway area oysters and Guinness must be tasted. Many kind of cheeses (some also really famous in the world) even if unfortunately in supermarkets and smallest shops often you can only find Cheddar. Among the most exquisite cheeses there are Cashel Blue, St.Killian and the smoked Durrus.
Among the most widespread desserts there are apple or bilberry tarts and porter cake, cake with dried fruits and beer. Delicious are the scones, brown or white, with raisin or without, usually served with a cup of dark tea.