Irish cuisine – recipes with photos

Most Irish dishes were stewed (meat and vegetables) or boiled (potatoes) to be mashed. Sausages and bacon are usually fried. Some dishes are well known in world cuisine and are prepared in many countries, for example, Irish stew, others are known only in Ireland, but this does not mean that they do not deserve attention (brutigne, coddle). On our website you will find interesting but unfamiliar recipes that will diversify your family menu and surprise your loved ones and friends.

What makes Irish cuisine different?

Traditional Irish cuisine has features unique to it. Firstly, the already mentioned simplicity and satiety. Dishes from potatoes, vegetables and cereals were prepared quickly and simply, usually stewed. Meat was a rare guest on the table, and was treated almost reverently. Cooking them required a lot of time and patience, but the result was brilliant, which is called “finger-licking good”.

Secondly, Irish cuisine offers recipes for interesting dishes that appeared in the pre-potato period and have survived to this day. Moreover, now they are no less popular than in the 15th century. For example, black pudding (similar to black pudding) is now included in a full Irish breakfast.

Thirdly, the Irish had a special attitude towards bread, one of the main products on any table. Traditional bread in this country was baked without the use of yeast or sourdough. It was not luxurious, but was quick to prepare and satisfying. Interesting recipes for baking bread, for which wheat, barley and oat flour were mixed.

Yeast was used only for sweet baked goods, which are no less popular in Ireland and have their own traditions.

- 10 - Lambalæri, Lambahryggur

It would be a fatal mistake to come to Iceland not to try a hot dish of perfectly tasty Icelandic lamb. The lamb here is very tender and tasty, and has no characteristic smell. Oh, Icelanders know a lot about cooking lamb dishes. Juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb combined with vegetables and the most delicate creamy sauce.

In some roadside cafes you can taste lamb goulash; here it will be a little cheaper than in a restaurant, but also very tasty and satisfying.

The average price of a serving in a cafe or restaurant is 32-42 euros. In eateries you can eat lamb goulash for 20-23 euros.

Photo by Þröstur Thorarensen

Irish desserts

National Irish cuisine offers desserts in very small quantities. The most popular are usually considered airy (which is not quite usual) buns made from wheat flour, blaa and barmbrek - a special bread with raisins, which is made from yeast dough.

Bambrek is consumed as an independent dish and used to prepare a popular Irish dessert - gudi. On the eve of the Christian holiday - the Nativity of John the Baptist, this pudding made from dried brambrek must be on the tables of the Irish. It is baked in the oven with milk, sugar and spices, which gives the dish a pleasant taste. In the modern version, cocoa can be used, then the gudi turns out to be chocolate.

We have already said that Irish cuisine is distinguished by its simplicity of preparation, which means that even a novice housewife will not have difficulty handling these dishes. At the same time, she will be able to experience a feeling of pride, surprising her loved ones with an unusual treat. Dare, experiment, and you will definitely succeed!

Irish cuisine: features and traditions

Irish Stew When talking about Ireland, the first thing that comes to mind is St. Patrick's Day, Irish ale and dancing. Few people know that this small island has its own rich culinary traditions. However, it's never too late to discover something new - try original Irish dishes and you might like them. The classic ingredients of Irish cuisine are fresh vegetables, fish (mostly trout and salmon), oysters and other shellfish, the famous soda bread, a variety of cheeses, and, finally, potatoes.

Irish soda bread

Due to the fact that Irish dishes were often mentioned in chronicles, their recipes were not lost and have reached us unchanged. Moreover, scientists were able to reconstruct the process of preparing a soup called fulata fia, which appeared in the 6th century and was used until the 17th century. To do this, shallow holes were dug in the ground, lined with stones and filled with water. After this, it was possible to cook meat in them by throwing hot stones into the water until it boiled.

Of course, in Ireland you are unlikely to be offered such exotic things at present. However, other Irish dishes are unlikely to leave you indifferent. For example, Irish stew is traditional and one of the most popular dishes in the country. It consists of lamb, potatoes, onions, seasoned with parsley and cumin. The meat is cut into small pieces, the vegetables into large pieces, after which they are placed in a pan and stewed for an hour.

Irish soda bread is another old recipe. It is baked from wholemeal flour or white flour, and also contains baking soda and buttermilk.

One cannot fail to mention another integral part of Irish culture – pubs. For an Irishman, going to a pub is not just a reason to drink a glass of beer.

Irish pub

This is a place where you can meet with friends and neighbors, where you can spend the evening in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Pubs are also popular among tourists, as they are a great opportunity to get an unforgettable experience of a lifetime.

The Emerald Isle is the name of Ireland, and one of the features of this country is the production of cheeses. Ireland produces excellent dairy products and the cheese making industry has undergone a recent revival.

Irish cheeses of various types

In fact, many different types of cheese are made in Ireland, but most of them are only supplied to the domestic market. Cheese exports are represented by the most famous brands produced in sufficient quantities:

Ardrahan cheese is produced in County Cork in the south of Ireland and is made from pasteurized milk. The cheese has a semi-soft consistency and a nutty aroma similar to Swiss AppenZeller cheese.
Lock Blarney is one of the most famous Irish cheeses, made from pasteurized cow's milk, has a semi-soft consistency, pleasant taste, and is supplied to 80 countries around the world.
Boil - this type of cheese is produced in two types: from cow's and goat's milk, it is a soft cheese, and is packaged in glass jars with sunflower oil, garlic and herbs. An excellent cheese for picnics and snacks.
Cheddars cheese is made in County Limerick from pasteurized cow's milk with the addition of flavorings; when cut, the cheese has an unusual appearance reminiscent of marble.
Dublin cheese tastes like mature cheddar with a sweet Pormigiano-Reggiano aftertaste. Created by the Irish company Rerrygold and named after the capital of Ireland.
Carrigaline cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk, both without additives and with the addition of garlic and various seasonings.
Durrus is a type of cheese made from raw cow's milk that, when ripened, intensifies its aroma and develops a piquant taste, ideal for use with fruit.

National Irish dishes: soda bread and cheese
The most famous of Irish cheeses, Cashel Blue, is made from pasteurized cow's milk on the dairy farm of Jane and Louis Grubb in County Tipperary, like many other types of rennet cheeses. The production of this type began in 1984, it is made entirely by hand from whole milk, in cross-section the structure has blue veins, which gives it an original, unusual look. After about three months, the cheese is completely ready for use. At the “Best Cheese” competition in 2006, he received a gold medal.

The production of various types of cheeses would be impossible without high-quality cow's milk, which is produced by Holstein cows, currently the most common breed of dairy cattle, with a fat content of 3 to 4% milk fat. This breed was developed in the Netherlands in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and then spread throughout the world.

Frere Gaster

I tried Irish salad for the first time during my vagabond life in Spain. Why is it an Irish salad? God knows.

Maybe this is due to the large number of Irish mercenaries who served at one time (in the 16th-18th centuries) in the Spanish army; maybe the Irish diaspora in Asturias and the Basque Country is to blame; maybe someone heard something and depicted it in their own way... I think it’s unlikely that the Irish on their beloved green island would actively use native Spanish jamon in a salad; and in the 18th century, no one (not even the Irish) could have come up with a salad made from canned peas (canned food appeared a little later, during the Napoleonic wars). Although... If you make something similar from boiled peas and the same ham, it will turn out to be almost cocido (you should make it for yourself on occasion). In general, I am inclined to believe that this name arose as a result of some kind of misunderstanding...

In any case, this food has several undeniable advantages.

She's delicious. It's simple. She gets ready quickly.

So if:

guests have come to you and you urgently need to feed them something like that
you are tired after work
you need to have time to prepare your food 5 minutes before the start of a movie or football match
you're just lazy

this dish is for you. In addition, you can enjoy this salad with anything - from beer to vodka.

Irish Salad Ingredients

A can of canned green peas (400 grams).
Jamon (50 grams). In principle, any dried ham can be substituted. Or jerky. If you wish, you can even use non-cured ham.
Olive oil (2-4 tablespoons).
Lemon juice (1-2 tablespoons). Can be replaced with grape vinegar. Or sherry vinegar - it may turn out even tastier than with lemon juice.
Ground black pepper (to taste).
Salt (as needed, usually not needed).

Cooking Irish salad

It's very fast and simple. Just four steps.

Place the peas in a bowl of appropriate size.
Finely chop the jamon. Add to the peas.
Season with two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of lemon juice (you can add more oil and lemon juice if desired).
Let's pepper it. Let's try. If necessary, add salt. Or oil, lemon juice, pepper - whatever suits your taste. Don't get carried away, by the way.

Ready. We use it in any convenient way in any convenient place.

You can try the second option - instead of olive oil and lemon juice, add four tablespoons of mayonnaise. Tasty too. But personally, I like the first option better.

Bon appetit.

List of traditional Irish dishes and drinks[edit | edit code]

Cabbage and Bacon - bacon stewed with cabbage (Irish cuisine).
Barmbrack - bread with fresh grapes and raisins.
Beamish stout - beer (stout).
Black and Tan is a beer cocktail made by layering a light beer (usually a pale spruce) and a dark beer (usually a stout).
Blaa - buns from County Waterford
Boxty - potato pancakes.
Carrageen moss pudding - milk pudding.
Champ - mashed potatoes mixed with green onions, butter and milk.
Coddle - sausages and bacon stewed with potatoes and onions.
Colcannon - mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and butter.
Crubeens is a boiled, salted pork leg.
Mairteoil ar Guinness - beef with vegetables stewed in Guinness beer.
Dulse is a dark red algae called Palmaria palmata
. Used dried.
Drisheen is a type of black pudding.
Goody is a pudding made from wheat bread, milk, sugar and spices.
Guinness - beer (stout).
Full Irish breakfast is the same as a full English breakfast, they are also called “fry”.
Irish coffee is a cocktail of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, topped with whipped cream.
Baileys Irish cream is a liqueur made from Irish whiskey, coffee, cream and other ingredients.
Irish Mist is a liqueur made from Irish whiskey, heather, clover, honey and aromatic herbs.
Irish stew - stewed lamb with potatoes and onions.
Skirts and kidneys is an Irish stew made from pork and pork kidneys.
Soda bread is a yeast-free bread made using soda and buttermilk.
Poitín is a moonshine made from malt or potatoes.