The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Irish Foods. If you manage to be in an Irish restaurant or you are visiting Ireland, I recommend the following:
1. Shepherd’s Pie
It consists of a layer of minced lamb meat covered with mashed potato. The minced meat is fried with onions, peas, carrots and other vegetables; when done, a layer of thick mashed potato is added and baked in the oven until brown and crisp. Other variations are Cottage pie (if made with veal) and Fisherman’s pie (with fish).
2. Irish Stew
Traditional Irish stew is perhaps the country’s best-known dish. Using inexpensive ingredients such as potatoes, carrots and onions, this stew dates back many centuries and uses lamb, but beef is also often used, and in many places Guinness is added, just in case that wasn’t Irish enough.
3. Boxty
A boxty is a unique type of Irish pancake made with the country’s most ubiquitous ingredient: the potato. Combining finely grated potatoes and mashed potatoes, this mixture is pan-fried and often served with a full Irish breakfast. Most commonly found in areas such as Mayo and Sligo, boxty is a cheap and filling dish commonly eaten by the poor in Ireland – the name is thought to come from the Irish arán bocht tí, meaning poor house bread.
4. Meat and Potatoes
It is the traditional main meal combined. And as the name suggests, it is typically prepared with ground beef and potatoes (roasted or mashed). So, if you plan to travel to this majestic land or simply want to experience the flavours of Ireland, this is the one to try.
5. Irish Coffee
It’s not exactly a dish, but it’s one of the country’s quintessential drinks and that’s why it should be on our top Irish food list. The Irish have a long and ancient tradition with coffee. The recipe currently used in Ireland was created in 1940 and is a coffee made with cream, sugar and whiskey. Ideal to start the day with a bang.
6. Coddle
Strongly associated with Dublin, it is usually composed of leftovers from other meals such as sausages, bacon, onions and potatoes. Made by simmering broth and cooking the ingredients inside, this dinner may sound like an afterthought, but it is beloved by Dubliners.
7. Irish Soda Bread
Authentic Irish soda bread recipes have been handed down from father to son for generations. Soda bread is a form of quick bread, which means it is leavened with something other than yeast, in this case bicarbonate of soda. The other ingredients are flour, buttermilk and salt, making it a simple and quick recipe. Available in both white and brown, soda bread is a filling snack when topped with creamy Irish butter and accompanied by a cup of tea.
8. Barmbrack
Barmbrack is a type of sweet Irish bread made with sultanas and sultanas and usually served with tea. This sweet is especially popular around Halloween, when traditionally items were added to the dough to make a kind of festive fortune-telling game. Items included a coin, which was believed to bring wealth, and a ring, which meant that the finder would be married within a year. Barmbrack can be found in many cafés and is a sweet that many locals eat at tea time.
9. Champ
This dish is nothing more than a delicious mashed potato. Champ is ideal as a side dish for meat and bbq roasts. It is usually served with onions, parsley, milk and butter. The good thing about champs is that it is very easy to prepare and inexpensive.
10. Black and White Pudding
Some of the best recipes are the result of people’s creativity and limited resources, such as the black and white pudding, the star of the full Irish breakfast. Black pudding is made from pork, fat and blood mixed with barley, suet, oats and some herbs and spices. The list of ingredients may sound a little scary, but it’s delicious.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional European Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.