Usually, one of our organisers when planning holiday is food. That is easy with places like France where the national cuisine is known to us, but we really did not have a frame of reference for Ireland beyond potatoes. Now I know that is borderline racist, but it is what it is, we had heard of Irish stew but all research suggested it was a loose casserole. Through the cooking shows I watch I had heard of champ and colcannun – both potato side dishes, but we came in knowing very little for certain.
Carbs are pretty high on a traditional Irish diet. Potatoes are important and we have had them many ways. I had mash with spring onions (champ) with a rather lovely puddle of Beef with Guinness stew in a pub one evening- filling and delicious. We also had “boxty” which are potato pancakes, deliciously (and perhaps oddly) filled with curried lamb. Packs of Tayto crisps are also a national tradition. Getting plain salted crisps is impossible, standard taytos are cheese and onion, but you can get enamel dissolving salt and vinegar, bacon and other odder flavours. Cheese and onion crisps are nice, good for a chip buttie.
Bready carbs are also important. Soda bread is sort of like a mealy damper, served everywhere, often buttered, sometimes toasted but filing and delicious. It was a side dish for soup, in the bread basket at high end restaurants and available as a slab of sliced in the supermarket. It differs from damper in texture and grain – most soda breads are brown, some whole grain, delicious.
I was surprised how diverse the menus were in pubs, pub grub is important here, and the pub culture in Ireland (and the UK) is so profoundly different to Australian pub culture. Here, families come to the bars, eat meals and sing along together, that is rather wonderful. My experience of Australian pubs is based on country ones where it used to be rare to see women in the main bar (thankfully that has changed) and people go there to drink and get drunk. While I am sure there is an element of that in any country, the “going down the pub for a few pints of Guinness” is seen as very normal and not at all boozy, talking blarney and singing songs is also the norm. People are really friendly and the pub vibe is welcoming, warm and wonderful. Read more
