Irish Foo - Before the potato
It seems like when St. Patrick’s Day comes around on March 17 everyone becomes an Irishman. Give me a break. Luckily you don’t have to be from Ireland or travel to enjoy the flavors that Ireland has become famous for. Traditional Irish food that is served for dinner in America would consist of corned beef and cabbage. You could also build a green theme, not necessarily Irish food but it will work for your parties or get togethers. You can try asparagus, spinach, any leafy green potatoes or rice with parsley and make a minty green dessert.
I researched Irish food and came up with a brief summary of how Irish food came to be.
In the 17th century the introduction of the potatoes came about. At the time it was considered the greatest occurrence by some and by others the worse calamity to be fall the people of Ireland. Before the potatoes there were several other foods eaten by the people of Ireland and I will tell you about them and the way Irish food changed when the potatoes came along.
Milk cheese meat cereals and some vegetables formed the main part of what Irishman ate. The history of the Irish food diet should start with the use of the cauldron, a three legged pot that hung over the fire and simmered all day. Depending on where you were from either inland or on the coast the type of Irish food would vary. If you were on the coast, shellfish, seaweed, some herbs and vegetables made up the stew. Fowl and feathered game were also cooked by covering them with a couple of inches of mud or blue clay without plucking or removing the intestines. The clay would of course become hard as a stone. It was broken open and the feathers would come away from the bird and it would be fully cooked. They also made stew this way.
Unfortunately for the lower class good Irish food such as the meat the upper class were able to get, they had to eat salted pork which was the cheapest of any meat to buy. They would eat this as their main meal all year long. The blood was collected after each slaughter and used to make pudding, which is still used today in some parts of Ireland. Since this Irish food of pork was not enough the poor had to supplement with venison, hedgehogs wild goats wild boar and river fish.
Ireland is probably famous for the non Irish food known as Mead, the oldest alcoholic beverage in the world. This was considered a delicacy by Irishman and was consumed before the start and after the feast. Mead was made from fermenting honey and water with herbs and spices and finished by sweating it with more honey.
You can go online to find more information of Irish food history. The page I went on had recipes for different foods at the top of the page.