By Emily Burich
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, what’s more festive than trying a variety of traditional Irish dishes? I may only be ⅛ Irish, but this culture’s food greatly compels me to celebrate my heritage every day. Some of my favorite traditional Irish dishes are listed below.
- Soda bread
Soda bread is a variety of quick bread in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The “soda” in the name comes from the baking soda (or “bread soda” in Ireland) used to leaven it instead of yeast and kneading. Overall, this bread is super yummy and I would definitely eat this with butter or dipping it in some tomato soup. (Recipe)
- Colcannon
Because of their abundance, potatoes are widely-used in Irish cooking. Colcannon is a traditional dish made of mashed potatoes mixed with greens, such as cabbage or kale. Mashed potatoes and greens mixed with heavy cream create the perfect side that pairs well with any meat dish. (Recipe)
- Irish Stew Pie
Can’t decide between a stew and a pie? Don’t worry, this dish combines the two into one epic dish: Irish stew pie! It’s your favorite hearty Irish stew tucked in a flaky pie crust, because two comfort foods are better than one. The pie filling is a combination of lamb, potatoes, carrots, and onions in a thick and creamy tomato sauce. The crust is super easy too; it’s just two pieces of puff pastry. The result is a scrumptious savory pie that’s both taste bud-tingling and soul-satisfying. (Recipe)
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
This dish is a classic! The hot, steamy beef and soft cabbage work great together to make one of the best Irish dishes of all time. It has more than just corned beef and cabbage, though! Loaded with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, this dish is both hearty and affordable. This is a slow-cooked dish, which means you can expect melt-in-your-mouth meat seasoned with savory flavors. (Recipe)