Traditional Foods of Ireland

Irish cuisine doesn’t enjoy the same kind of popularity as beer and whiskey. If you’re looking for a more authentic St. Patrick’s Day, put down the usual pub fare and try one of these traditional Irish foods.

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Soda Bread

Unlike most American dishes, soda bread was created in America before it was imported to Europe, arriving in Ireland around the 1840s. The recipe allowed people who didn’t have an oven (which was mostly everybody) to bake a loaf of bread in a bastible, a big cast-iron pot.

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Champ

Made up of mashed potatoes, scallions, butter and milk, champ is the cheaper cousin of colcannon, which replaces the scallions with kale and cabbage. The dish was popular with working-class laborers who needed an affordable source of energy, though today it is traditionally served on Halloween.

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Shepherd’s Pie

As one of the most well known dishes of Ireland, shepherd’s pie can be found in Irish pubs across America. Sometimes called cottage pie, this casserole is made of leftover minced meat, vegetables and gravy with a mashed potato crust.

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Black Pudding

Across the pond, pudding doesn’t refer to the sweet, creamy desserts we’re familiar with here. Black pudding is actually a blood sausage in Ireland, created when people realized the leftover blood and fat could be made into a tasty beef or pork dish. Today, it is considered a delicacy and served in a traditional breakfast.

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Barmbrack

Barmbrack is a sweetbread that is usually the center of Irish Halloween, where people play a fortune-telling game by baking items into the loaf. Picking out a pea, stick, cloth or coin will determine the person’s future.