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A History of the Irish, As Told By Their Food: A Book About Ireland and Irish America, With Recipes
What can butter and ham tell us about Irish history?
In this book, they can tell you a lot. So can the Salmon of Knowledge, the priest’s drop of whiskey and the pig—“the little gentleman who pays the rent.”
This book about Irish food unlocks the secrets of the Emerald Isle, its history and its culture. It explains why oat cakes go with Imbolc and barmbrack with Samhein. It recounts the tragic events that led to the reign of the potato. And it describes how Catholicism affected the Irish diet, from salt fish to dairy cake.
Food also reveals the influence of the Anglo-Normans, the Scandinavians, the French and the English. It explains breakfast in Ulster and teatime in Dublin. Surprising connections can also be discovered between the Irish and American revolutions through food.
View the history of the Irish people in Ireland and in America with this captivating book. Filled with recipes, stories and illustrations, readers will gain a deeper understanding of Irish heritage and culture.
In this book, they can tell you a lot. So can the Salmon of Knowledge, the priest’s drop of whiskey and the pig—“the little gentleman who pays the rent.”
This book about Irish food unlocks the secrets of the Emerald Isle, its history and its culture. It explains why oat cakes go with Imbolc and barmbrack with Samhein. It recounts the tragic events that led to the reign of the potato. And it describes how Catholicism affected the Irish diet, from salt fish to dairy cake.
Food also reveals the influence of the Anglo-Normans, the Scandinavians, the French and the English. It explains breakfast in Ulster and teatime in Dublin. Surprising connections can also be discovered between the Irish and American revolutions through food.
View the history of the Irish people in Ireland and in America with this captivating book. Filled with recipes, stories and illustrations, readers will gain a deeper understanding of Irish heritage and culture.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 28, 2024
Perfect combination of Irish history and recipes.
September 18, 2023
Thoughts of Ireland almost instantly lead to thoughts of food. And it’s not just potatoes! This book, as it says, “chronicles Irish history and explains how food fits into it.” It starts with Celtic salt miners and continues to the present.
What this book is – and isn’t: If you’re looking for a thick book on Irish history – this isn’t it. And if you want an all-inclusive recipe book – this isn’t it, either. But the book does have a good serving of both history and recipes – blended with fascinating facts and trivia.
What A History of the Irish As Told By Their Food is is a collection of short chapters describing thirty iconic Irish foods: Ham, Butter, Oatcakes, Brothchan Buidhe, Salmon, Pea Soup, Cider, Bacon and Cabbage, Irish Stew, Caraway Cake, Ulster Fry-Up, Salt Fish, Colcannon, Shepherd's Pie, Cork Spiced Beef, Clam Chowder, Boxty, Hot Chocolate, Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce, Fraughan Pie, Barmbrack, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Fish and Chips, Champ, Carrageen Pudding, Soda Bread, Dublin Coddle, Oyster Stew, Fifteens, Dairy Cake.
Some – like soda bread – immediately come to mind when you think about Irish food. Others – like hot chocolate – are familiar, but don’t seem especially Irish. Still others – like carageen pudding – may be unfamiliar to most readers.
Each small chapter tells the history of a food, including how it was prepared and eaten in a specific time period. But if you’re not up to butchering your own wild boar and cooking it on a spit, each section also includes a recipe for preparing and serving the item in your own kitchen. The recipes are from a variety of sources, but they all look very manageable and likely delicious.
This is a fun read – a style that is breezy and often funny. One dish, for example, is described as “kind of a gloppy comfort food.” And there are interesting bits of information scattered throughout. Did you know that the sixteenth century was the “Golden Age of Cider,” mainly because cold weather had made grape growing difficult? Or that during the difficult time at Valley Forge George Washington gave the soldiers St. Patrick’s Day off? And that there’s a Jewish connection to the Irish-American love for corned beef? Or a Portuguese connection to the popular fish and chips?
I received an ARC in return for an honest review.
Recommended for anyone who wants a light, enjoyable romp through the world of Irish and Irish-American food.
What this book is – and isn’t: If you’re looking for a thick book on Irish history – this isn’t it. And if you want an all-inclusive recipe book – this isn’t it, either. But the book does have a good serving of both history and recipes – blended with fascinating facts and trivia.
What A History of the Irish As Told By Their Food is is a collection of short chapters describing thirty iconic Irish foods: Ham, Butter, Oatcakes, Brothchan Buidhe, Salmon, Pea Soup, Cider, Bacon and Cabbage, Irish Stew, Caraway Cake, Ulster Fry-Up, Salt Fish, Colcannon, Shepherd's Pie, Cork Spiced Beef, Clam Chowder, Boxty, Hot Chocolate, Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce, Fraughan Pie, Barmbrack, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Fish and Chips, Champ, Carrageen Pudding, Soda Bread, Dublin Coddle, Oyster Stew, Fifteens, Dairy Cake.
Some – like soda bread – immediately come to mind when you think about Irish food. Others – like hot chocolate – are familiar, but don’t seem especially Irish. Still others – like carageen pudding – may be unfamiliar to most readers.
Each small chapter tells the history of a food, including how it was prepared and eaten in a specific time period. But if you’re not up to butchering your own wild boar and cooking it on a spit, each section also includes a recipe for preparing and serving the item in your own kitchen. The recipes are from a variety of sources, but they all look very manageable and likely delicious.
This is a fun read – a style that is breezy and often funny. One dish, for example, is described as “kind of a gloppy comfort food.” And there are interesting bits of information scattered throughout. Did you know that the sixteenth century was the “Golden Age of Cider,” mainly because cold weather had made grape growing difficult? Or that during the difficult time at Valley Forge George Washington gave the soldiers St. Patrick’s Day off? And that there’s a Jewish connection to the Irish-American love for corned beef? Or a Portuguese connection to the popular fish and chips?
I received an ARC in return for an honest review.
Recommended for anyone who wants a light, enjoyable romp through the world of Irish and Irish-American food.
July 1, 2025
interesting read
Educational anecdotes tied to some delicious recipes and some recipes I haven’t tried or even heard of before. I look forward to trying the ones I’m not familiar with.
Educational anecdotes tied to some delicious recipes and some recipes I haven’t tried or even heard of before. I look forward to trying the ones I’m not familiar with.
September 2, 2023
Fascinating. I’ve lived in New England almost my entire life and never knew many of these facts. Loved that each chapter had a corresponding recipe!
September 13, 2023
3.5 stars
February 29, 2024
Excellent
Very informative and well written. Such fascinating information. I will try some of the recipes!
So much history we were never taught.
Very informative and well written. Such fascinating information. I will try some of the recipes!
So much history we were never taught.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews