Page 28 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - Ireland

26 BACK ROADS IRELAND

The Flavours of Ireland

For a small island, Ireland offers an amazing range of foods, and
a high standard of both cooking and presentation. Some of
Ireland’s speciality dishes, such as boxty and colcannon, are
based on its humble staple, the potato. Artisan breads and Irish
cheeses are made to traditional recipes in time-honoured
fashion. Fresh salmon, oysters and other seafood take pride of
place on menus in season. And you can enjoy Ireland’s best ales Above Flower-decked shop fronts along
and stout, and its exquisite aged whiskeys, at any time of year. Main Street, Cashel, Co Tipperary
Irish Specialities Of Ireland’s many potato dishes, Breads and Baked Goods
Ireland has a marvellous array of a favourite is boxty, a griddled Bread is baked and served as proudly
traditional dishes to try. Most are pancake made of grated raw and as any other food in Ireland, and
based on simple ingredients – mashed cooked potato with there is a delicious assortment to try.
potatoes, cabbage, bacon and the buttermilk. Others to look out for A slice of warm, freshly baked bread,
like – that were important staples in include champ (or poundies), a generously spread with butter, and
the centuries when Ireland was mashed potato and spring onion a cup of tea is a traditional sign of
primarily a rural country. A culinary dish served shaped like a volcano hospitality. Home-made brown or
resurgence has seen these basics with warmed milk and a knob soda bread is an accompaniment to
being used in new ways by artisan of butter in the “crater”, and most meals. Soda bread, which has
food producers, and there is often colcannon, made with mashed a light texture, uses baking soda
great pride invested in their cooking. potatoes, onions and cabbage. instead of yeast as a leavening agent,
Perhaps because they’re mostly and also contains buttermilk. In
cooked at home, many traditional Fish and Seafood Northern Ireland, soda bread is
Irish dishes can be surprisingly hard The abundance of fresh fish and baked in the “farl” shape, with a cross
to find on restaurant menus. They seafood from the Atlantic, the Irish slashed into the top of the dough,
are most likely to appear as daily Sea and the country’s many rivers is giving it a flatter form that is easily
specials in family-run pubs or small one of the delights of eating out in split into four sections. Soda farls are
cafés, or in independently owned Ireland. Locally caught fish such as a key constituent in an Ulster fry.
restaurants that specialize in Irish wild salmon and trout are highlights When made with wholemeal (rather
home cooking. on many restaurant menus, and oak- than white) flour, soda bread is called
Irish stew is the national dish, a or peat-smoked salmon is a popular brown bread in the Republic and
slow-cooked casserole made with starter. Herring, mackerel and eels wheaten bread in Northern Ireland.
neck of mutton (mature lamb), are also served smoked or fresh. In Waterford, the traditional soft
potatoes, carrots and onions and Fish chowder is sold in most pubs white doughy roll (bun) known as
served with fresh bread and butter. and restaurants in coastal villages. blaa was brought to the city by the
Dublin coddle is made with pork Seafood and shellfish are plentiful Huguenots in the 17th century.
sausages, bacon and vegetables along the coast: mussels from Bantry There is also a wide variety of
cooked in a ham or apple cider Bay, langoustines from Dublin Bay sweet breads and cakes to try:
stock. The magical combination and oysters from Galway Bay are the scones; barm brack, a rich, fruity
of beef and Guinness makes for a most renowned. Oysters are often cake-bread traditionally eaten at
rich, dark stew, sometimes with the served with Guinness at annual Hallowe’en; and porter cake, which is
addition of oysters for extra luxury. oyster festivals in the region. made with dried fruit and stout.

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