Traditional cooking of Ireland Blog #3

In the late 1500s the potato was introduced to Ireland. It swept out older staples of foods within 200 years. The potato became the main ingredient in the Irish diet. The country’s heavy reliance on potatoes led to the disaster in the 1840s known as the Irish potato famine. Most farmers grew one particular variety of potatoes that was highly sensitive to disease which triggered a widespread famine that caused two-thirds of crops to be destroyed within the next two years and more that a million people died. After farmers got the disease under control by spraying the crops with chemicals, potatoes continued to be the staple food in the Irish diet. Most dishes consist of potatoes, cabbage, and meat of some sort. Here is one of the most well-known dishes in Ireland:

Traditional Irish Stew

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes, thinly sliced

• 4 medium onions, thinly sliced

• 6 carrots, sliced

• 1 pound Canadian bacon, chopped

• 3 pounds lamb chops, 1-inch thick, trimmed, and cut into small pieces

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2½ cups water

• 4 potatoes, halved

• Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Procedure

1 To make Irish stew, all the ingredients are assembled in layers in a large stew pot.

2 Begin with layers of sliced potatoes, onions, and carrots.

3 Top with a layer of Canadian bacon and lamb.

4 Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

5 Repeat these steps until all the ingredients are used.

6 Add enough water to just cover the ingredients.

7 Arrange the halved potatoes on top of the stew, but not in contact with the water, so they can steam as the rest is cooking.

8 Simmer over a very low heat for about 2 hours.

9 Sprinkle liberally with the chopped parsley and serve in soup bowls.

http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Ireland.html#ixzz3Xo9HeJbx