In the days of Fionn Mac Cumhail (Finn Mac Cool), between the years 300 and 400, the food of Ireland was fresh, healthful, and well rounded.
Originally, because the people lived off of the bounty of the land, and out of the sea, location was everything.
If you were near the sea, ocean harvests were your staples; if you were not, then that which came from land, lakes, rivers, and streams were. And now, in modern times, you also have to consider where the people who settled in various areas came from originally, when tracing their food preferences.
Fionn wintered, for a portion of his life, at Tara, located in the heart of Ireland at that time, when Cormac Mac Airt was king. Whereas, in the summer he traveled great distances.
At that time game was an important meat source. Wild boar who ate from the abundance of acorns (today we see much open space in Ireland, but in the day of Finn Mac Cool, what were not bogs or mountains, were oak forest.) and deer were common, as small game, such as rabbits and birds, probably were.
Grains were not very important to the people at that time, so while some was gathered, it was a much smaller part of the diet then.
But herbs, other greens, and the forebears of some of our common vegetables, which at that time grew wild, were gathered. Also berries, other fruits, and nuts, from bushes, trees, and vines. They were eaten with the meat, in as much abundance as mother nature provided. The people of Ireland, when they were in Gaul, B.C., became good at growing grapes. Only because of the Romans were the vinyards ruined with salt. The people who survived, went back to Ireland.
Speaking of which, salt was coveted by the Irish, as it was by other people throughout history. Often the people went, at least annually if they did not reside at the sea, to where seaweed grew, and collected it to dry, and then store, for the purpose of seasoning their cooked game and fish. This not only provided salt, but important micronutrients and nutrition needed to ensure good health, as well.
The most significant elements contained in various seaweeds are calcium, iodine, phosphorus, sodium, and iron. Sea vegetables are considered a complete source of protein, with most varieties of seaweed containing between 10 and 20 percent protein, some as high as 38 percent. As well as being rich in fiber. And, they are a great source, especially, of vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, B12; the exact amount depending upon season. Also, ergesterol, a substance that is converted to vitamin D in the body, is found in seaweed. For those who roamed the lands and fresh waterways, like Fionn, seaweed was kept in a pouch worn at the waist to use on game and fish, which was most often cooked over open fires. I wouldn't doubt it if they just snacked on it, too, from time to time.
Later, in the 1600's, the Irish people ate what beef they did eat, mostly fresh. Corned beef, mentioned in the writings of the late century, was too costly, due to the price of salt. So, it was eaten on Easter, and sometimes for Halloween.
By the 1700's, the Tudors were interested in how the Irish lived, and were quite surprised by the way the Irish dealt with their cattle. Dairy cattle were highly prized, and cows were not slaughtered for food until they were no longer of use in the production of dairy products.
A quote from the time said, "Milch-cows are prized; they will not kill a cow, unless it be old and yield no milk. Pasturing upon the mountain and waste wild places and removing still to fresh land....driving their cattle continually with them and feeding only on their milk and white meats (milk products); it was a good thing that in this country of Ireland, where there are great mountains and waste deserts full of grass, that the same should be eaten down and nourish many thousands of cattle".
And, for some reason, a constant source of surprise to them was that, among the surplus cattle readily killed and eaten, that the large quantities of meat were eaten without any accompanying bread.
Today, for holiday eating, the choice of many is "spiced beef" at Christmastime and/or on St. Stephen's Day ~ December 26th. It is displayed in the windows of butcher shops, with a red ribbon around it. Served cold, it is sliced thinly, and served with soda bread and other goodies.
By the 3/4 mark of the 1600's, the potato had been introduced, and was becoming widely eaten, too.
Then, during the 'Great Famine,' among much other food, Irish tenant farmers were, despite starving, exporting hundreds of thousands of barrels of salt beef (Corned beef. So called because of the corn-sized grains of salt used to make it.) to Britain and Canada. That was beef that the farmers were raising on behalf of the landlords who owned the land on which they lived and worked. They couldn’t touch it themselves, under threat of severe penalty, and couldn’t afford to buy what little fresh beef came to the markets near them.
Many, during that time, hardly ever got a taste of beef until after they moved to America or Canada, where both salt, and beef, were much less costly. They treated the beef, then, in the same way that they would have treated a 'bacon joint' at home in Ireland, soaking it to remove the excess salt, then braising, or boiling it with cabbage, bay leaves, and pepper, and serving it in it's own juices with, of course, potatoes!
Ireland's climate is mild, and there's a lot of life-giving rain. Therefore, lush meadows grow in the lowlands, and an abundant, nearly year round growth of sweet grass allows cattle to free range most of the time. Their diverse, seasonal diet makes Irish beef, and dairy products, both unique, and sought after by epicures.
The free-range lamb are also fattened on sweet grass, as well as sea marsh, and even the heather that covers the mountains. Because of this, the meat has what is considered an exceptional flavor. And, also because of that, lamb has traditionally been the choice to extend hospitality to honored, and unexpected guests alike, particularly in the west of the country.
The amount of rain also helps the numerous lakes and great rivers to be rich, helping a wide range of fish and other wildlife. In addition, Ireland's vast coastline is tempered, on the western side, with the warmth of the Gulf Stream, and contains an abundance of fish and shellfish.
On the east coast, fruits and vegetables are cultivated with pride.
Today in Ireland, you will still find much of the original bounty on the Island.
Fresh fish and shellfish, such as wild salmon and trout, mackerel, herring, cod, haddock, whiting, Dublin Bay prawns, and Galway oysters; vegetables; fruits, and herbs.
You can have farm-raised beef, free-range poultry, and locally grazed lamb; farmhouse cheeses and butter; fresh-baked breads and scones; homemade soups and seafood chowders; smoked salmon, etc.
Regional dishes such as boxty (potato pancakes which sometimes have a meat or vegetable fillings), colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage), and potato bread, are also tasty choices.
Sea vegetables, such as dulse seaweed, are still eaten, as well. Besides in a 'pudding,' it is sometimes mixed with potatoes and butter, adding a salty, savory bite to fried potato champ, the cooking water of potatoes, in soups, and with fish dishes. It is also eaten raw, like gum. One company is promoting it as a salty, chewy, snack food (One of the ways that I like it!) through pubs in Dublin. As it has been found to have a higher vitamin content than vegetables such as spinach, people now know, through scientific research, what their ancestors seemed to have known instinctively!
Among the traditional uses for potatoes are champ (mashed potatoes served with hot butter), colcannon (mashed potatoes mixed with kale originally, now cabbage more often, and sometimes turnips.), boxty (fried mashed potato cakes), haggerty (thinly sliced potatoes and onions fried into a cake) and Dublin coddle (a hangover stew made of bacon, sausage, potatoes and onions).
Smoked salmon, caught in nearby rivers, often makes its way to the breakfast table served with fresh lemon wedges, creme fraiche, and a thick slice of homemade brown bread. This traditional favorite, passed down from the Druids more than 2,000 years ago, is said to have been served to Ireland’s high kings during 5th century feasts at Tara. (Tara, six miles south of Navan, was once the center of Irish power and law in early Christian times and, if you will remember, was where Cormac Mac Airt ruled during the time of Finn Mac Cool, Fionn having spent his winters there.) Today, smoked salmon is one of Ireland’s biggest exports, making more than $25 million annually!
The Irish people still expect top quality ingredients grown with environmentally friendly methods with "traceability" and "accountability" being key words in insuring consumer confidence.
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