10 Foods worth Trying
As with any country, Ireland comes with its very own, unique gastronomy. Comforting to me was the fact that Ireland's "cuisine" looks a lot like the French-Canadian cuisine of Quebec, very convenient! The traditional consist of a lot of potatoes, carrots, lamb, and guinness... That's about it. Here are the 10 meals/foods I would recommend to someone coming to Ireland/Dublin:1. Irish Brown Bread - This quickly became a staple to my breakfast. Any good bakery will sell loaves of the brown bread on a daily basis! I find it's a little more filling than the bread back home and pairs really well with stew.
2. Bangers and Mash - Bangers is just another name for sausages! Bangers and mash usually consists of a good serving of "mash" (mashed potatoes) with a bit of vegetables and 2-3 sausages. What makes the dish is the loads of gravy poured on top of the dish. This one is definitely good for the heart!
3. Traditional Lamb Stew - My uncle used to say that you could cook feces in a stew and they'd come out tasting amazing. This may be why the lamb stew (with lamb already tasting so delicious!) is a dish I order whenever available! Sometimes, the stew is even served with mash on top which slowly melts into the stew, thickening the broth.
4. Guinness and Beef Stew - In Dublin, you can't walk more than 10 feet without seeing some kind of Dublin ad/pub/truck/reference as Guinness is everywhere! Personally, this isn't my favorite because the lamb stew is so good, but it's definitely worth trying when in Ireland as the Guinness here has a slightly different taste than in other parts of the world!
5. Boxty - Boxty is like a potato cake, but it is made using both baked and mashed potatoes. It's similar to a hash brown, but I like this better because it doesn't come out all greasy. The name boxty comes from the Irish version Bacstai, which is a combination of two Irish words used for cooking potatoes over the hob (or bac) and over the fire (stai).
6. Shepherd's Pie - With beef, potatoes, and basic veggies as the staple to the Irish diet, it's no wonder that Shepherd's Pie is of popular appeal here. Loads of "cafeteria-style" restaurant will serve this dish, each with their own spice mix for cooking the meat!
7. Purple Cole Slaw - The first time I dealt with this whole purple cabbage business was at a sandwich shop. The lady behind the counter asked if I wanted some cole slaw in my sandwich, and I said yes. I was so confused when she gave me my sandwich full of purple stuff... Turns out, it tastes just like regular cabbage except a little leafier in taste. Personally, I enjoyed just having a brightly colored food in my sandwich!
8. Irish Beer Bread - I'm not a big drinker, but the beer bread is something worth trying. It has a very faint taste of guinness, but no weird aftertaste. I love it!
9. Fish & Chips - This might sound rude, but don't eat fish and chips in America. Really, they don't know what they're doing. I thought I knew what fish and chips should taste like, but boy was I wrong! I've had many fish and chips in Dublin, but only in the spots I know serve freshly-caught fish! You can cut into the filet and the fish literally shreds apart... My mouth is watering just writing about this, I'll be eating Fish and Chips for dinner, I've decided! Another unique thing about the fish and chips here is that, unlike other meals, fish and chips is the only meal I've had where the Irish portion is significantly larger than the American portion.
10. Irish Potatoes Candy - Disclaimer: This desert contains NO potatoes. Irish Potatoes Candy is a candy made to look like potatoes using loads of fatty sweetness. I was fooled by them when one of my friends dared me to eat a "whole potato." Of course I refused- until he opened the container and I saw that the potatoes were sparkling from a coat of brown sugar!
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