The land of milk & honey
Eire
Hibernia
The emerald isle
called by many names over the ages, the ancient land of Ireland holds secrets in its soil, and with a culture so strong in its storytelling, we get an insight into some of the magic of the Celtic history of this island.
pre-potato Ireland
The humble potato, our national treasure.
But the potato only arrived in Europe around 400 years ago, and it originates from the Andes mountains in South America.
The ancient Irish diet was mostly based around Banbidh or “white” foods aka milk & dairy products, grains & a few robust vegetables.
Alongside various different ancient cooking techniques: cooking with stone, coal & ash, buried in the earth, and many other primal methods which are being re-explored by chef Rory Gorman at his wild feast nights.
livestock over agriculture
Irelands terrain & weather doesn’t provide an abundance of areas that are both flat and not waterlogged.
For this reason, the herding of livestock was more common than the growing of grain, because it was, well...easier.
However less drastically, grain was still a large part of the culture, its not all bad.
Mainly oats, followed by barley & wheat was the choice grains of the Irish, however we had a more robust approach to these grains in the forms of porridges and cakes slightly more so than bread production.
zero waste
Before the modern use of this term, it was how people lived.
You had no choice.
Cattle in Ireland was mainly used for dairy rather than its beef, to prolong the nutrition & nourishment via milk products
Sheep were herded for the use of their wool to create clothing & many other products
Chickens were kept for the laying of their eggs
However pigs, somewhat sadly in comparison, were only really useful for their meat, it is because of this that pork is so prevalent in the Irish diet.
the earths bounty
constant rain, wet bogland, sharp sea winds, rolling hills.
these shapes, sights & sounds make up the emerald allure of Eire, and however harsh for us humans, it is fantastic for growing hardy & robust vegetables.
cabbages, turnips, onions, parsnips, leeks.
this is our family, and they all play their role perfectly.
apples, wild blackberries & raspberries
wild nettles & mushrooms
honey from the bees
fish, moss & seaweed from the shore
this was the symphony of Irelands earth and when grown, harvested and foraged throughout the Celtic wheel of the year, provided an abundance of food & flavour for the people of Irish antiquity.
time travel
a sample menu for the craic, if I could travel back a few hundred years and be the town cook for the Celtic feasts they held, based on the above information regarding ancient & neolithic Irish diets.
ancient grain oat bread with wild nettle butter
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hay & honey smoked turnips with burnt onion crumb
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milk & honey pork chop, cider braised apple, charred cabbage & creamed leeks.
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