Is Traditional Irish Food in America Accurate?

Great article from the PBS website on Irish Foods in America.



Is Traditional Irish Food in America Accurate?

by Allison Gray

If an Irishman came to America on St. Patrick’s Day, he might be a little bit shocked by the leprechaun outfits, green beer guzzlers, and yes, even the corned beef and cabbage.

To be Irish in America is no rare thing—about 34.5 million people in the United States claim Irish heritage according to the 2011 U.S. Census, which is more than seven times the population of Ireland itself.

Despite the sizeable Irish-American population, the dishes Americans perceive as “traditional Irish food” are not entirely representative of actual Irish food, according to many respected people in the Irish food industry.

The first time Irish Chef Noel McMeel tasted corned beef and cabbage was actually in Connecticut when he was 20 years old. McMeel is the executive head chef at the Lough Erne Golf Resort & Hotel.

“Some Americans still think we still live in straw houses and we all have a donkey and cart, just like in the film ‘The Quiet Man,’” McMeel said.

Chef Darina Allen, owner of Ireland’s foremost cooking school called Ballymaloe, describes the country’s food culture over the past 30 years as a “food revolution,” with its artisan sector and farmhouse cheese makers emerging in prevalence.......


* Read the entire article by clicking the link below


http://www.pbs.org/food/features/traditional-irish-food-america-accurate/