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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2019)
Wednesday, March 11, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Journey through Thyme Jodi Schneider Columnist What the Irish really eat on St. Patrick’s Day Darina Allen, cookbook author, chef and owner of Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, County Cork, Ireland said, <For centu- ries in Ireland, the March 17 holiday celebrating the country9s patron saint was a somewhat sober affair. It was much more of a religious feast 4 you went to Mass where people would wear a live shamrock, a little Irish dancing, and sometimes a parade.= St. Patrick is one of the patron saints of Ireland. He is said to have died on March 17 in or around the year 493. He grew up in Roman Britain but was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave when he was a young adult. After some years he returned to his family and entered the church, like his father and grandfather before him. He later returned to Ireland as a missionary and worked in the north and west of the country. According to popular leg- end, St. Patrick rid Ireland of snakes. However, it is thought that there have been no snakes in Ireland since the last ice age. The <snakes= that St. Patrick banished from Ireland may refer to the druids or pagan worshipers of snake or serpent gods. It9s often said that every- one is at least a wee bit Irish on St. Patrick9s Day, and across America it9s cer- tainly a giant celebration of green brew and tiny lep- rechauns. No St. Patrick9s Day in America would be complete without a dinner of corned beef and cabbage 4 but that9s not quite as Irish as you might think. That dish actually comes from the early days of Irish immi- grants in America, not the old country itself. Head over to Ireland and you9ll find all sorts of parades, festivals, live music, and street carni- vals, but you won9t find any corned beef on the table 4 and there won9t be any green beer either. An Irish St. Patrick9s Day meal revolves around staple ingredients that have remained part of the Irish tradition for generations. Beef was long considered a luxury item in Ireland, and thus wasn9t consumed very often. When Irish immi- grants arrived in America, beef (including corned beef, thanks to its popularity in the community) was plentiful, and soon became a signature dish. So, what do the Irish eat on St. Patty9s Day? When our friends across the pond awake on St. Paddy9s Day, they9ll likely start the day with a tradi- tional Irish breakfast of fresh eggs (normally fried), along with sausage, bacon, grilled tomatoes, black pudding, white pudding, mushrooms, and Irish brown bread. The bacon served in Ireland is generally back bacon, which is thicker and meatier than the kind sold in America. After all the festivities of the day 4 including parades, dancing, music, and religious services 4 families will usu- ally return home for a large meal. Nine times out of 10 this will feature leg of lamb, probably roasted in the oven with rosemary and garlic. It could also include shep- herd9s pie. The Irish love their pies, and a bit of steak and Guinness pie is a guar- antee for many traditional tables set for St. Patrick9s Day celebrations. Of course, potatoes are customary on the side and sometimes as soup with bacon, or alongside root veg- etables like carrots, parsnips, and pretty much anything else they can boil the heck out of. Potatoes can also be served mashed or roasted too, of course. For greens, peas and broccoli are the Irish standards. In many places bread recipes rely on yeast as the agent that makes them rise. In Ireland, though, that9s tra- ditionally been a little diffi- cult to do. Ireland9s climate presents some problems when it comes to baking, and that includes getting things to rise properly. Wheat flour grown and produced in Ireland is what9s known as 9 <soft,= and the low protein content of that flour means yeast doesn9t work in quite the same way. The Irish use what9s on hand and what9s affordable to survive on. The Irish have long relied on bread made from bicar- bonate of soda, not yeast, called baking soda, or bread soda, this particular ingre- dient works to make bread rise when it reacts with other ingredients to produce CO2. While you might find all kinds of bread at a grocery store or bakery, it9s soda bread that still forms the backbone of a traditional meal, and it9s always on the table. It9s incredibly easy to make and can be either white or brown. A benefit of this bread is its versatility, and it9s just as good first thing in the morn- ing with a bit of butter and honey as it is in the evening, soaking up the last remains of the gravy from a steak and ale pie. DAVIS TIRE H A P P Y S T . P A T R I C K ’ S D A Y From the crew at Davis Tire... Come save some “Green” with us on all your vehicle needs Sisters Sister Sis te s Indu ter I Industrial ndustr ndu stri ial str ia l Pa P Park rk 188 18 8W W. Sisters Sii t Park P k Dr. D Serving Sisters Since 1962 541-549-1026 54