Source: A. T. Lucas, "Irish Food Before the Potato" (1960) The first settlers arrived at Ireland’s coasts in 8000 BC, but the potato only arrived in Europe some 400 years ago. Update: Dissturb: thanks for your input. The Irish, we were taught, in the 1800’s, were so enthusiastic about potatoes, and so silly, that they planted nothing but potatoes and ate a diet almost exclusively of potatoes. When it comes to food there are three major periods in Irish history, before the potato arrived, after the potato arrived and after the potato failed. © Copyright 2021 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. It is also relatively tasty and easy to prepare. Then, the Irish potatoes grown later in the season can be stored for wintertime food. Finbar McCormick, Thomas Kerr, Meriel McClatchie and Aidan O’Sullivan, ‘The archaeology of livestock and cereal production in early medieval Ireland, AD 400-1100’ , Early Medieval Archaeology Project , Report 5.1 (December, 2011). In one corner of this hovel was lodged his cow, while in the opposite were his wife, his children and himself. Nov 9, 2017 - No food is more associated with Ireland than the spud—which didn't appear there before the late 1600s. Then beginning in 1845 and extending to 1849, the potato crop failed due to disease, and millions of Irish people starved. Because they're a-peeling!! No food is more associated with Ireland than the spud—which didn't appear there before the late 1600s. Most Irish people under 20 have no idea what a pound is and most of those over 20 now no longer use pounds for measuring anything. Rural people either produced their own food or obtained it by foraging or hunting. When we ask, “why did the Irish eat so many potatoes?” our answers are partly to be found in English colonization and the confiscation of land by Protestants. Also meat and fish. What did the Irish people eat before the introduction of potatoes? Irish food remains the traditional "working man's" cuisine. Many place names in Ireland begin with the letter C. Some of these names sound strange, sometimes just to non-Irish ears, sometimes …. Modern? Whatever about Cavendish bringing potatoes to England, we can be quite certain that he was not responsible for introducing the potato to mainland Europe, since more than eight months before, on 26 January 1588, Clusius had received from the Prefect of Mons, two potato tubers which he duly planted. The Irish were the first to seriously consider the potato as a staple food. Published: December 18, 2008 | Updated: March 31, 2017, This fascinating centre tells the often tragic story of Irish emigration in a …. “Foreign luxuries like sugar, turkeys, pineapples, and artichokes found their way into the homes of the elite,” she also revealed - and hinted that beer was also fashionable for both men and women. With access to this new staple food the Irish population began to grow, and grow extremely rapidly. Outside of cities, little or no food was purchased in shops. Nowadays, Ireland's relationship with the potato is not quite as strong as it was. The Irish Potato Famine is an event that stands out in the history of Irish foods. (the Irish Potato Famine era) thornmaiden Ireland, Uncategorized June 25, 2017 September 13, 2018 1 Minute. Interestingly, scholars still maintain that from the time of the Celts to the introduction of the potato centuries later the Irish diet remained relatively the same, revolving around dairy, grain, meat and vegetables. And then it happened. Your email address will not be published. we still use pounds and ounces feet and inches miles instead of kilometres in Ireland . Crisis! With milk less available, the state of nutrition of the poor population became ever more perilous and localised failures of the potato crop, which occurred sporadically from about 1800 on, saw many forced to leave their land and to forage or beg for survival. To understand our ‘Roots’ is to appreciate what our future holds. So what did Irish people eat before that? Answer Save. The Irish ate a lot of soft cheeses, whey, and milk puddings. 2 (1960), pp 8-43. Your email address will not be published. Oats and barley were grown as cash crop rather than for consumption, cattle were reared and dairy herds developed, almost all of which went to satisfy the demand for food products in Ireland’s larger towns and cities and in the populous urban centres of England. Basically they were meat and poultry eaters. Pity the lactose-intolerant Irishman, because much of the diet revolved around dairy. Time to grow up and leave the imperial nest! 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