Christmas is a significant holiday in Ireland, as it is throughout the British Isles. However, as the most important religious holiday, alongside Easter, it likely retains a more celestial sentiment than elsewhere, as Ireland remains a highly holy nation. So, What do they eat in Ireland for christmas?
According to a 2016 survey, more than 78% of Irish citizens identify as Catholic, and 40% attend church weekly. Church attendance has declined over the years, but on Christmas Eve at Midnight Mass, the churches of the Emerald Isle are still packed to capacity – until Covid-19 struck, of course, and services went virtual.
Christmas is a religious holiday, and Ireland is a holy nation; therefore, Christmas is significant. Some philosophers may dispute this logic, but who cares? It’s Christmas!
Irish Christmas favorite Foods
Now, a short disclaimer before your stomach begins to growl: some food and drink listed below are not exclusive to Ireland.
Many dishes that fall under the “Christmas food in Ireland” category are consumed in numerous other countries, such as the mince pie!
Traditional Irish Christmas dinner
Okay, not just one dish, but an entire plate of deliciousness! The traditional Irish Christmas dinner is a family affair where everyone eats together. Traditional fare is roasted turkey, but many also serve boiled ham. The flesh serves with homemade or store-bought gravy.
Some families also serve cranberry sauce and bread sauce (cream and shallots with bread added to thicken it).
The tray contains carrots, turnips, brussels sprouts, and miniature cabbages. Typical potato preparations range from roasted and pureed to delicious potato gratin.
Certain regions of Ireland have their own traditional Christmas dishes, such as spiced beef, pheasant, and roasted duck.
Irish Christmas Cake
The Christmas pudding is the centerpiece of the table. This decadent dark fruit cake comprises raisins, currants, sultanas, candied peel, and seasonings bound with butter, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, and spices.
As it mellows and matures, it should be prepared and cooked in late October, then enveloped in aluminum foil and occasionally flavored with whiskey or brandy.
The confection is unwrapped and covered with yellow marzipan and then royal icing one week before Christmas. It is adorned with sugar holly, figurines, and other holiday imagery and retains its moisture for weeks when stored in a tin.
All the potatoes
So, we’ve already mentioned them, but potatoes are a type of traditional Irish Christmas cuisine. In the late 1840s, when the Potato Famine struck, many families starved to death or were forced to emigrate because potatoes were a staple sustenance.
Several centuries later, potatoes are a fundamental food in the Irish diet. We consume them roasted, boiled, or mashed at Christmas (or all three at once!).
On St. Stephen’s Day (December 26), potatoes are cooked in various methods and served with the remaining meats and vegetables.
Famous potato mash with minced spring onions or scallions is known as champ. Colcannon is created by adding kale or cabbage to the skillet. Potato Bread is a staple in Northern Ireland, while fried potatoes and potato pastries may consume during an Irish breakfast.
Sherry Trifle
Any sherry trifle is irresistible when crowned with wobbly strawberry jelly, yellow custard, and whipped cream. However, the sherry-soaked cake layer (Swiss roll) at the bottom provides the most flavor.
They can prepare this versatile, no-bake layered confection quickly and easily. It is decorated with whipped cream, sweet glacé cherries, and flaked almonds and may contain canned or fresh fruits such as peaches and strawberries. This traditional Christmas confection is as delicious as it appears, so save room for a serving (or two!).
Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake may have similar ingredients, but Christmas Pudding is steamed for hours and served with custard, brandy butter, or white sauce laced with alcohol.
It is commonly referred to as “Plum Pudding” because, in Victorian times, they added dried plums or prunes to the concoction to eke out the costly and exotic dried fruit.
Following Irish custom, liquor is poured over the inverted pudding and set on fire before serving. It is delivered to the Christmas dinner table in a blue flame haze, making a magnificent statement.
Cadbury’s Roses
Even though they’re not as good as they once were, Roses were always a must-have after the traditional Irish Christmas banquet. Cadbury’s is one of the most popular and largest confectionery manufacturers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Roses milk chocolates packaged in their recognizable blue cases and tubs have been a part of the Irish Christmas tradition for generations. Since their introduction in 1938, they have been a joint Christmas gift.
Consistently well-liked, the wrapped chocolates contain nine distinct fillings, including caramel toffee, country fudge, chocolate-covered hazel whirl, golden barrel, strawberry cream, piquant orange creme, and a signature truffle.
According to a recent survey, the most popular Roses chocolate in Ireland is Hazel Caramel, and the least popular is Strawberry Dream.
Mince pies
Oh my goodness! Christmas mince tarts are a seasonal delicacy only available during the holiday season. These tiny pastries are filled with “mincemeat,” including diced lamb from the 15th to 7th centuries.
Currently, mince pies are filled with a mixture of apple, seasonings, currants, sugar, and suet that has been slowly baked and preserved with a generous amount of brandy or distilled spirits.
The mincemeat can be purchased in jars, making these Christmas delights simple to prepare and serve with whipped cream.
Irish coffee and general tipples
Irish coffee is the final touch to the ideal Christmas meal. Combine robust coffee brewed in a cafetière with brown sugar. Add Irish whiskey to flavor, followed by a splash of double cream.
The key to getting the cream floating on top of the coffee is to pour it over the edge of a spoon. Other hot beverages during the Christmas celebrations include hot brandy, mulled wine, and hot port with spices.
Baileys, a decadent liqueur made from Irish whiskey, cream, and cocoa, is also a popular Christmas beverage. Produced in Ireland in 1973, it is now a worldwide best-seller.
Thank you for reading…..