Top Five Traditional
Irish Dishes
You Have to Try

"Bless us with good food, the gift of gab, and hearty laughter. May the love and joy we share be with us ever after." -Irish Kitchen Prayer

You don't have to be Irish to appreciate a comforting dish of Irish Stew and a well-poured Stout. Wherever you visit, the local fare may be a bit interesting and different from what you might be used to. While traveling through the Emerald Isle, you'll certainly have time to sample a traditional dish or two. Try one of our top five choices for a really authentic Irish experience! 

Irish Stew

Irish stew, ballymaloe or stobhach gaelach as it is called in Gaelic, is a throwback to Irish peasant roots and harsh times. In 19th century Ireland, most cooking was done in the fireplace. The stew is traditionally made using only a hanging pot, an open fire, and a few fairly easily attainable ingredients. While the more modern recipes may add some glamour, the stew itself most always calls for the original first three ingredients - tough meat (such as mutton), potatoes, and onions. Today, though, a variety of meats, such as beef or lamb are used, as well as the occasional addition of Guinness, herbs, or root vegetables. 

Colcannon and Champ

While both are traditional Irish mashed potato dishes, the two differ in the ingredient that gives this dish its green 'tint'. 

Colcannon: If there is any truly traditional Irish dish, this is it. It's made from mashed potatoes, cabbage, and butter, it may not seem like much but it is the perfect comfort food for cold winter nights and makes a great side dish.

Champ: Native to Northern Ireland, Champ looks similar to Colcannon. It differs though, in that it's made with scallions (or spring onions) and creamy mashed potatoes. Champ is great on its own, served steaming hot with extra butter. It's also the perfect side dish for good-quality sausages.

Boxty

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake dish. There are many different local recipes but all contain finely grated, raw potatoes, and all are served fried. This dish is a favorite among children. The story has it children would puncture a tin can with an awl in order to 'grate' potatoes for boxty feasts!

There's even a traditional song about the dish:

Boxty on the griddle
Boxty in the pan
If you don't make boxty
You'll never get your man

Coddle

Dublin coddle, a warming meal of sausages and potatoes dates back to the 1700s and is traditionally thought of as a city dish eaten in the winter months. Its popularity has been attributed to the fact that an Irish wife could go to bed and leave it simmering on the stove for hours so that it might be ready for when her husband arrived home from the pub. A favorite of Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, coddle has many references in Irish literature, including the works of James Joyce.  

Black Pudding

A traditional food that has firm roots in Ireland's history is Irish black pudding. Sometimes called blood pudding, there’s no escaping the fact that, yes, black pudding is made with blood. Black pudding should be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. If you’re feeling adventurous opt for a full traditional Irish breakfast. You'll get black pudding, bangers, Irish beans, fried tomatoes and eggs, and maybe even boxty on the side.it!