Transcript My Town - Ireland

Bia - Food
In Celtic times …
 Corn (oats, barley, wheat, and rye) and
milk were the staple diet
 Dinner was centred around roasting
spits and was characterized by an
abundance of roasted and boiled meat,
which were eaten with bare hands
 The diners sat on the ground on straw
or hides and used tables which were
raised slightly off the ground
17th Century on…
 The Irish embraced the potato
 As a result the Irish became reliant on
the potato and forgot other traditional
foods and methods of preparation.
The Great Hunger
 Death (1 million) – extinction of lowest class of
agricultural tenant
 Emigration (1 million) – mainly to America. Birth of Irish
Americans!
 Represented 25% of the total population.
 The potato crop failed which was the staple diet of many
of the lower classes.
 Other food stuffs were available but only to the middle
class in Ireland and much was exported.
 No help for the Irish.
 Many landlords evicted their poor Irish tenants. The
Irish were forced into the poor house were many died of
disease and hunger.
 Sharp decline in amount of people who spoke Irish.
Food today
 A wide range of traditional and nontraditional foods e.g. pasta, rice,
peppers, pineapple, melon, kiwi,
chorizo, feta, brie, chile, pizza,
lasange,
Meals
 People normally eat:
Breakfast: cereal, toast, fry, tea / coffee
Lunch: sandwich, fruit, tea / coffee
Dinner: potatoes, meat and vegetables
Supper: cereal, toast, tea / coffee
Prátaí – Potatoes
 the potato is the most popular of all
vegetables
 a staple
 excellent source of starch and contain
no fat if eaten boiled or baked.
 an important source of vitamin C
providing more than one third of our
daily requirement
Other fruit / vegetables
that are commonly grown
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Onion
Turnip
Parsnip
Sprouts
Lettuce
Peas
Scallions
Mushrooms
Rhubarb
Apples
Pears
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Plums
Blackberries
Gooseberries
Meat
 Ireland is very green and it rains a lot.
Therefore there is a lot of grazing for
animals. This natural diet for the animals
improves the standard of the meat they
produce.
 Beef
 Pork
 Chicken
 Lamb
Fish
 Traditionally was very common
 Quite common now
 The clean, unpolluted waters around
Ireland’s 7,500km coastline are rich
in aquatic life and form an
exceptional environment for
seafood.
 Chowder
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Salmon
Trout
Herring
Muscles
Oysters
Lobster
Prawns
Cockles
Traditional dishes
 Colcannon: Potatoes, cabbage and
either onion, scallion or leek
 Irish stew: Potato, onion, carrots
and either pork or beef
 Champ
 Bacon and cabbage
 Boxty
 Soda bread
 Potato bread
 Barmbrack
Drinks
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Milk
Tea
Spring Water
Football Special
Whisky
Guinness