Unfortunately, we’re only halfway through the winter months. Christmas and New Year might be over, but we’ve still got a lot of cold weather to look forward to.
Eating the right food is essential in wintertime. If you want to stay warm and stave off the cold, Irish food is perfect. In the guide below, we’ve listed five traditional Irish meals that will warm you through the winter months.
Irish Stew
No list of traditional Irish meals would be complete without Irish stew, and this dish is the ideal meal for keeping warm through winter.
When visiting Ireland in winter, trying a bowl of Irish stew should be at the top of your to-do list. It’s a staple throughout the country, so if you’re looking for a house to rent in West Cork, you can be confident that you’ll be able to find a bowl of authentic Irish stew.
The beauty of Irish stew is that everyone makes it in a slightly different way. However, the primary ingredients are meat, usually mutton or beef, with potatoes and a mix of other assorted vegetables.
It’s a truly warming dish that is perfect for cold winter days and nights!
Colcannon
This dish is a perfect example of a meal being more than the sum of its parts. Colcannon
is a simple dish made up of mashed potato and cabbage, often flavoured with onions. The mash and cabbage are the anchors of this hearty, warming dish, while the onion gives a bit of bite and heat.
Coddle
Coddle is a dish designed to use up the leftovers from a working week. It’s a one-pot dish that often contains things like sausages, bacon, potatoes and other vegetables. It’s left to simmer and cook for hours, transforming the ingredients into a delicious stew that will warm your bones.
Potato Soup
The introduction of the potato to Ireland transformed the nation’s cuisine, and the country has since enjoyed a long relationship with the humble tuber.
Potato soup is the perfect example of how Irish cooking has found numerous ways to use the ingredient, and this is the ideal meal to enjoy on a chilly winter afternoon.
Potatoes and other vegetables are simmered and blended to create an irresistible soup that will have you coming back for more again and again.
Irish Soda Bread
Much like Irish stew, the recipe for Irish soda bread differs depending on who you ask. Regardless of how it’s made, this hearty baked bread is the ideal starter or side to any meal, especially when it’s covered with a generous helping of Irish butter.
Thought to have originated in the 1800s, soda bread has become a staple of Irish cuisine and is enjoyed by visitors from all over the world.
Some people like their soda bread sweet, with sugar and honey. Others prefer a more savoury taste, filling their bread with oats and brans.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to stay warm over the winter months, try out one or more of these fantastic traditional Irish meals!