Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can be a thrilling and exciting experience even for people who are not Irish. The cultural event takes center stage in most cities around the world and while most of us have already fallen in love with the green parades, there’s more to St. Patrick’s Day that you need to explore.
One of the things we recommend is the food. Because this is a cultural event that has its roots in Irish culture, there isn’t a better time in the year to try traditional Irish food than this one. You can make simple Irish dishes and take a centuries-old Irish culinary journey that will leave you breathless.
Here are some of the best traditional Irish recipes you should try.
Start With a Full Irish Breakfast
The St. Patrick’s Day celebrations will likely start right in the morning and go on late into the night. In that case, starting off with a good Irish breakfast is the best way to begin the day. This breakfast should give you energy all day but it’s also themed perfectly. A real Irish breakfast includes many different things but there are a few ingredients that should never be missed:
- Bacon
- Eggs
- Sausage
- Irish potato bread or Irish griddle cakes
Get the full recipe here.
Related: 5 of the Best and Heartiest Cold Morning Breakfasts
Main Course
Once the breakfast is out of the way, it’s time to get ready for the main courses later in the day. There is so much that you can make on St. Patrick’s Day, but you should try out the traditional Irish stew first. It’s a tasty Irish dish that’s loved by people all over the world. Although there are many ways to make the stew these days, we would recommend sticking to the traditional recipe.
For traditional Irish stew, you’ll need:
- Onions
- Carrots
- Stewing steak, mince, or lamb (lamb was the traditional ingredient)
- Potatoes
- Salt and pepper
You can also add some parsley and chives if you want to add a little more flavor to your stew, even though they’re not part of the original recipe.
Serve Some Snacks
As your guests wait for the stew to get ready you may want to serve them some genuine Irish snacks. You have a number of great options here. However, if you are looking for a fancy St. Patrick’s Day snack then the classic Irish Guinness rarebit recipe should be your first choice.
The rarebit is basically cheese on toast. It’s part of the Irish culture so you can’t miss it in any St. Patrick’s Day. To make the snack, all you need is:
- Mature cheddar
- Bread
- Eggs
- Guinness
- English mustard
- Salt and pepper
You can find a great recipe for rarebit here.
Finish the Meal with Cakes and Puddings
You will also need some dessert after the big dinner. There’s no better way to end this cultural celebration than with a Irish fruit cake. It’s called Barmbrack in Ireland and it’s a simple cake to make at home. In case you are in the mood for another dessert, you can try Bailey’s Irish cupcakes or some traditional Irish bread and butter pudding. Whichever dessert you go for, it will be a great choice.
Don’t Forget the Drinks
You can make Irish-themed cocktails at home but if you don’t have the time, there are always some ready-made Irish drinks that you can serve your guests. An Irish beer like Guinness will do. Or perhaps some Magners or Bulmers cider. St. Patrick’s mead is also good but a few cocktails will make things more exciting.
Food during St. Patrick’s Day is very important for the celebration and going for traditional Irish recipes is highly recommended. Try out the simple recipes above and your St. Patrick’s Day will truly be Irish.
Related: 3 Super Simple DIY Ways to Decorate for St. Patrick’s Day
Which traditional Irish foods will you be serving at your St. Patrick’s Day party? Let us know in the comments below!
