I'm Irish...That's why...

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner I thought I should probably post some of my favorite recipes from my Nana Devine. She was the one person who influenced me the most in life! She gave me my love for cooking and baking...how could I not have come to love both, when her house was always smelling so delicious with savory meats and sooo many sweet treats!

However before I post the recipes I think a bit of some Irish/St. Patty's Day info would be appropriate. We know we wear green, drink green beer, eat corned beef and cabbage, look for leprechauns and shamrocks and go to parades, but do you know why?? And who was Saint Patrick anyway?



Shamrocks

According to Christian legend, St. Patrick used the three-leafed clover to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity to his pagan audience in Ireland. However, this story did not appear until more than 1000 years after St. Patrick's death.

In ancient Ireland, the Celtic people revered the shamrock as a sacred plant because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the 17 th century, when the English began to seize Irish land and suppress Irish language and religion, the shamrock became a symbol of Irish nationalism.

Leprechauns

The diminutive creatures we know as leprechauns were known in ancient Irish as "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow." Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny creatures who could use their magical powers for good or evil. In Celtic folklore, the lobaircin were cranky fairies who mended the shoes of the other fairies. They were also mischievous and delighted in trickery, which they used to guard their fabled treasure.

The cheerful friendly version of the leprechaun known to us today is based in large part on Walt Disney's 1959 film Darby O'Gill and the Little People. It quickly evolved into a symbol of St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage is the traditional meal enjoyed by many on St. Patrick's Day, but only half of it is truly Irish. Cabbage has long been a staple of the Irish diet, but it was traditionally served with Irish bacon, not corned beef. The corned beef was substituted for bacon by Irish immigrants to the Americas around the turn of the century who could not afford the real thing. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.


One of the most widespread of today's St. Patrick's Day celebrations, the St. Patrick's Day parade, began not in Ireland but in America. It consisted of Irish soldiers serving in the English army and took place in New York City on March 17, 1762. The parade helped the soldiers connect with their Irish roots and their fellow Irishmen.


St. Patrick was a fifth-century English (or perhaps Scottish) missionary to Ireland. Scholars agree he is a historical figure and that he converted many of the pagans on the island to Christianity, but dismiss most of the legend that has developed about him over the centuries.

The feast day of St. Patrick has been observed in Ireland on March 17 (the day Saint Patrick died) for hundreds of years. The date falls during the fasting season of Lent, but on St. Patrick's Day the prohibitions against eating meat were lifted, and the Irish would celebrate their patron saint with dancing, drinking, and feasting on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.


All of the above info was obtained from http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays/st_patricks_day.htm


From now until Saint Patrick's day I will be including Irish trivia, facts and recipes in the blog....

ERIN GO BRAGH