The Myth of Corned Beef and Cabbage

By Barbara J. Avery

(Originally appeared in the Fruita Times.)

St. Patrick’s Day is a feast day, which in Irish tradition, marks the end of winter and is based on the Celt’s timing of planting dates.  The Christian Irish adopted the Celtic dates as Saint’s Days, with March 17 being St. Patrick’s Day.

Americans’ traditional St. Patrick’s Day feast is corned beef and cabbage.  Has this been true for the Irish as well?  According to an article in European Cuisine, corned beef first appears in a 12^th century poem that describes the food eaten at the time.  Back then, cattle was kept for milk and the prestige of having large herds, so beef was a delicacy given to kings. What was the common meat that was eaten? Pork.

The Irish Culture and Customs website, www.irishcultureandcustoms.com, states that corned beef surfaced again in the late 1600s as a specialty.  It was also a costly delicacy because of the amount of salt required to corn the beef.  The term “corn” comes from Anglo-Saxon times when meat was dry cured in coarse “corns” or pellets of salt.  The corned beef was eaten at Easter, and sometimes Halloween.  

The myth of corned beef and cabbage began to gain popularity with the Irish immigration to America.  Salt and meat were both cheaper here, so the immigrants continues to treat beef as they had treated various cuts of pork in Ireland.  

If corned beef and cabbage isn’t really the traditional Irish feast, what is? That is still a subject of debate. The dish of boiled or fried bacon and cabbage is popular on the Emerald Isle.  But, so are boiled chicken with vegetables and potatoes, spiced beef and soda bread, and colcannon. And, don’t forget Guiness Stout, the drink that is a meal in itself.  If you want a traditional Irish meal on St. Patrick’s Day, forego the beef and pass the pork.

Irish Pork Stew

Adapted from Razzle Dazzle Recipes

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or loin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes               
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable or grape seed oil
4 large onions, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 clove garlic, minced

Method:

Coat pork with combined flour, salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven; brown meat over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Pour off drippings. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally.

Serve with mashed potatoes and sauteed cabbage.

Irish Roast Pork with Potato Stuffing

From:  Irish Studies Abroad

 Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork tenderloin, or 6 to 8 boneless lean pork chops

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons hard cider (apple wine) or water

• Salt and pepper

 Stuffing

• 4 1/2 cups potatoes, coarsely mashed

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 onion

• 2 large cooking apples, chopped

• 1 handful chopped fresh sage and thyme

• Salt and pepper

Method:

Make stuffing: To potatoes, add butter, onion, apples, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix well. Rub meat with salt, pepper and butter. Pour cider or water into 3 -quart casserole dish. Place meat along edges of dish.

Cover loosely with foil and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees (F).