Taste the Island Buyers Guide 2020

The Potato The potato was introduced to Ireland by the late 1500s.Within 200 years it had replaced older staples, including oats and dairy products. The potato became the mainstay of the Irish diet. In the 1840s, the country’s heavy reliance on potatoes led to the disaster known as the Irish Potato Famine . Most Irish farmers grew one particular variety of potato, which turned out to be highly sensitive to disease. A potato blight that had started in Belgium swept the country. In 1845, potato blight destroyed one-third of Ireland’s potato crop and triggered widespread famine, with >1,000,000 reported to have died as a result while a further 2,000,000 people emigrated to other countries. Irish Stout (‘Porter’) The brewing of Porter originated in London, England in the early 1720s and quickly became popular as it had a strong flavour, took longer to spoil than other beers, was not easily affected by heat, and was cheaper than other beers. Within a few decades large volumes were being exported, while by 1776 it was also being brewed by Arthur Guinness at the St James’s Gate Brewery. Originally leased in 1759 to Arthur Guinness at IR£45 (Irish pounds) per year for 9,000 years, the St James’s Gate area has been the home of Guinness ever since. Samhain ‘Samhain’ Ireland’s most famous festival, is a celebration of the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. This festival was marked as a time to give thanks, to celebrate the harvest and pay respect to the Ireland’s fertile soils. The four main pagan Celtic festivals were celebrated with feasts and dancing at the change of seasons: • Imbolc (February) • Beltaine (May) • Lughnasa (August) • Samhain (November). 7 I RELAND’ S FOOD HER I TAGE