Irish meals and drinks
Temple bar district in Dublin
The Temple bar district is in the centre of Dublin and is known as its cultural quarter and the centre of Dublin’s nightlife. The neighbourhood is named after the famous Temple Bar, but it offers a lot more than just pubs and cafés. It is full of entertainment such as live traditional music, art galleries and some of the best traditional restaurants in the country. Certainly worth a visit!
Typical Irish drinks
Irish Coffee
Irish Coffee is a cocktail with hot coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar and cream. Sounds good right? Check the recipe to find out how to make one.
Irish whiskey
One of the main characteristics of Irish whiskey is that it is brewed on the island of Ireland. At this point, there are 32 whiskey distilleries in operation on the island. The most famous Irish whiskey is ´Jameson´, it is known all over the world. There are a few differences between Scottish whisky and Irish whiskey—first, the spelling of the word ´Whisky´ or ´Whiskey´. The extra e is used for Irish or American whiskeys. When it´s Scottish or Canadian, you write it without the e. The second difference is the use of ingredients, and the third is the distillation process. Scottish whisky is distilled twice, while Irish whiskey is thrice distilled. This extra step makes Irish whiskey smoother and lighter to drink.
Guinness beer
Guinness is an Irish dry Stout (which is very dark beer) that is brewed at the St. James’s gate in Dublin. It is the best selling alcoholic drink in Ireland. Click on the video button to take a look at the iconic brewery in Dublin.
Traditional Irish food
Irish stew
Every Irish family has their very own recipe for this typical Irish dish. Therefore, you can use many different ingredients. However, a traditional Irish Stew only consists of four ingredients: lamb, potatoes, onions and carrots.
Soda bread
This bread is made with baking soda instead of yeast, so it doesn’t need to rise. That’s what gives it a more dense texture than regular bread. Some might say it has a similar texture as cake. Apart from baking soda, the main ingredients are soft wheat flour, salt and buttermilk. As with the Irish stew, every Irish family has a different way of baking soda bread. The way the bread is baked is mainly round, with a cross on top. Back in the days, the Irish believed this cross protected the family against evil.