Irish Food Traditions

It may come as a surprise to you that St. Patrick's day is not well celebrated in Ireland. This celebration and traditions are almost all American. The same can be said about many of the items on a Chinese restaurant's menu. You see, once the wave of immigrants disembarked upon our shores, those that were separated from their origin birthplace wanted a way to remember their traditions and honor their past.

Here in Chicago, the celebrations are very large, as we have a sizable population that have some Irish ancestors, and many more who don't but enjoy the ribaldry of the day. We have at least three very large parades to mark the event and tons of corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread consumed the whole week long. Tomorrow is the actual St. Pats day, but since it is in the middle of the week, last weekend was the parade day. The North-side, South-side, and Downtown  parades kicked off filled with floats, dancers, beauty queens, bag pipes, kilts, and lots of green beer. We dye the Chicago River green each year, pouring the dye from the backside of a Chicago Police boat.

Many of the early immigrants from Ireland found their way to Chicago and many of the men took up city jobs such as into service in the police and fire departments. In fact, the larger police units that are used to transport detainees were called 'Patty Wagons' due to have such large numbers of Irish policemen, "patty" being a derogatory slang for Irish men.

I have always liked the way this city celebrates this holiday, and having Irish ancestors doesn't hurt my love affair with the day. Most of the city dwellers that go out and celebrate the day with drunken bar crawls, lots of food, and corny green attire, are not in fact Irish at all, but Chicago always shows up to a party ready to go.

A good part of this holiday celebration is the fact that it happens in early Spring, often the parade is a cold and wet affair, so the drinking is often a tad too much. But when we have a bright sunny day, as it is today, the city is itching to get outdoors for any reason, and having a day where excessive drinking is expected makes it all the better.

Slán go fóill!

Post Superbowl 50

Now that all the dips and chips and hot wings have been consumed, let's chat about this type of feasting.  The average person doesn't really need an excuse to party, socialize, take a break, or whatever you wish to call it.

Traditional snack foods are the typical fare at the big game house party, but why? Is this the type of foods that Americans seek out in stadiums and then the connection between the game and what to eat is formed? In part you would be correct in saying yes to these questions, but one visit to the next live sporting event might just change your mind. 

As a chef formally apart of the culinary team at Soldiers Field, home of the Chicago Bears,  I was in charge of the dessert carts for the sky boxes.  I often helped with production in several different departments and the items that we were creating may surprise you.

There are a great many locations throughout the stadium where one may find something to munch on during the game and depending upon what your pallet craves and what your wallet can handle, you can find lots of options.  Fillet of beef, roasted duck, a array of cordials served as a shot in a chocolate shot glass, churros, French pastries, lobster tails, and candy coated caramel apples.

Sometimes it is great to break from tradition and add something new and adventurous once in a while. You don't have to throw away the entire play book and completely redo your game day buffet but a new player on the team may become the next all-star must have for your next event and it doesn't have to ultra expensive either.  Try adding some jerk chicken tacos next time to give a Caribbean twist, or throw in a Asian spiced chicken wing instead of the Buffalo style.

Spice it up, experiment, and season your food with love.