Irish food is loved by many across the globe, but there are certain foods that people can’t get their heads around. Here are five Irish foods people from abroad can’t believe we eat.
From Steak and Guinness Pie to Baileys Cheesecake, there are some absolutely delicious foods that we love to enjoy in Ireland, and so do many people around the world.
We can thank all our ancestors who emigrated over the years for sharing our cuisine with people in all corners of the globe, making Irish food world-famous. In fact, one of the main reasons people come to Ireland is its food.
With that being said, there are many foods we love to enjoy in Ireland that others cannot understand, and these foods have been in Irish cuisine for generations.
Many of us have tried most of these, and if we have dared create them abroad, we were met by curious onlookers wondering what on earth we were concocting.
But what are these weird foods? Here are five Irish foods people from abroad can’t believe we eat.
5. Banana sandwiches – a lunchtime favourite
Okay, so not everyone in Ireland is privy to these quick, easy, and delicious snacks. However, let’s face it, many are.
Mashed banana in-between two buttered slices of bread is a clear winner for most because it is sweet, filling, and actually pretty healthy. However, to people abroad, this just sounds crazy.
Irish kids in particular love these, and many lunch boxes will feature a banana sandwich once in a while. Sure, we can all remember getting one of these on our lunch breaks growing up in Ireland.
4. Bread and butter pudding – a simple but tasty dessert
This sounds so random to many people abroad. However, to us, it’s a delicious dessert we have all grown up around.
Bread and butter pudding stemmed from the old days when basic ingredients were used to make all sorts of meals, and no food was wasted. This makes it one of the Irish foods people from abroad can’t believe we eat.
This was the perfect way to make a sweet and tasty dessert with just a few ingredients, including bread, butter, nutmeg, vanilla, and raisins. Now, doesn’t that sound delicious?
3. Tripe – you either love it or you hate it
Tripe is something we were probably fed as kids without even knowing. Yet, many Irish people still can’t fathom why anyone eats it. So, it is no surprise that it is one of the Irish foods people from abroad can’t believe we eat either.
It comes from the stomach of a cow (again, no food wastage here) and is most commonly cooked in milk and onions. We’re not convinced about this one, but judging the fact that many Irish restaurants still serve up this traditional delicacy, it seems some folk are still enjoying it.
2. Coddle – the traditional sausage stew
Dublin Coddle, as the name suggests, was created in Dublin and is a mix between a soup and a stew. However, coddle includes sausages, potatoes, and mixed vegetables in the recipe.
The boiling of the sausages in the soup gives them a soft consistency that many are not keen on, especially people outside of Ireland. That’s why this is one of the Irish foods people from abroad can’t believe we eat.
1. Black and white pudding – the star of the Irish breakfast
If you grew up in Ireland, you most likely tried this staple breakfast ingredient. It is popular as part of an Irish fry on a Sunday morning or any special occasion really.
Some even liked to make the pudding separately with some sauce, sandwiched between two slices of our famous Brennan’s bread. Due to their unusual ingredients, these are two Irish foods people from abroad can’t believe we eat.
There you have our five Irish foods people from abroad can’t believe we eat. Some of us Irish may agree with a few, and some may love them all, but everyone’s tastes are different.
There are many foods from other countries that we love. However, there are some we also can’t believe that others eat, such as frog’s legs in France or guinea pig in Peru. But of course, if you are a foodie, you have to try it for yourself and then decide.
Many of these foods stem from long traditions. Thus, it is important to source an authentic version to get the real taste. And who knows, maybe these foods will one day win over the world as they did with us.
