Irish Rice
Not a staple in Ireland
I was quite bemused when I received a request to write a hub about Irish Rice dishes, and even more surprised (and very impressed) when I started to research the topic and immediately found the wonderful Kathryn Vercillo, a fellow hubber, who had come up with four tasty Irish rice recipes. And indeed, they sound delicious, so I've included a link below -- go feast your eyes. But in the main (apart from Rice Pudding) rice is not really a staple of most northern Irish people's diet.
There are several reasons for this.
- rice is not a potato. It's difficult to describe exactly what that means, unless you have been brought up on potatoes. You can mash potatoes, fry 'em, sauté 'em, grill 'em, bake 'em, roast 'em in oil; chop 'em up and put 'em in soup, pies, mince, croquettes; you can make potato bread, chip butties, or just boil 'em up and serve with any meal.
- rice is not grown in Ireland. Now, I know the fields are referred to as paddies, but that has nothing to do with the Irish in this case. If you have ever seen rice paddies, you will know that they are very un-Irish; they are neat fields surrounded by banks and filled with water, or they are terraces on a hillside in orderly fashion.
- rice is weird. And since it is imported, it is more expensive than potatoes.
Now, it is true that the northern Irish palate has matured over the past thirty years or so, and the introduction of the ubiquitous Chinese takeaway and Indian restaurants have led to more tolerance for rice being so small and prone to slip off your fork tines unless you make it sticky. And the fact that you can fry rice is popular. (People fry everything -- they even fry bread in Ireland. Just the idea of that gives me a headache.)
A Final Observation
Since I went to live in Japan for two years, I discovered the joys of rice as a breakfast, lunch, and dinner item. But in my youth the only time rice was ever really satisfying was as an anecdote for the munchies -- cold, straight out of the tin. Excellent.
Kathryn Vercillo's Recipes using Rice. In Ireland.
- 4 Easy Irish Rice Recipes
I am not someone who really enjoys cooking and I definitely don’t do well in the kitchen when it comes to complicated recipes. Nevertheless, I think that it’s healthiest to eat at home using fresh foods...
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Do the Irish fry Mars Bars like some Scottish do?
Hey Pete -- yeah, I became quite adept with the old chopsticks. Keep a pair in my handbag for emergencies.
Fry Mars Bars? Ethel, that sounds dangerous!
Ah, yes, fried bread. Did that on my tour of England in the mid 70's. Not sure what I'd think of it now. Very lovely photos. Miss the UK after so long.
"Irish" and "rice" do seem to rather be disassociated (together, that is). However, it wasn't till long years later that I learned bagpipes and various forms of them are all over the blinkin' world. How strange. I can still only envisage a kilt-wearing dude with an incomprehensible brogue playin' 'em. Silly me.
Nice. I'll have to check out the recipes.
Great hub. I actually love rice, and frankly rice's relationship with Irish hadn't occured to me at all, so all this was new information. It makes sense. lol. And it was written delightfully.
Thanks, Daniel, for stopping by and reading, and Iðunn--thank you for the lovely compliment.
The Julia Child of Ireland!! LOL!! I'm a potato girl and rice if i'm being polite at someones house, never lima beans! But rice pudding is a different thing altogether and totally delish. Thank you for a wonderful hub!
I'd never before connected "rice" and "Ireland"...........
I picked up an Irish cookbook at the library once. It could have been subtitled "50 Delicious Ways to Cook Potatoes, Cabbage, Dried Fish and Sheep Guts." I do love potatoes and cabbage but not sheep guts. My grandmother was Irish and a wonderful cook, but she didn't use a lot of rice. She did put EVERYTHING over mashed potatoes. Everything. I love rice now though. Especially jasmine rice.
Hey Candie, I know -- rice and Ireland go together like Alaska and raki. Oh well!
LG -- Do you remember the poem about Mary Jane? (she's crying with all her might and main -- and it's LOVELY rice pudding for dinner AGAIN!)?
Ok, Pam -- try this: fry some lean bacon in the pan, and then fry some boiled cabbage in the bacon grease, toss in some boiled potatoes, and voila! Everything you need to know about Irish cooking right there. It's delicious. Much better than pigs' feet and stringy shanks of icky meat (ah! fond memories).
Rice has been always appealing to me, nuitritious and yummy :)
Teresa--That sounds delicious. I will absolute try that. We are growing cabbage this year too. First time. Anything with bacon is delcious by definition! :)
Guinness is surely the best for washing rice out from between the old teeth ? And what might Irish chopsticks be called ?
Knitting needles.
What size ? Really small so they stab at and eat a grain at a time? Or huge so that the popular shovelling motion can be used?
That's funny to think of the knitting needle comments regarding rice.
A new one for me was the thought of eating cold rice out of a tin.
We like rice as well as potatoes. Guess that accounts for our shapes...well rounded. LOL
Ah! cold Ambrosia Creamed Rice Pudding out of the tin. Superb! Thanks for stopping by!
Pete Maida 2 years ago
I was wondering where this was going. When I was in Ireland no one metioned anything about rice. In Asia they have to make the rice sticky; it is the only way to pick it up with chop sticks.