Traditional Irish Food: 10 Must-Try Dishes
A visit to the Emerald Isle will never leave you hungry. Potatoes became one of the most popular Irish food staples after their introduction in the 1600s which is why you’ll see spuds either mixed into or accompanied with many of the most traditional Irish foods. Hearty dishes like colcannon, Irish stew, and sausage and champ all feature the resourceful root vegetable.
But Irish cuisine is much more than potatoes, Guinness, and cabbage — even if these three ingredients make their presence known in countless recipes. On our Premium Tours of Ireland, we encourage travelers to read deep into every menu where local favorites like coddle and seafood chowders offer a different taste of the Emerald Isle.
10 traditional Irish food dishes you must try:
Irish stew — the country’s national dish — is far from the only delicious meal you’ll find on Irish menus. From main meals like sausage and champ to coastal classics like seafood chowder, try these ten traditional Irish foods during your visit.
1. Irish Breakfast & Ulster Fry
Depending on where you begin your Irish vacation, your morning meal will look a little different. In Ireland, wake up to a full Irish breakfast: bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, Irish brown bread, potatoes, and eggs. In Northern Ireland, expect an Ulster fry to include potato farls, Irish soda bread, boxty (potato pancakes), and tomatoes.
Traditional Irish fry-up. Image credit: JeffKearney via Canva
2. Dublin Coddle
Not to be confused with the traditional Irish strew, Dublin coddle is an Irish sausage, bacon, and potato stew. It’s named after the capital city but is popular from Letterkenny to Cork. “Coddle” is derived from the French word to gently boil, “caudle”. Though a coddle could be made from scratch, it’s typically a dish born out of creativity: most cooks in Ireland will use leftovers from other cooked or prepared meals, throw them together in a single pot, and create a coddle to serve.
3. Colcannon & Champ
Colcannon and champ are two traditional Irish foods that North American travelers will feel right at home with. Irish champ is mashed potatoes made with butter, milk, and scallions. Colcannon is also a mashed potato dish, but unlike champ, colcannon features leafy greens like kale, cabbage, or leeks. Colannon whips these chopped greens into a mixture of milk, potatoes, and butter. Of the many sides available in Ireland, colcannon and champ are among the easiest to pair with virtually anything: from Irish stew and shepherd’s pie to baked ham and roasted sausages.
4. Irish Breads
From pies to pasties and plenty more, Irish baking traditions are ingrained in the country’s culinary culture. Irish soda bread is one of the cornerstones of the Irish food scene, a basic yet foundational part of Irish heritage for generations. Flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk illustrate the resourcefulness that kept Irish bellies full throughout all four seasons. Irish brown bread is a sibling of Irish soda bread that’s made with wheat flour and yeast.
As you travel throughout Ireland, you’ll encounter a spread of baked goods. In Waterford, for example, the blaa bread roll is a traditional soft roll, buttered up and eaten with a meal or used for sandwiches. Visit Ireland during the fall and you’ll find barmbrack, the Irish fruit bread, served around Halloween. The bambrack is a bread, though the fruits, spices, and texture is reminiscent of a cake-like baked good.
Soda bread is rustic and delicious. Image credit: styxclick via Canva
5. Irish Pasties
Irish pasties are savory handheld pies stuffed with meat and vegetables that originated in Cornwall, England — hence the name, Cornish pasty. Just as pasties have made their way all the way to Australia, they’ve made their way across the Irish Sea. All will feature potatoes and onions. Irish pasties, however, use sliced beef instead of cubed beef and have a crimp at the top, while the British pasty has a side crimp.
Sample Irish pasties and Cornish pasties on our Best of Ireland & Scotland two-week tour.
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Plus receive latest offers, travel inspiration, and discover how your travels will make a positive impact. Together, WE MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®. Subscribe Now6. Irish Potato Soup
If there’s one Irish food where simplicity steals the show, it’s the Irish potato soup. Potatoes, broth or vegetable stock, salt, butter, celery, and onions make for a small shopping list. Contemporary versions may add milk or other vegetables, but the traditional Irish potato soup keeps it as straightforward as possible. Should you desire a little extra flavor in your bowl, an enhanced version of the Irish potato soup adds another stalwart vegetable: Irish cabbage.
7. Irish Cabbage
Irish cabbage is a keystone of Irish cuisine which is why you’ll see it as a primary ingredient in countless dishes. Corned beef and cabbage is probably the most familiar of pairs for North American visitors, however, some of its equally delicious duos exist in the form of fried cabbage with bacon or with sausage. Cabbage soup is also quite popular and is unsurprisingly made with bacon, carrots, potatoes, and celery that are pantry staples in every Irish kitchen.
Sauteed cabbage. Image credit bhofack2 via Canva
8. Irish Shepherd’s Pie
Irish food and British food are definitely distinct, though these neighboring regions do have similar culinary hallmarks thanks to their shared livestock and vegetables. Case in point: shepherd’s pie and cottage pie. The Irish shepherd’s pie traditionally has a minced lamb at its hearty heart while the British cottage pie uses ground beef. Both are topped with mashed potatoes. An Irish soda bread is one of the ideal sides to serve with this quintessential Irish dish.
9. Seafood Chowder
Despite being an island nation, most first-time visitors don’t associate seafood with Ireland. Visit any coast, however, and a bowl of seafood chowder will convince you that the Emerald Isle’s waters are just as bountiful as its land. Like so many Irish food dishes, seafood chowder includes potatoes, shallots, and leeks. Smoked haddock, Dublin Bay prawns, fresh mussels, salmon, and clams showcase the dish’s roots as a hearty and healthy meal made with whatever scraps of seafood were available.
Order a bowl of seafood chowder in Galway during our Country Roads of Ireland tour.
10. Cakes
Dessert may be farthest from your mind when envisioning traditional Irish foods, but it won’t be once a slice of cake is set in front of you. Irish cakes fit into a category as broad as it is sweet. An Irish apple cake and a chocolate Guinness cake are perfect examples. Tart apple slices are spiced and baked, topped with crumbles and custard, while in the chocolate Guinness cake, is a decadent dessert spiked with a pint of Guinness and frosted with cream cheese. Similarly, an Irish porter cake is made with a stout beer, though this confection gets its sweetness from its fruity base.
An Irish apple cake, almost like a coffee cake, is a treat you’ll find alongside Irish shortbreads with a cup of tea. Desserts like the chocolate Guinness cake and Irish porter cake might be more reserved for special occasions or family meals. And while you’re touring Northern Ireland, skip the cake and treat yourself to the toffee-like treat, yellowman candy.
Guinness never tasted so good. Image credit: Candice Bell via Canva
What is the national dish of Ireland?
Irish stew is the national dish of Ireland and one of the most traditional Irish dishes you’ll find on the menu. A traditional Irish stew is prepared with either mutton or lamb, and little else. Onions and potatoes, and occasionally carrots, round out the standard ingredient list. Family recipes and modernized versions may use beef as the main ingredient and add other vegetables. A Guinness stew is similar: order a bowl and you’ll find that the beef was stewed in Guinness stout beer.
What is typical Irish pub food?
Irish pub food and Irish comfort food are relatively synonymous. You’ll likely find a full Irish breakfast, boxty, seafood chowder, and bacon and cabbage on the menu. Traditional Irish food dishes like the Irish stew or Guinness stew are also present, as are pub grub classics like fish and chips, bangers and mash, and cottage pie.
What food is eaten on St. Patrick’s Day?
Don’t expect dinner on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland to feature corned beef and cabbage or boxty (the Irish potato pancake). Bacon and cabbage is a more traditional meal, complete with potatoes. For a meatier option, a family may prepare a lamb or beef stew, or cook a shepherd’s pie or an Irish beef and Guinness pie. Expect sides like colcannon or champ to make their way to the table as well.
What food do people in Ireland eat at Christmas?
Christmas in Ireland is an intimate affair. While the pubs are packed on Christmas Eve, most locals spend Christmas Day surrounded by family, friends, and food. Join them for dinner and you’ll find a turkey (or sometimes a goose) in the center of the table surrounded by roasted potatoes, turnips, and carrots. In Cork, you might find spiced beef on as the centerpiece with boiled root vegetables, cranberry sauce, and a thick gravy. People in Ireland also eat Christmas pudding. Don’t be fooled into thinking the Christmas crackers in the spread are edible: these decorative pieces actually contain jokes and make a “cracking” sound when snapped.
Explore Insight Vacation’s full menu of Ireland Premium Guided Tours, all of which include indulgent opportunities to take the Emerald Isle’s traditional food.
About Alex Allen
Alex is the Editor of Insightful, and has over 10 years' experience as a writer and editor within the travel industry. In his professional travels, he has been all over the world – from road-tripping in Australia and New Zealand, to eating his way around the Canadian Maritimes and criss-crossing Italy from Sardinia to Emilia-Romagna.
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