Today is the day we celebrate St Patrick’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than to “Eat like an Irishman.” Besides dressing up in green and drinking green beer, Irish car bombs, and Guinness; let’s explore the food.

Breakfast: Let’s start our breakfast with a nice cup of Irish coffee which is almost a meal in itself: containing alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. Moving on to the food, a nice spread of meats, such as bacon and sausage, eggs, potatoes, buttered vegetables, and, of course, Irish brown bread. If you still have room, you can try a side of black pudding, a dish made from blood sausage and oatmeal.

Lunch: After you burned off your breakfast by Irish Step Dancing, its lunch time. Nothing is more traditional than Shepherd’s Pie. The pie consists of minced lamb with vegetables and is topped with mashed potatoes. Top it off with a nice Magner Irish Cider.

Dinner: It wouldn’t be St. Paddy’s Day without Corned Beef and Cabbage served with a nice pint of Guinness, even though this dish really started here in the United States. Traditionally, lamb is served for dinner in Ireland. Until 1970, pubs were actually closed by law to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, as it was a day of religion and family. Today in Ireland, thanks to tourism and Guinness, we find elements of American culture incorporated into the celebration.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this article or flight crew culinary training, contact me at jdetloff@airculinaire.com. For questions about in-flight catering, contact weborders@airculinaire.com.