Scientific analysis of dental calculus – plaque build-up – of victims found evidence of corn (maize), oats, potato, wheat and milk foodstuffs. The corn came from so-called Indian meal imported in vast amounts to Ireland from the United States as relief food for the starving populace.
After the Great Famine, a typical Irish diet consisted largely of milk with potatoes when in season or maize or oats mixed with milk, a meal termed 'stirabout'. Meat was very limited and tea or beer was hardly drunk at all by the poor in the country areas.
During the Irish potato famine, why didn't people simply eat other vegetables? Because the British government demanded that food shipments to England from Ireland were to continue, regardless of the failing potato crops. There wasn't anything else for the Irish to eat because it was being fed to Londoners.
The Irish poor ate potatoes, and the authors estimate that there were 3 million 'potato people' before the Famine, competing for smaller plots of marginal land. The traditional dairy diet of the Irish poor declined as milk was used to feed cattle or to make butter, two export products.
The potato plant was hardy, nutritious, calorie-dense, and easy to grow in Irish soil. By the time of the famine, nearly half of Ireland's population relied almost exclusively on potatoes for their diet, and the other half ate potatoes frequently. Read more about the characteristics of the potato plant.
Grains. Until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century, grains such as oats, wheat and barley, cooked either as porridge or bread, formed the staple of the Irish diet.
Most fund-raising, however, took place in the wake of the second, more devastating appearance of the potato blight in 1846. Calcutta sent approximately £16,500 in 1847, while Bombay sent £3,000. The Society of Friends, or Quakers, first became involved with the Irish Famine in November 1846.
Irish Champ
Ireland's traditional food most certainly includes champ. Champ is probably one of the best known of Irish dishes and it's a very simple one. Mashed potatoes made with good milk, butter and scallions (spring onions). Mashed together and sometimes served as a full meal back in the day.
Bangers and Mash. This comforting pub food is traditional in Ireland and Great Britain. It consists of sausages, mashed potatoes, and onion gravy. The type of pork sausage, known as banger sausages, are usually available around St. Patrick's Day—so make sure to stock up!
Between 1845-52 Ireland suffered a period of starvation, disease and emigration that became known as the Great Famine. The main cause was a disease which affected the potato crop, upon which a third of Ireland's population was dependent for food.
The "famine" ended in 1849, when British troops stopped removing the food. While enough food to sustain 18 million people was being removed from Ireland, its population was reduced by more than 2.5 million, to 6.5 million.
During the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s, mass starvation forced many Irish to flee their homeland in search of better times in America and elsewhere. Kinealy says those who stayed behind turned to desperate measures. "People were so deprived of food that they resorted to eating grass," Kinealy tells The Salt.
Cannibalism was likely practiced in Ireland during the Famine, Professor Cormac O Grada of University College Dublin told a New York conference on world hunger at Fordham University.
In the 9th century the most common ingredients were turnip (репа), cabbage (капуста), radish (редька), peas (горох), cucumbers (огурцы). They were eaten raw, baked, steamed, salted, marinated. Potatoes did not appear until the 18th century, and tomatoes until the 19th century.
The main parts of the early Irish diet were milk and cereals. Butter, buttermilk and cheeses also were very popular. People also ate fish and meat. Until the Normans arrived in Ireland around 1169 cows were too expensive to be killed for meat.
A traditional full Irish breakfast comprises bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, beans, soda bread or toast, tomatoes, mushrooms, and white or black pudding. For those wondering, black pudding coagulates the pig's blood into a sausage form. The white pudding is simply a pork sausage, usually flat.
Roast turkey is the most popular centrepiece of an Irish Christmas dinner. Alternatives to turkey include roast or boiled ham, both traditional and still popular. Goose or duck would be very traditional but less popular these days.
Colcannon is a dish that originated in Ireland, and it is classic comfort food that's cheap to make. Irish Chef Richard Corrigan maintains, “there's no such thing as a recipe for Colcannon, really.
Human Consumption of Meat
In 2021, 42% of the Total Meat eaten by Irish consumers was Poultry Meat, followed by Pig Meat at 34% and Beef & Veal at 21%. The remaining 3% was Sheep Meat.
4 The Catholic church played an important role in relieving the thousands of poor and sick people who suffered in these earlier famines or were laid low by fevers.
British assistance was limited to loans, helping to fund soup kitchens, and providing employment on road building and other public works. The Irish disliked the imported cornmeal, and reliance on it led to nutritional deficiencies.
Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589, but it took nearly four decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe.