Cuisine

The term "Irish cuisine" refers to a cooking technique that originated on the island of Ireland or was created by Irish people. It is the result of centuries of social and political development, as well as the merging of many cultures in Ireland, primarily from the United Kingdom and other European nations.

The cuisine is based on crops and animals grown in the temperate environment, as well as an abundance of fresh fish and shellfish from the Atlantic Ocean's surrounding seas. Chowder is a common dish around the coasts, for example.

The Tudor invasion of Ireland in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, which brought a new agro-alimentary system of intensive grain-based agriculture and resulted in enormous sections of land being turned over to grain production, had a significant impact on the development of Irish cuisine.

The advent of a commercial grain and meat market changed the Irish people's diet by diverting traditionally eaten items (such as beef) overseas as cash crops. As a result, potatoes were popular in the 18th century, and they virtually became the only crop that the Irish working class (who made up the bulk of the population) could buy.