Northern Irish Cuisine

Northern Irish food includes it's own styles of cooking, recipes and traditions connected to Northern Ireland. It has attributes of it's own, but has drawn heavily from British and the Republic of Ireland's cuisine.

History
The culinary history of Northern Ireland has its origins in the basic diet of farming families generations; bread and potatoes. Historically, restricted product supply and low immigration rates have resulted in limited variety and relative isolation from wider international culinary influences. Nevertheless, significant improvements in the standard of local cuisine have been observed in recent decades, marked by a rise in gastropubs and restaurants' variety, quantity and quality. Northern Ireland currently has two Michelin star restaurants, both specialising in traditional dishes made from local ingredients. Northern Irish cuisine gained international attention in March 2018 when it was revealed that at the Crown Liquor Saloon, during a tour of Belfast, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had Irish stew and sausage with champ for lunch.

Ardglass potted herring
Found in butcher shops and fish sellers, it is herring that is marinated in vinegar, rolled with a bay leaf and baked with breadcrumbs.

Potato Bread
Potato bread is a flat bread made of potato, flour and buttermilk, cooked on a griddle. Sometimes they are eaten with butter and homemade jam, or with savoury food like smoked salmon, fresh fried eel, or thick dry-cured bacon.

Soda Bread
Soda bread is one of the griddle breads from Northern Ireland, it can be eaten instantly, or cooked until golden in and eaten in an Ulster Fry. Sometimes they are eaten with butter and homemade jam, or with savoury food like smoked salmon, fresh fried eel, or thick dry-cured bacon. It was first baked in Ireland in the 1800s. Locals used baking soda to make it rise.

Wheaten Bread
Wheaten bread is a brown bread made from whole wheat flour that also uses baking soda as a growing agent. Unlike savoury white soda bread, it is usually sweetened.

Fifteens
A tray bake that gets it's name from using fifteen of each major ingredient. (cherries, marshmallows and digestive biscuits.)

Boxty
Boxty is found mainly in Fermanagh County, Boxty is a weighty, starchy potato cake made of a  50:50 combination of cooked mashed potatoes and seasoned, peeled, raw potatoes.

Champ
Champ is made with potatoes by mashing them with milk and adding chopped scallions.

Dulse
Dulse is a seaweed snack, although fishing was small it was harvested for additional income.

Pasties
The pastie is made of a mixture of sausage meat, onions and mashed potatoes, shaped like a burger and spiced with black pepper. Most chip shops can order them battered.

Ulster Fry
The Ulster fry is the most popular traditional dish in Northern Ireland. In recent decades, a Ulster fry, although not originally especially synonymous with breakfast, has been advertised as the variant of a cooked breakfast by Northern Ireland. The griddle breads–soda bread and potato bread, fried (or sometimes grilled) until crisp and golden –are distinguishable from a full breakfast. Often small pancakes are also included. Bacon, sausages, an egg and (as a modern development) tomatoes and sometimes mushrooms complete the dish. Tea and toast are usually served. Being made with rolled oats, milk or water and a pinch of salt or sugar, Northern Ireland people are also partial to porridge at breakfast.

Yellowman
Yellowman (a crunchy, golden confectionery which looks like honeycomb a bit) is mainly sold at fairs and markets.

Vegetable Roll
The speciality that is peculiar to Northern Ireland is the vegetable roll. Slices of peppery beef flavoured with fresh leek, onions and carrot.

Drinks

 * Bushmills Whiskey
 * Brown Lemonade
 * McDaid's Football Special


 * Punjana Tea

Notable Northern Irish Chefs

 * Jenny Bristow
 * Michael Deane
 * Noel McMeel
 * Robbie Millar
 * Paul Rankin
 * Clare Smyth