ExploFood · Europe
What to eat in Ireland
Five dishes to try in Ireland, the most typical first. Three are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Ireland
Irish stew
Lamb or mutton stewed with potatoes, onions and carrots.
How to have it: A pub lunch standard, often served with soda bread and a pint of stout.
Full Irish breakfast
Fried breakfast of rashers, sausages, black and white pudding, eggs and tomato.
How to have it: Served in B&Bs and cafés all morning; ask for brown bread and a pot of tea with it.
Soda bread
Quick bread leavened with baking soda and buttermilk instead of yeast.
How to have it: Comes on the side of soups and seafood chowder; in the north look for soda farls on the breakfast plate.
Boxty
Potato pancake made from grated raw and mashed potato.
How to have it: Traditional in the northwest midlands; restaurants serve it wrapped around meat or fish fillings.
Colcannon
Mashed potato mixed with cabbage or kale, spring onion and butter.
How to have it: A side dish with bacon or sausages, eaten especially around Halloween.
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Questions
What food is Ireland famous for?
Irish stew (lamb or mutton stewed with potatoes, onions and carrots) comes first on our list, followed by Full Irish breakfast, Soda bread, Boxty and Colcannon.
What is the national dish of Ireland?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Ireland is Irish stew: lamb or mutton stewed with potatoes, onions and carrots. A pub lunch standard, often served with soda bread and a pint of stout.
Which dishes in Ireland are vegetarian?
Three of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Soda bread, Boxty and Colcannon. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Tick off every dish you try in Ireland
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.