Enjoy the full Irish magic

A table full of potatoes, breads and creamy delights are the main attractions of Ireland's simple cuisine.

Did someone call the UAE a melting pot of cultures? Well, this country is also brimming over with good food … the myriad delectable cuisines its diverse communities are bringing to the table.

So what is the food, the many people in the UAE eat at home, like? What are the recipes they cook on their special occasions? What are the secret ingredients that make their food exotic?

Where, if you want to savour them, will you find their dishes about town? And finally, what are the chefs saying about cooking up that storm?

Unwind takes you on a culinary journey across many mouth-watering preparations.

This week, food from Ireland …

The land of windswept cliffs, grassy hillocks and ancient Celtic art, Ireland may be a favourite destination for seascapes and lore. But aside from the picturesque beauty of this place, most people are not racing to the Emerald Isle to experience its culinary delights.

Irish cuisine can be divided into two categories: traditional, consisting of simple homely recipes, and modern dishes, as served in restaurants and hotels.

Eating habits

The Irish love a large breakfast, known as the ‘full Irish breakfast'. Traditionally, they enjoy a fried breakfast. The Irish fry can be made up of any combination of fried or scrambled eggs, black or white pudding, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and slices of soda bread served with ample helpings of creamy Irish butter. While weekday breakfasts in Britain and Ireland often consist of a brief meal of cereal and toast, the fry-up is eaten in a leisurely fashion on Saturday or Sunday mornings.

Lunchtime is, traditionally, the largest meal of the day. This is followed by a late afternoon cup of tea and, perhaps, a scone (shortbread teacakes) or a piece of barm brack (fruit bread). Dinnertime is usually a lighter meal, although the city folk make this their main meal.

Irish ingredients: Mutton stews, boiled meats, creamy salted butter, rich cheeses and the ubiquitous potato make up the backbone of Irish cooking.

Irish cooking is centred largely around the potato which is used as an ingredient in stews or made into breads or pancakes. Soda bread is an Irish bread, traditionally baked in a covered iron pot over an open fire.

All kinds of meat find their way onto the Irish table. Salmon, trout and lobster are also enjoyed and Dublin Bay prawns are famous. Dairy products also figure prominently at the table.

Potatoes: No discussion of Irish cuisine would be complete without considering the potato. A famous and traditional Irish potato dish is colcannon, made of mashed potatoes mixed with onions and cabbage.

Other potato-based dishes include champ — potato mashed with spring onions and hot milk, boxty — a fried pancake made from a mixture of grated raw potatoes and mashed potatoes — and various other potato pies.

Warming stews: Probably, the most famous Irish meat dish is the Irish Stew, with layers of lamb or mutton, potatoes and onions topped with water or stock and stewed for two to three hours.

Daily bread: Ireland is known for its bread, including soda bread, soda farls and blaa, of which the last one is a soft, white-bread roll from Waterford.

Soda bread is made with baking soda rather than yeast, which reacts with the buttermilk in the dough and causes the loaf to rise. Soda farls are made by spreading the dough in a circular shape on a griddle.

Barm brack is a round loaf enriched with butter or lard, sugar and eggs, and is considered the national fruit bread of Ireland.

Butter and cheese: Ireland's heavy rainfall creates lush green pastures, perfect for producing richly flavoured milk, butter and cheese.

Irish cooking also uses edible seaweed, such as dulse, kelp or carrageen moss.

The last is named after an Irish village (Carragheen), as the place is one of its sources.

A popular use for caragheem moss is to set milk pudding.

Help yourself: Books

- The Irish Heritage Cookbook by Margaret Johnson
- A Little Irish Cookbook by John Murphy
- Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala
- Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen

Facts: Did you know?

- Irish coffee was created by Joe Sheridan, a barman at Shannon Airport in the early 1950s, before being publicised by American travel writer, Stanton Delaplane. There is now a bar at Shannon Airport named after the legendary barman .

- Colcannon (potatoes mashed with onions and cabbage) was traditionally associated with predicting marriages. Unmarried women would hang socks filled with colcannon at the front door. They would marry the first man to enter the house.

- A common misconception is corned beef and cabbage is a traditional Irish dish. Corned beef is actually an Irish-American tradition, which gained popularity as a replacement for the traditional meat and cabbage dish, since there was difficulty in obtaining meat.

Dubai: Local flavour

- Century Village: Located next to Irish Village, the Century Village is a small oasis of fine dining restaurants set in a relaxed atmosphere with fountains and greenery. The place allows you to almost forget you are in Dubai.

- The Irish Village: With its mock village settings and traditional shops, Irish Village creates magic. One of Dubai's most-loved places, Irish Village has a huge paved courtyard for guests. There is a little pond inside with a fountain and even its own ducks. This setting is perhaps the biggest draw of the place. Dubai residents love an evening out here.

- Fibber Magee's, behind Crowne Plaza Hotel on Shaikh Zayed road, has become a firm favourite with thirsty, TV-sports fans. Staff here is friendly, but this is definitely not a place for a quiet evening with friends.

- Dubliner's, Le Meridien Hotel

- Waxy O' Connor's, Ascot Hotel

- Finnegan's, Palm Hotel

— Sana Zarrar Paloba is a UAE-based culinary writer