Why is corned beef and cabbage the official food of St Patrick's day?

Answer 1

First of all... corned beef and cabbage... not Irish...

Invented by Irish immigrants, but invented in New York.

Basically, one of the more traditional Irish dishes (in Ireland) is Boiled Bacon and Cabbage, but when the Irish came to America, they found out that bacon here is a different cut (more fatty... Irish bacon is more lean like Canadian bacon)... Since they could not find the right bacon, they started using corned beef which they found in the Jewish delis in their neighborhoods.

Since then, it's become a staple Irish-American food.

So it's related to the Irish, but you don't see many people in Ireland eating it.

Like chop suey for the Chinese, and pizza for the Italians (although pizza made its way back to Italy and is popular there now). Invented by immigrants to the US. (cureredhead's info above is mostly wrong, though I've heard some of the myths before)

See the link below for more info:

Answer 2

Actually, it's very American to eat Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. You can find out more here:

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aCBeefCabge.html

My mother's parents were from Ireland and it was a day to eat leg o' lamb and go to Mass. No Green Beer but Guinness for sure.

More about "the Real St. Patrick" here too:

http://www.americancatholic.org/features/patrick/

Answer 3

According to the US department of Agriculture Originally "Corned Beef and Cabbage" was a traditional dish served for Easter Sunday dinner in rural Ireland. The beef, because there was no refrigeration at that time was salted or brined during the winter to preserve it, It was then eaten after the long, meatless Lenten fast.

However other Irish people feel that Corned Beef and cabbage is about as Irish as Spaghetti and meatballs. That beef was a real delicacy usually served only to the kings.

According to Bridgett Haggerty of the website Irish Cultres and Customs she says that their research shows that most likely a "bacon joint" or a piece of salted pork boiled with cabbage and potatoes would more likely have shown up for an Easter Sunday feast in the rural parts of Ireland.

Since the advent of refrigeration, the trend in Ireland is to eat fresh meats. Today this peasant dish is more popular in the United States than in Ireland. Irish-Americans and lots of other people eat it on St. Patrick's Day, Ireland's principal feast day, as a nostalgic reminder of their Irish heritage.

Corning is a form of curing; it has nothing to do with corn. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon times before refrigeration. In those days, the meat was dry-cured in coarse "corns" of salt. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it.

Today brining -- the use of salt water -- has replaced the dry salt cure, but the name "corned beef" is still used, rather than "brined" or "pickled" beef. Commonly used spices that give corned beef its distinctive flavor are peppercorns and bay leaf. Of course, these spices may vary regionally.

Answer 4

I don't think that there is an official St.Pat's food, but many of us have corned beef and cabbage to reflect our Irish immigrant heritage (here in the US).

Answer 5

i think it's because americans don't realize that the irish eat more than just corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. it's become a sterotype of irish food.

Answer 6

Corned beef and cabbage oh that's disgusting i don't eat it and i'm 100% irish!!

Answer 7

I'm not sure. It's not an Irish food. It may be the food of choice because actual Irish food is stuff like blood sausage and potatoes.

Answer 8

They're not!! Only mad people think they are. Give me a nice chinese or thai any day!! And corned beef in Ireland comes in deli slices, so it's really only for sandwiches.

Answer 9

i wish they were not!!!! yuck!!! but i guess they are the official food for st. patrick's day because they originate and were grown in ireland.

Answer 10

Like the Irish, they're both real good.