Corned Beef and Cabbage
Posted by Kate on Friday, March 17, 2006On Sunday my family will be gathering for a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. One of my grandfathers was Irish, so of course on St. Patrick's day we consider it our duty to celebrate the day by wearing green and eating corned beef. 
Patrick's family on the other hand is 100% Irish. And they hate corned beef and cabbage. My mother is astonished by this. Every year when I tell her that he won't be eating corned beef with us, she protests- "but he's Irish!"
So I did a little research on corned beef and cabbage and here is what I found:
According to the History Channel:
"Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century. Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors."
And according to Food History:
"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."
So maybe I will cook up some bacon for Pat on St. Patrick's Day, but I still won't be able to convince him to try the cabbage.
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