Ireland -

Ireland

In the 21st century the usual modern choice of foods common to Western culture has been adopted in Ireland. Europe's dishes have influenced the country, together with other world dishes introduced in a similar fashion to the rest of the western world. Common meals include pizza, curry, Chinese food and lately some West African dishes and East European (especially Polish) dishes are making an appearance. Supermarket shelves now contain ingredients for traditional, European, American (Mexican/Tex-Mex) Indian, Chinese and other dishes.

In tandem with these developments, the final quarter of the 20th century saw the emergence of a brand new Irish cuisine based on traditional ingredients handled in new ways. This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables, fish (especially salmon and trout) oysters, mussels and other shellfish, traditional soda bread, the wide range of hand-made cheeses that are now being made across the country and of course the potato. Traditional dishes, such as Irish stew, coddle, the Irish breakfast, and potato bread have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.

 Fish and chips are popular from take-away outlets. The first fish and chips were sold in Dublin in the 1880’s by an Italian settler, Giuseppe Servi. His wife Palma would ask customers "Uno di questa, uno di qualla?" This phrase (meaning "one of this, one of the other") entered the vernacular in Dublin as "one and one", which continues to be a common way of referring to fish and chips in the city.