Ireland’s autumn provides many wonderful taste delights. Chief among them are goose, pork, potatoes and apples, all of which figure prominently as traditional foods during the season’s three principal feast times, Michaelmas, Samhain and Martinmas.
In old Irish tradition, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel (September 29) was known as Fomhar na nGeanna – the Goose Harvest. Like cows, geese hatched in the spring were put out to pasture in flocks of ten or 12 to feed on grass. Called “green geese,” they were a delicacy only enjoyed by the very wealthy as were the huge goose eggs which in medieval times were served at royal banquets on dishes of silver and gold.
Most geese were kept until after summer’s grain harvest when they were released into the cut fields. Feeding on the fallen grain, these “stubble geese” fattened up quickly. Goose feathers and down were collected for filling mattresses and pillows, and on Michaelmas, farmers presented their landlords with a pair of geese as part of their tenancy fees. In keeping with the belief that if you eat goose at Michaelmas you will never want all year round, people celebrated the saint’s day with a goose feast.
In the south and south-east corner of Ireland, there is an old saying: La Fheile Mhichil a chroitear an t-ullord.
Translated it means “On St. Michael’s Day the orchard is shaken,” and signals the beginning of the annual apple harvest. At almost the same time the potato harvest comes in, and by late fall, both crops are in abundant supply.
As readers who have been following this series may already know, the three-day period of Halloween, All Saints and All Souls has its roots in Samhain, the prehistoric Celtic festival that marked the end of the harvest season. Although the dates are now fixed at October 31 through November 2, the celebration originally occurred at the full harvest moon which will fall this year on October 26.
In ages past, people believed that during Samhain, spirits of the dead returned to the land of the living. Candles flickering through fearsome faces carved in huge turnips frightened malevolent spirits away. People disguised themselves when walking out at night to elude the bean sidhe (banshees) who roamed about, searching for victims to carry off to the land of the dead. But visiting ghosts of the dearly departed were welcomed home joyfully and a loaf of bread was always placed on the hearth for them.
Once the Church holy days superseded the pagan festival. All Hallows Eve evolved into a religious vigil and people were forbidden to eat meat. With the apple and potato harvests in full swing, these two foods became the night’s menu headliners.
The central dish was a bowl of steaming Colcannon – mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage, milk and butter. Dessert was a raisin-studded Barm Brack or a potato-apple cake. And since the night was a prime time for fortune telling, tokens predicting the future were buried in each dish. A button for the bachelor, a thimble for the spinster, a coin for the one who would become wealthy and a ring for he or she who would marry.
Ireland’s third fall festival, Martinmas (November 11), marks the feast of Saint Martin. According to legend, he was a miller who was martyred by being ground to death in his own mill-wheel. Thus, on his feast day no wheel of any kind was allowed to be turned, a custom that even prohibited women from knitting the circular heel of a sock!
Like most Irish holidays, Martinmas, too, has ancient Celtic roots and was originally celebrated nine nights after the Samhain moon. To protect a household against evil spirits that might seek entry during the winter, an animal was sacrificed and its blood was sprinkled in the corners of the house on the door and windows and in the stable.
Long ago, pigs were the sacrificial victims. A sensible practice since they had been feeding all summer on rich acorn mast, and the meat from a pig weighing several hundred pounds would provide plenty of cured bacon for the winter months to come. In these modern times the ritual has almost disappeared. Where still practiced, the pig has been replaced by a barnyard fowl and most families honor the tradition by serving roast chicken, duck or the ubiquitous autumn goose for dinner.
Festivals and feast days aside, my favorite Irish autumn taste treat – hot mulled apple cider liberally laced with a fine aged whiskey – requires no other reason to be enjoyed than a sudden chill in the wintering night air. And there’s plenty of them coming to us soon enough.
Recipes
Almond Meal Cookies
2 egg whites
1/4 pound blanched almonds
1/4 pound fine granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
blanched almond halves
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold in ground almonds, sugar, and almond extract.
Drop small spoonfuls well apart on to the cookie sheet and decorate each one with an almond half. Bake for about 12 minutes until faintly golden colored. Cool on a wire rack. Makes three dozen cookies.
- Recipe courtesy of Deb Percival, Temple House, Co. Sligo.
Mulled Apple Cider
1 quart apple cider
10 whole cloves
5 allspice berries
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
6 thin orange slices
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
Combine apple cider, clove, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, orange juice and orange slices in a non-reactive stainless steel pot. Warm slowly but do not boil. Add Irish whiskey. Strain and serve. Garnish each serving with an orange slice. Makes 6 cups
Potato Apple Cake
1 pound potatoes, boiled and drained
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 pinch ground sugar
3 tablespoons flour
4 large cooking apples
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soft butter creamed with 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Peel, core, halve and thinly slice the apples and set aside. In a medium bowl mash the potatoes until smooth and free of all lumps. Add the sugar, melted butter and ginger. Work in enough flour to make a pliable dough, then knead a little. Divide the dough in two. On a slightly floured surface, roll the dough into two circles about 1/2″ thick. Make one circle slightly larger than the other.
Put the larger circle on a lightly buttered baking sheet, pile sliced apples to within one inch of the edge and sprinkle with brown sugar. Place the smaller circle of dough on top of the apples. Moisten the extruding edge of the lower circle with a little water, then fold it over the upper circle and seal the edges carefully to prevent the juices from running out during cooking. Cut a small vent in the top, prick all over lightly with a fork and brush with a little milk. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the apples are cooked.
Remove from the oven and widen the vent on top just enough to slip in the butter-sugar mixture. Serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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