In pre-Christian Ireland, the spring celebration on May 1 was called Bealtaine. Household fires were extinguished several days before the feast and people were forbidden to rekindle them until Druid priests lit a ceremonial bonfire on the Hill of Tara, stronghold of the High King.
When Christianity supplanted pagan customs a new spring celebration was introduced: Easter, which, like Bealtaine, included a fire ritual, the lighting of the Paschal flame.
Easter is a movable feast. Since it occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal equinox, it can fall at the beginning or the end of April.
In 433 A.D. a Christian missionary recently arrived from Rome lit a Paschal fire on the Hill of Slane just a few miles from Tara, and violated the Druid ban on lighting fires before Bealtaine — an offense punishable by death.
The offender, brought before High King Laoghaire at Tara for judgment, so eloquently compared the trefoil leaf pattern of a tiny shamrock to the three-in-one mystery of Christianity’s Divine Trinity that Laoghaire not only spared his life but granted him permission to preach the new doctrine throughout the island. So it was that Saint Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.
According to Christian tradition, the days preceding Easter were the most solemn period of the year. Believers were directed to repent for their sins and purify themselves in mind and body in preparation for Christ’s resurrection. Late in the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great extended the pre-Easter fast to 40 days, excluding Sundays, and decreed the form of fasting that became Church law. “We abstain from flesh meat and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese and eggs.” Fish, especially salted herring, became the mainstay of Ireland’s Lenten diet, and it is only recently that the Irish have stopped thinking of seafood as penitential fare.
For centuries, Irish Catholics rigidly adhered to Lenten fast laws. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were such strictly observed black fast days that babies were left to cry three times before they were given milk.
Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, was the last chance to feast. Everyone ate piles of pancakes made from surplus butter, milk, eggs and cream that had to be used up before Lent began.
It was customary for the eldest daughter to toss the first pancake, a chancy feat, for if the pancake fell to the floor, it indicated that the poor girl would have little hope of marrying during the coming twelve months.
One notable day was exempt from Pope Gregory’s dictum. On March 17, the feast of Saint Patrick, Lenten abstinences were suspended. Even those who had sworn off alcohol as part of their penance were allowed to sip from the Pota Phadraig or Patrick’s pot. The accompanying toast was “Good luck and long life to the Council of Trent, it took away meat but left us the drink.”
During Holy Week meals were most austere. Breakfast consisted of dry bread and tea mixed with bull’s milk (water and oatmeal husks). Plain potatoes with salt were eaten at dinner, and for supper there was black tea and more dry bread. On Good Friday, if anyone ate at all, the meal consisted of barley bread, cress and water. Most folk spent the day in church and work was discouraged. Conversely, good Friday was a lucky day to plant crops, so farmers always made it a point to sow a little grain or some potatoes.
After the lean weeks of Lent, Easter Sunday was a day for eating and rejoicing. Those who could afford to roasted spring lamb, veal and chicken, but for many poorer folk the day’s favorite dish was bacon, cabbage and boiled potatoes. Transported to the New World, Irish immigrants substituted corned beef for the side of bacon or ham, making it the traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare.
One of Ireland’s most curious Easter customs was made popular by butchers, those unfortunate tradesmen whose products had been banned during the long Lenten fast. To celebrate the general population’s return to meat eating, butchers and their apprentices organized herring funerals! Doesn’t that just take the cake? Slainte!
NOTE: Read about the annual Bealtaine Fire Celebration on the Hill of Uisneach.
CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
1 Four-pound corned beef 6 Carrots, cut into large chunks 8 Onions, roughly chopped 1 Teaspoon dry English mustard 1 Large sprig of fresh thyme 4-5 Parsley stalks tied together 1 Large head of cabbage Salt and pepper
Put the corned beef into a saucepan with the carrots, onions, mustard powder and the herb bunch. Add enough cold water to immerse the meat, bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 1 hour. Discard the outer tough cabbage leaves, then cut the head of cabbage in quarters and add to the pot. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Serve the corned beef cut into slices surrounded by the vegetables, and lots of boiled potatoes. Pass bowls of parsley sauce, mustard sauce and chilled wholegrain honey-whiskey mustard. Serves six.
Festive Food of Ireland, by Darina Allen.
PARSLEY SAUCE
1 Cup hot corned beef cooling liquid 1 Cup milk 4 Tablespoons butter 1/2 Cup flour 4 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped Salt and pepper
Combine corned beef cooking liquid with milk and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk mixture, stirring all the time, and simmer until the sauce is creamy and smooth. Add the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 2 cups.
Recipe: Good Food from Ireland, by Georgina Campbell.
WHOLEGRAIN HONEY-WHISKEY MUSTARD
6 Ounces yellow mustard seeds 2 Ounces black mustard seeds 1 Tablespoons salt 2 Tablespoons honey 6 Tablespoons cider vinegar 1/4 Cup Irish whiskey
Put the mustard seeds in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave overnight to soak. Drain well, then put the seeds in a blender or food processor and whirl until they have turned into a thick paste. Add the salt and honey, mix briefly. With the motor running, add the vinegar and whiskey and mix well. Taste to check if more salt or honey is needed. At this point, the mustard will be full of air bubbles. Turn the mustard into a glass bowl, cover with a plate and let it sit undisturbed until the next day so that the air bubbles can settle. More vinegar and/or whiskey can be added if the mustard is too thick. Store in small jars and keep refrigerated between uses. Makes approx. 1 cup.
Recipe: Good Food from Ireland, by Georgina Campbell
ROAST LAMB WITH APPLES
1 (4 &1/2 lb) Boned leg of lamb Juice and peel of 1 lemon 3 or 4 Cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1 Tablespoon sugar 3 Whole cloves 1 Tablespoon ground ginger Salt &pepper 2 Tablespoons melted butter 1 Pint apple cider, heated
Rub the meat inside and out with the lemon juice and peel. Lay the apple slices over the inner side of the meat, sprinkle with sugar and cloves, roll up and tie securely with kitchen twine. Dust with ground ginger, salt and pepper, then put in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Roast in a preheated 400 F oven for 1/2 hour, then reduce heat to 350 F and continue roasting for one hour and twenty minutes longer. Baste with apple cider at least three times while the lamb is roasting. Remove lamb to a warm carving platter and let rest while you prepare the gravy. Drain excess fat from the pan and boil the pan juices over medium high heat until reduced by about half. Serve pan gravy separately.
Makes 8 servings.
Article copyright Irish America Inc. Mar/Apr issue 1995
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