Edythe Preet writes of the many reasons why Ireland is called the Motherland. Civilization began when hunter-gatherers learned to cultivate grain and evolved into permanent agricultural communities. Since males were the hunters and females the gatherers, anthropologists theorize it was most likely women who realized that grain grew from gathered seeds that could be … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Mother Earth
Edythe Preet
Sláinte! Where’s the Beef?
Bird or game, it’s all about carving against the grain, writes Edythe Preet, Irish Heritage Kitchen chef and Sláinte columnist. An old Irish saying has it that “A dinner is not a dinner at all but only an excuse for one if it does not contain a plate of meat.” And meals starring meat have a long history. From tales of the saints’ lives and heraldic sagas we know that wealth … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Where’s the Beef?
Sláinte! Ireland: It’s the Berries!
If you ever visit Ireland during the month of June, it’s tempting to maximize summer’s daylight hours and ramble until the sun goes down. Not a good idea. In the island’s northern latitude, sunset is a nighttime rather than evening affair. This is especially true in mid-June when the sun doesn’t set on the Emerald Isle until almost 10:00 p.m. and by that time most kitchens are … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Ireland: It’s the Berries!
Sláinte!
The Fast & The Feast
How Ireland perfected the journey from abstinent Lent to the celebratory feast of Easter.
Throughout the history of Western civilization, spring’s arrival was always a time for feasting and gaiety. After months of cold stormy weather, long nights and gloomy days, shoots of new grass would herald the onset of another year’s planting cycle. In pre-Christian Ireland, the spring … [Read more...] about Sláinte!
The Fast & The Feast
Slainté! New Year – A Time of Big Portions
Edythe Preet, Irish America columnist, Jan 2012
Who needs Hocus Pocus when we have global positioning satellite systems, cell phones, iPods, and full-body airport scanners? No one believes in magic anymore. Well, if that's the case why do you suppose we stay out of a black cat's path, avoid walking under a ladder and put a penny in a new bride's shoe? Because we are superstitious creatures, that's why. Since the beginning … [Read more...] about Slainté! New Year – A Time of Big Portions