St. Patrick's Day quest: finding Irish foods in Waterloo region

For someone who lived in the second half of the fifth century, St. Patrickhas certainly left an impressive legacy: the popular and eponymously named day that toasts Irish heritage.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many countries; in fact, given the significant Irish diaspora since the 18th-century, it is one of the largest national celebrations in the world.

According to Statscan, in Canada there are over 4.5 million people claiming full or partial Irish descent, which accounts for roughly 14 percent of the population. Millions of Canadians, Irish or not, tip a pint of Guinness and wear green each year on March 17. It's a wonderful celebration.

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However, the reduction of Irish cultureto a beer-swilling party rankles many, including me. As a counter-point to the excessive imbibing, it is fitting that at this time each year the week-longIrish Real Life (IRL) Festival, now in its second year, takes place with its focus on arts, culture and music.

Various Irish-inspired events are celebrated at TheMuseum, Kitchener City Hall, Victoria Park Pavilion, Registry Theatre and Waterloo Town Square.

And, yes, there's beer: a curated Irish ale tasting took place this past week at Waterloo's Princess Theatre.

Boxty and a "full Irish"

Green beer you might shake a shillelagh at, but when it comes to the cultural aspect of food there is no denying the simplicity and deliciousness of Irish fare. It is rustic and hearty comfort food that just about everyone can enjoy. Yet despite the IRL Festival's role in promoting Irish food, there is a dearth in Waterloo Region.

To be sure, Ireland has several top-rate culinary schools and a growing restaurant culture, a world-renowned salmon and trout fishery and events such as the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival.

In the same day you can eat boxty potato dumplings, colcannon, soda bread and lamb stew and the next morning wake up to a "full Irish," a breakfast that includes bacon rashers and black pudding.

Needed: more Irish-inspired food

That good richness is hard to find here, however. Many areas like Waterloo Region, perhaps not traditionally known for its Irish food, do have traces of Irish cookery in their pubs. A venue like Kennedy's in St. Agatha has a week of St. Patrick's Day celebrations, even if their menu skews toward Germanic "Waterloo County Fare."

While it is true that local pub operations such as McCabe's and Bobby O'Brien's in Kitchener and Guelph (with a Waterloo outlet opening soon) have Irish beer like Guinness and Kilkenny well covered along with the odd steak and Guinness pie with puff pastry, there is little traditional Irish food.

However, for their homage to St. Patrick, Waterloo's Wildcraft Grill & Bar and Dublin-born chef Brian McCourt prepared an Irish "coddle," a sort of stew of ingredients. It's nothing if not meaty, notes McCourt.

"Dublin coddle is Ireland's version of pot-au-feu[a classic French stew of meat and vegetables cooked slowly]. It's one pot cooking with some bacon in there, some sausages, some ham hocks, and some potatoes all cooked down together and tender," McCourt says.

You get the idea about hearty.

Where's the colcannon?

It is estimated that Irish folks have been in Newfoundland since before the 18th-century, and many Newfoundlanders can trace their heritage to the Emerald Isle.

That is likely the case for chef Jonathan Gushue of Kitchener's The Berlin; and he makes the case for another quintessential Irish dish: colcannon. The restaurant served it with corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, but I say that it should be eaten more than just on March 17.

"Colcannon is a crushed potato," Gushue says. "You need a lot butter and milk, but the most important thing is kale. A lot of people mix it up and use cabbage. But that's bubble-and-squeak, which is British."

For Gushue and most anyone who has comfort-food memories of meals and dishes colcannon is one of those satisfying Irish potato creations, with the healthiness of kale to boot.

"Growing up, we used to have colcannon all the time," he says pointing out that it's a rich dish that may include fresh onions or leeks. "But very important is that you have to float butter on top. There's certain ways that colcannon is done, but they're not culinary artistry or anything like that."

Author's Note: Restaurants may continue their St. Patrick's Day events into the weekend, so check with individual venues.

Read more food-related articlesfrom CBC Kitchener-Waterloo columnist Andrew Coppolino