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Recognizing Food As Part Of Ireland’S Intangible Cultural Heritage, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Drawing on evidence from across a range of disciplines (literature, folklore, history, sociology, etc.), this paper explores the lack of an iconic link between Ireland and food, explaining the reasons why Ireland and food are not immediately linked in the popular imagination. It argues for recognition of foodways as a significant element in Ireland’s intangible cultural heritage. It highlights and interrogates constructs, such as ‘national’ and ‘regional’ cuisines, charting the growing scholarship around Irish food history from the ground breaking work of A.T. Lucas and Louis Cullen to a recent emerging cluster of doctoral researchers. The paper identifies the potential …

Material Culture: A Review Of The 2013 Oxford Symposium On Food And Cookery, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

The focus of this year’s Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery was on the stew stove not the stew; the knives not the meat; the salt pots or ‘nefs’ rather than the salt; the ‘chasen’ not the tea; the plates (whether pewter, ceramic, delftware, china, silver or gold) but not their food contents. We were gathered to discuss associated material culture of food and cookery rather than the perishable ephemeral substance that usually concerns this gathering now in its thirty-first year.

So, what did the 220 chefs, food historians, writers, scientists, anthropologists and general foodies learn from the weekend’s discussion …

'Tickling The Palate' Gastronomy In Irish Literature And Culture, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Eamon Maher

Articles

This volume of essays which originated in the inaugural Dublin Gastronomy Symposium held in the Technological University Dublin in June 2012, offers fascinating insights into the significant role played by gastronomy in Irish literature and culture.

The book opens with an exploration of food in literature, covering figures as varied as Maria Edgeworth, James Joyce, Charles Dickens, Enid Blyton, John McGahern, and Sebastian Barry. Other chapters examine culinary practices among the Dublin working classes in the 1950's, offering a stark contrast to the haute cuisine served in the iconic Jammet's Restaurant; new trends among Ireland's 'foodie' generation; and the economic …

Gastro-Topogrophy: Exploring Food-Related Placenames In Ireland, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Most Irish people likely have little or no knowledge of the richness and variety of their ancestor’s diet before the arrival of the potato. For generations, food was considered far too common to be considered a field of study. Considering the primacy of food in people’s lives generally throughout history, it is logical that food be reflected in toponymic references to environment and landscape. This article taps into a wide range of material including poetry, prose, travellers’ reports, mythology, folklore, letters, shipping records, and archaeological evidence, both to contextualize the food-related placenames of Ireland, and to explore what Irish placenames …

Towards A Structured Approach To Reading Historic Cookbooks, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article discusses the methodology Barbara Ketchum Wheaton uses in her Reading historic Cookbook Seminars in Harvard and elsewhere and discusses from a participants perspective the strenghts of using this methodology to unlock hidden secrets of historic cookbooks.

The Language Of Food: A Review Of The 2009 Oxford Symposium On Food And Cookery, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article reviews the 2009 Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, which was held in St. Catherine's College, Oxford. This year's theme was Food and Language and over forty papers were delivered to and audience of over two hundred leading food writers, historians, scientists, anthropologists, linguists, culinary students, and general food enthusiasts.