When Irish Eyes are smiling
They’re probably eating Italian food. Of course, we kid. But, the Irish aren’t exactly renowned for their cuisine. This is, of course due to the stereotypical meals served in Pubs across America and the world. But, in past years, we have shown you how good Irish food really can be. Remember, Ireland is an Island. So, fresh seafood and produce abound. And, corned beef and cabbage is more of an American dish. Irish Immigrants to America first found themselves in heavily Jewish areas where brisket was abundant. Being poor, they corned the beef to preserve it and served it with cheap ingredients like cabbage and potatoes. It seems Irish culture is only in the eye of the beholder. That’s why there’s always some American singing when Irish eyes are smiling. Especially on St Patrick’s day, which is today.
Frankly, it’s a bit embarrassing when people start into the song. Like when Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney joined in at the tackily named Shamrock summit in 1985. It’s times like that when you really question the use of the song and the lyrics. Seriously, do eyes smile? They don’t have lips. Technically, it’s called a duchenne smile when the corners of the eyes lift during an authentic smile. But, that is the “crow’s feet area of the face. So, technically, it’s not even the eyes that are smiling, just the skin around them. Trying to analyze something as silly as smiling eyes could explain the Irish propensity toward drinking heavily though. And, the fact that a Frenchman named the smiling eyes is enough to get the Irish fighting mad.
Table of Contents
When did we first realize when Irish eyes are smiling?
Duchenne was a contemporary of Charles Darwin. Both men studied facial expressions in the 1860’s and 70’s. So, the concept of “smiling eyes” does have a scientific origin. But, a smile is an emotional thing. And, it takes art to capture emotion. So, in 1912, Chauncy Olcotte and George Graff Jr got together with Ernest Ball and released the song, when Irish eyes are smiling. Ironically, all 3 men were American. Yet, the song gained status as an Irish classic. Over the years it has been recorded hundreds of times and sung countless more, usually by drunken people on St Patrick’s day.
Ironically, the song was released the same year as the greatest Irish maritime disaster: The Titanic. While it was a British shipping company who owned and operated the Titanic, the ship and her 2 sisters were built in Ireland by Irish workers. And, of course, it was mostly the Irish immigrants in steerage who perished in that one. Seems like the Irish were always playing second fiddle to the Brits. Even in America, the Irish were the second largest group of immigrants next to the British. Yet, signs like Irish need not apply were indicative of their status. It’s amazing that any Irish eyes were ever smiling at the time. Funny how Irish leprechauns have gold when the Irish usually settle for the silver medal.
And, it’s not about Corned Beef and cabbage
Even though, that can be a tasty dish (mostly because of the salt):however, it is not what St Patrick would have eaten. St Patrick was born to a Roman family. At the age of 16, he found himself enslaved and shipped off to Ireland. He escaped, and later, returned as a proselytizer. Thanks to his work, Ireland became a Christian country. So, there are pros and cons in that. On the pro side, Christians controlled most of the world commerce at the time, so it helped modernize the country. But, it also suppressed the traditional roots of the Celtic religion. To this day, Celtic pride is still a thing. But, it is mixed with Christian orthodoxy.
St Patrick died March 17, 461 AD according to historians. So, ironically, it’s his death date and not birth that we celebrate. So, to truly understand what he would have eaten at the time, we need to look at Celtic Agriculture during the Iron Age. Although Celts were considered heathens and unsophisticated, they did have an agricultural system centered around Cattle, pigs, and crops such as grains and legumes. One would think they had a meat heavy diet. But, the livestock were more valuable alive than as food. Although, ancient Celts did make blood bread by draining some blood from an animal, then cauterizing the wound so they wouldn’t die. While cruel, it does seem better than outright slaughter.
So, basically, Cattle wouldn’t be the first thing eaten. As with most of our forebears, grains and vegetables would be the center of the plate, not the meat.
A pint and some porridge
When it comes to Celtic life in the 5th century, little has survived in written format. Unlike Christianity and other religions, the Celts and Druids didn’t write down their “rules” or even chronicle their existence the way groups like the Romans did. So, most of their tradition was passed down through word of mouth from generation to generation. And, Archeological excavation has given the best view into life at the time. They discovered a lot of grains, legumes, breads, and vessels that would contain mead, beer, and other beverages. And, even the breads appear to have used a brewer’s yeast for leavening. And, the grains appear to be used for a variety of things, especially porridge.
So, if you really want to celebrate St Patrick the way he would have lived, you could have a bowl of porridge and a glass of mead. Sounds like a perfect excuse for having beer for breakfast, like our friends the Replacements so aptly sang of. And, of course, we always try to adhere to Historical traditions. But, on this one, we may skip a little further ahead in the day. But, you know you’re getting a beer recipe. Unfortunately, the beer we are brewing won’t be ready for a month . Luckily, We made some last month and are drinking it now. As for the food, We have a Vegan lentil dish, since we just talked about how animals wouldn’t be the center of the plate. So, if you’re looking for Corned beef and cabbage, pogue mahone!
Slainte!
Patty O Furniture reddish Chocolate Ale
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Melanodin Malt
- 1 Lb Brides Caramel Malt 120L
- 1 Tbsp Green Cardamom Pods
- 6 Lb Golden Malt Extract
- 1 Oz Tetnang hop pellets
- 1 oz Waimea Hop pellet
- 2 oz Mosaic Whole leaf hops
- 1 Lb Chocolate Chips
- 1 oz Centennial Hop Pellets
- 1 Oz Mosaic Leaf hops to finish
- 1 each Flocculating tablet or 1 oz Irish Moss
- 11.5 g safe ale s-33 ale yeast
- 2 Oz Mosaic Leaf Hops for dry hopping
- 3/4 Cup Priming sugar
Instructions
- Boil 2 1/2 to 3 gallons of water. Put malts and cardamom in a brewing "sock"/bag simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove the bag and whisk in the malt extract. Make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom and scorch. Bring to a boil.
- Add the first set of 3 hops and boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent overflow.
- Stir in the chocolate until melted and well incorporated. The add in the remaining hops and flocking ingredients. Continue to boil for 15 minutes.
- Sterilize your racking tub, carboy, and other equipment.
- Strain the liquid through Cheesecloth and a sparging bag into a 6 gallon tub. When finished straining, add in cold cold water to get 5.5 gallons of liquid.
- Transfer to a carboy and cool to room temperature. Do not pitch the yeast until liquid is around 100 degrees. If it's too hot, it can kill the yeast. When cool enough, sprinkle the yeast into the carboy. Then put a stopper in the bottle with a blow off tube and a container with some water to catch the overflow.
- Place in a cool dark place where it won't be disturbed for a month (a closet works well. If it will see any light exposure, cover with a towel or something to keep light out.
- After 3 days, the strongest yeast activity should subside. At this point, Open the top. And, add the dry hops. Then cover with a stopper equipped with an air lock. Leave to ferment for 2 more weeks.
- After 2 weeks, Strain the beer into a racking tub. Be careful not to disturb the sediment in the bottom. I usually strain it 1 more time here as well.
- Sterilize all your bottles, caps, and equipment.
- Put the priming sugar in some water and melt it on the stove until there are no crystals. Stir the sugar mix into the beer evenly. This sugar addition re-activates the yeast to carbonate the beverage.
- Fill your bottles with sterilized bottle filler, and cap with sterilized caps. Place bottles in a dark cool area for 2 weeks.
- Put on a silly hat and start drinking. Slainte!
Vegan Black Cumin And Red Lentil Ragout
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Red Lentils
- 1 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Ginger
- 1 Cup Fresh Grape Tomatoes, Cut in 1/2
- 2 Tbsp Black Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tbsp Brown Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Ground Turmeric
- 4 Cups vegetable Broth (may substitute water)
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Saute the onion, Both types of cumin seed, garlic, and ginger in olive oil over medium high heat until translucent. Then add in the lentils. Stir and cook until well coated with the olive oil.
- Heat the stock over high heat. Fill the pan of lentils with stock so that they are completely covered. You may not need all of it, as red lentils cook quickly. Reduce by 1/2 the volume, stirring as needed. Be careful not to overcook the lentils. Add in the tomatoes and Turmeric. Continue cooking . Add more stock if needed. You want the lentils to be soft, but not breaking apart. Fold in salt, pepper, and Cashews. Serve hot. For today's recipe, we want most of the liquid absorbed, so it can stand on a plate. But, you can leave it wetter if you want more of a stew that you can serve in a bowl.