History of Cabbage in Ireland and America
Cabbage is a Traditional Irish Food Consumed During St Patrick's Day
Feb 22, 2009
The common cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata, has undergone multiple transformations since its wild progenitor was domesticated near the British Isles sometime between 600-400 B.C. Wild cabbage (B. oleracea var cytodeme) still grows along the cliffs of the Atlantic coast and as early as 350 B.C it had been transported to Greece where ancient philosopher Theophrastus described smooth, curly and wild leafed varieties.
Why Green Cabbage Become a Prominent Food in Ireland
Cabbage, thought to be distributed throughout northern Europe by the Celts, thrived once it reached the cool climate of the Irish isle and soon became an important source of nourishment throughout Ireland. As few crops were able to withstand the bad weather, greens such as cabbage and kale, along with leeks and onions, which could be stored in dry barns, were main sources of food in the winters of the twelfth through sixteenth centuries before the introduction of the potato.
By the 1800s, literary references to cabbages being grown along ridges and sold in markets were frequent and crop production would have allowed for an annual cabbage intake of 65 lbs per person per year, according to economic historian Cormac Ó Gráda, in Ireland: A New Economic History. During the Irish famine, when potato crops begin to fail, the cabbage was once again turned to for sustenance.
Cabbage is a Main Ingredient in Traditional Irish Dishes Like Cabbage Soup
Vegetables were especially prominent in the diets of the poor and rural farmers, where wheat, oats and livestock were often farmed as a source of income, not for subsistence. A writer in the 1729 Tribune describes how for cottiers, landless workers who worked the fields of wealthier landlords, "the choicest food is potatoes, cabbage and milk, while they enjoy one part of the year - during the rest they must content themselves with such herbs as they can pick up in the fields."
Onions and cabbage leaves could be boiled together to make simple stews and soups which served as a staple for many of the Irish working class. Prior to the great famine, potatoes would be added for additional nutrients and acted as a thickener but by 1838 James Boyle, in Ordnance Survey Memoirs, writes that the poor "made do (sic) with sheep's head broths and plenty of cabbage, kale and leek."
Corned Beef and Cabbage was Developed by Irish-Americans
Though many Americans believe that corned-beef and cabbage is a traditional Irish meal, beef was a luxury unavailable to the majority of Ireland's population. However cabbage formed the basis of many traditional holiday meals and while corned beef is now a popular meal served on St Patrick's Day in the United States, it was likely derived from traditional Irish recipes like boiled cabbage with salt pork or colcannon, a cabbage potato mash served for Halloween.
Traditional Irish food has featured the green cabbage for centuries, particular during winter and times of famine thanks to its hardiness. Cabbage soup, boiled cabbage and corned beef & cabbage are all dishes now associated with Ireland and Irish-Americans and receive annual attention in March when individuals world-wide celebrate St Patrick's Day.
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