The unifying theme of Irish food has to be the quality of the produce and the unpretentious grace of its serving – two hallmarks, surely, of every world-class cuisine. Whether Irish food will be recognised as such is a point to discuss, but it is unarguably going through a renaissance right now.
I admit, until recently, I’d seen little of Ireland. I was doubtful there was enough of a ‘thing’ about Irish food to even call it a cuisine. If you’d asked me what I knew, I might have remembered boiling bucketloads of bacon and cabbage with my mother-in-law for St Patrick’s Day at our London local. I might have told you that I ‘quite like’ black pudding, or that a card my mother received featured a cartoon of her, pregnant with me, pint of Guinness in hand.
The popular preconception that Irish food is all pork, potatoes and porter is just wrong, however. Hearty family favourites are a big part of the culinary cannon, but today’s chefs bring together the best elements of their home kitchens – the beautiful ingredients, the attraction to simplicity – with techniques from all over the world. The result is often ambitious, accomplished, original dishes that invariably tell a story.
From the Michelin-starred Ox, EIPIC and Muddlers Club, to its huge array of great cafés, restaurants, delis and pubs, Belfast has enough to satisfy both residents and food tourists of all stripes. Some indie success stories include the award-winning Bia Rebel Ramen; the trendy Established Coffee; and Mike’s Fancy Cheese, home to cheesemaker Michael Thomson, producer of Young Buck – Northern Ireland’s first, and favourite, raw milk blue cheese.