Irish Stew

Ireland · comfort food · stew · history

Simple but special. Irish stew is made with just a few basic ingredients: lamb or mutton, potatoes, onions, and parsley. Some people add carrots too, but purists say the simple version tastes the best.

Slow and steady. The ingredients get boiled and simmered together for up to two hours, which makes the tough old mutton meat incredibly tender and flavorful.

From old sheep. In old Ireland, people used mutton from older sheep because the valuable sheep were kept for their wool and milk, so only the old ones went into the cooking pot.

Cooked over fire. Irish stew comes from a tradition of cooking over open fires, which shaped how people made this dish hundreds of years ago.

National treasure. Irish stew has been recognized and loved since around 1800, and it's now considered a national dish of Ireland that represents the country's food heritage.