An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us (published 10th October), the latest title from chef, restaurateur and author Jp McMahon, offers an in-depth analysis of the intersection of culture and cuisine in Ireland.
Published by Nine Bean Rows, the 232-page hardcover book, RRP €25, delves into Ireland’s history, culture and identity through 100 foods. In it, Jp attempts to answer the question ‘What is Irish food?’, a question he frequently encounters at home and abroad.
An Irish Food Story chronicles the evolution of our tastes and culinary desires, from the first settlers who arrived on the island 10,000 years ago, to the people who call Ireland home today. From Birds Custard to Boxty, from seaweed to Findus Crispy Pancakes (plus everything in between), Jp McMahon illustrates that we, indeed, are what we eat.
An Irish Food Story is also about what we didn’t eat. It’s about how we sometimes ignored the very foods that were right in front of us. It explores the lingering impacts of colonialism, famine and self-doubt on our ability to assert our native food culture and identity.
The book serves both as a standalone snapshot of the history and vicissitudes of Irish food and food in Ireland and a companion to the two previous books on Irish food that Jp has written – The Irish Cookbook (2020) and An Alphabet of Aniar: Notes for a New Irish Cuisine (2022) – and his weekly columns in The Irish Times that ran from 2015 to 2022.
JP McMahon commented on the launch of An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us, “Much of the history and culture of Irish food remains uncovered and undiscovered both at home and abroad. I wrote this book as a riposte to those who say the Irish have no food culture. Where there is food, there is always culture. 100 foods, from seaweed and lamb to Findus Crispy Pancakes and Angel Delight, this book showcases 10,000 years of Irish food culture that we can reflect on and celebrate and learn to build on for future generations”.
An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us by Jp McMahon, RRP €25, published by Nine Bean Rows, is available from Thursday, 10th October, at all good bookshops and many independent retailers around the country and online at www.aniarrestaurant.ie and www.ninebeanrows.com
Keep up to date with the latest news from Jp McMahon by following @mistereatgalway on Instagram.
