Philosophizing About Food With Francine: Irish Soda Bread with Corned Beef and Cabbage

by Francine Black

Irish soda bread to go with corned beef and cabbage, eaten especially on March 17th to commemorate St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

This humble yet hearty fare reveals much about the often tragic plight of our Irish immigrants. Between 1845-1852, Ireland suffered a period of starvation, disease, and immigration that became known as the great famine. It was during this time when the potato crop failed that an inventive housewife found if she combined a bit of baking soda, flour (albeit not the beautifully refined white we have at our disposal), and soured milk, she could produce a loaf that could be cooked in an iron pot on the stove. It was hard, dense, and sour, but it was food for her starving family. We have improved on that early version with the addition of butter, eggs, and a bit of honey.

Strangely enough, the corned beef and cabbage is a new world Jewish-Irish collaboration. The immigration of Irish families to New York City, (already teeming with the “tired, poor, humble masses yearning to breathe free” as Emma Lazarus so eloquently expressed) was just another layer added to the complexity of the awful conditions in the City. Potatoes and cabbage were among the cheapest foods that their meager salaries could afford and they loved it. Yet, they dreamed of their homeland remembering that once they might have had a tasty slab of bacon to sweeten the pot. Bacon was too pricey but the local Jewish butcher did have corned beef, a salt cured beef brisket, a tough cut of meat that was fairly cheap.

It should be pointed out that today about 31.5 million Americans claim Irish ancestry and about 7.5 million Americans claim Jewish ancestry. Both these immigrant groups suffered severe discrimination, poverty, cruelty, living in unspeakably horrid tenements in New York City. But in the years ahead, they persevered by working together. They built beautiful families, prospered and their contributions to America have been nothing short of astounding…and that includes today’s dinner!

Let’s all enjoy corned beef and cabbage and soda bread on March 17th!

High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food.

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