I browsed the menu of Brisbane's Irish Murphy's pub, looking for an Irish dish—something that would speak the history of such a proud nation, something that would tell me why the celebration of St. Patrick's Day has continued for so long, something that, through the taste buds, would tell me a story of Irish culture.
The St. Patrick's Day specials menu offered the choice of Irish stew, Guinness pie, bangers and mash, or Kilkenny battered fish as possible Irish dishes.
Unfortunately, that menu was unavailable because the upstairs restaurant was closed. My empty stomach was in desperate need of filling, and I thanked my lucky stars that I could still enjoy a plate of potato wedges before I died of starvation. All around me, happy couples enjoyed each other on the wind-down from St. Valentine's Day, and others geared up for the celebration of yet another patron saint—St. Patrick.
St. Patrick's Day is often regarded as the year's biggest excuse to fill emotional voids with copious quantities of alcohol—next to Christmas and New Year, that is. But originally it was a time when people could have a break from the religious fasting of Lent and enjoy celebrations and feasting.
Before too long, the chef delivered my meal—a humble potato, sliced into wedges, deep fried and seasoned lightly, served with a side of sour cream and sweet chili sauce. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. I took a single wedge, dipped it in both the sauces, and took a bite. It was soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside, and it was the best potato wedge that I had ever eaten.
I felt as satisfied as if I hadn't eaten in weeks, just like those Lenten fasters of days gone by. It proved to me at that exact moment that the potato could indeed save lives. While it wasn't as traditional an Irish meal as deer stew cooked with hot stones in a hole in the ground, it was certainly Irish enough to me and to the other patrons of Irish Murphy's that night.
I wasn't even sure if potato wedges could be considered an Irish meal anywhere outside that pub. It certainly qualifies as an Irish dish, considering that since the 1700s, the potato was the staple diet of Ireland. Potatoes kept well during the winter months, so they were the main source of nourishment to fight against starvation, and they are packed with vitamin C.
Potatoes were also fed to pigs to fatten them for slaughter in order to supply the Irish people with ample pork through winter—pork being the other half of a traditional Irish staple diet. I felt like an over-stuffed, potato-fed boar myself after consuming the mountain of wedges on my plate. Even though I'd missed out on a traditional Irish meal, I was still grateful to feast on an Irish staple of such historical significance.
Feeds