When one usually thinks of Irish food, we tend to focus on the stereotypical corn beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie fare. However, after being here for the past two weeks I can happily report that the Irish are definitely not getting enough credit.

Although my home base has been in Cork city, I have also traveled to Dublin and some of the surrounding Cork county area thus far. Cork city is apparently known to be Ireland’s Restaurant Capital. I can definitely see why. Since they’re a waterfront area, their seafood market is as fresh as can be. My first night here we ate at a restaurant where we literally saw the boats coming in and unloading the night’s menu items. So far I’ve found that seafood chowder is a staple item here, which surprised me. There is also the ubiquitous fish and chips on almost every menu. And there are also a variety of other more unusual takes in seafood preparation including my favorite, the scallop, prawn and salmon burger I had at Electric Fish Bar my first night.

Another pleasant surprise I discovered is that Ireland has got to be one of the most Celiac friendly countries. They literally have gluten-free menus almost anywhere I go. And the gluten-free items I’ve had are mouth-wateringly delicious! I seriously have never had more gluten-free bread in my life. I’ve been able to have gluten-free paninis, pizza, cupcakes you name it. It’s right at my finger tips. You even go into local grocery stores such as Tesco, and they have entire aisles devoted to gluten-free items.

The Irish are also light-years ahead of us in the farm to table mentality. Instead of it being the novelty it is in the states to have all organic menus, it is the norm at almost any restaurant you walk into. It has been rather refreshing to have such fresh ingredients on my plate for almost every meal. Even eating at what I would consider to be a pub type locale, I was able to have a farm fresh steak with green beans and mashed potatoes at Oliver Plunkett. Even my green beans were nicely crisp and definitely straight from the farmer’s market.

Overall, I strongly recommend putting Ireland on your list of locations to visit. Not only will you be entranced with its rolling green pastoral settings and quaint fisherman villages, but you will also get to enjoy some really great food. Oh and I think there might some good drinks to be had as well…

-JPM (Joyana, AKA Joy)