Want to learn more about Irish New Year’s food traditions — both modern and classic? Try these ideas for what to eat and how to celebrate.
New Year’s celebrations around the world are often marked with traditions that are meant to welcome prosperity, luck, and happiness — whether it be the North American New Year’s Resolution, the burning of effigies to destroy bad energy in Ecuador, or the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes during the 12 strokes of midnight for good luck, people all around the world party and enjoy centuries-old festivities that are meant to usher in some joy for the coming months. Some of the most interesting and popular are the delicious food traditions of the Irish New Year, as well as some interesting superstitions around them!
Let’s explore them.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner – the Ultimate Irish New Year’s Food Tradition
If your family partakes in a New Year’s Eve corned beef and cabbage dinner, you may accept it as tradition or assume it traces back to your roots — in both instances, you may be right!
Corned beef, made from beef brisket that has been cured in brine, was a staple dish in Irish American households in the late 19th Century and early 20th Centuries. This dish became associated with Irish American culture and has become a celebratory meal for many holidays and celebrations, including New Year’s. You can expect to find this dinner served with a side of potatoes and carrots for a hearty and filling meal that is bound to keep you warm and satiated.
Looking for more? Here are 8 recipes for Irish inspiration.
A primary reason this dish rose in popularity was its affordability. New Irish immigrants looking for a fresh start but facing economic challenges in the United States could afford beef, which was priced more reasonably than the traditional Irish meal that included bacon.
Bacon and cabbage is the classic Irish New Year’s dish. This dinner reflects the country’s agricultural roots, as pigs were an abundant source of food in Ireland. Pork is also considered good luck to consume during these transitional holidays, as pigs are seen as a sign of prosperity, given that they root forward in search of food.
In Ireland, pork was more readily available than beef — a factor that changed when Irish immigrants came to America and led to the shift in tradition that we many still celebrate today!
Learn more about corned beef, including these recipes:
- The Ultimate Guide to Everything You Need To Know About Corned Beef
- The Internet’s 5 Best Crock Pot Corned Beef Recipes
- Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
Bad Luck Birds
While many cultures worldwide celebrate holidays with turkey or chicken, Irish tradition warns against indulging in fowl on New Year’s. In a day so profoundly rooted in superstition and hope for a brighter tomorrow, New Year’s tables in Ireland were never adorned with birds that dug into the dirt for food.
As the old school of thought goes, eating a bird that has to search for its food with such struggle would bring you the same misfortune throughout the year.
With cabbage reminiscent of money being eaten in spades, it’s easy to see that much thought and consideration went into what people consumed on such a special day. Will cabbage make you rich at the turn of the New Year? It hasn’t worked for me yet, but you never know what might bring you a little luck o’ the Irish…
Banging of the Bread
A fun food tradition for the Irish New Year is banging bread off the walls.
Food fight!!! No, actually — it’s meant to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. Irish families would strike bread against the walls of the house, also believing this practice would invite good spirits and fortune.
Centuries ago, New Year’s Day was known as “Day of the Buttered Bread” in Ireland. While this has faded with time, soda bread has remained a staple in Irish culture and on dinner plates everywhere. Don’t forget that it should be scored with an X across the top to help ward off evil — you just can’t be too safe!
And it can’t hurt to try hitting it off the wall just once, right?
First Footing – An Irish New Year’s Food Tradition
In a tradition that is somewhat rooted in food, Irish people believed that the first person to enter the home after midnight set the tone for the household’s fortune in the coming year. This meant the “first foot” in the home should be someone set to bestow good luck and positivity into a home.
The ideal match is a tall, dark-haired male bearing gifts of food… I gotta say, I see the appeal!
Oh, and don’t forget to have him enter through the front door and leave through the back door. Obviously, you need him to leave some of that good luck behind for the start of the new year!
A Table Set for Spirits
On New Year’s Eve in Ireland, you may see a place set at the table for supper without a guest present — or so you think.
In Irish culture, you respect the memory of loved ones who have passed on by welcoming them to your dinner table during the New Year. Some traditions even urge people to leave the latch on the doors open to make it easier for them to enter the home!
Classic Irish Dishes
Some traditional Irish dishes make the cut on holidays such as New Year’s Eve. You can plan servings of spiced beef, a delicacy of beef seasoned with a blend of spices and served cold, for this special event.
Irish whiskey or beer is also bound to be a part of the celebrations of Irish New Year! May we suggest a Guinness? Or perhaps try your hand at Irish cream liqueur!
If soda bread with raisins and caraway seeds doesn’t cut it for you, try an even sweeter traditional roll — the Barmbrack fruit roll.
This yeast roll contains dried mixed fruit, orange rinds, and sugar for an extra burst of sweetness and flavor. It will be the perfect finale for a hearty corned beef and cabbage feast.
Irish stew with dumplings could be another choice for ringing in a joyous future. Traditionally made with ingredients such as pork shoulder or mutton and lamb and hearty vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions, this classic stew made the most of extras and leftovers during challenging economic times. It kept families well-fed and able to work hard from dawn until dusk.
Perhaps some of their good fortune will rub off on you? Try our Irish Stew Recipe and see what comes your way.
Dublin Coddle, which has existed since the 18th Century, is another interesting dish to try for New Year’s celebrations. It contains bacon, potato, sausages, and rich ingredients like butter and milk, along with vegetables and stock. This meat-topped mashed potato hits the spot.
Wherever you come from and however you celebrate, it can’t hurt to enjoy some traditional Irish food or indulge in some New Year’s traditions this New Year’s Eve. It’s a unique way to usher in a Happy New Year!
If you enjoyed these Irish New Year’s food traditions, check out all of our New Year’s content and recipes — from Southern lucky foods like black-eyed peas and collard greens to other ways to mark the arrival of the new year — as you usher in a great year! And learn about what Irish people eat for Christmas, as well as other food traditions around the world.
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to celebrate Dry January, we’ve got that covered, too.