Spice Bags

The Irish drink more tea per capita in the world, and yet it goes without saying that their “cuppa” differs from that of other cultures. Follow us as we take a dive into this beverage, with a history steeped in class and colonialism that is exciting if sometimes less than sweet. How did a Scottish botanist manage to smuggle the secrets of tea out of China during the Opium War? Why do posh people add tea first and then milk? When and why did the Irish finally concoct their own tea blend? Finally, what are some ethically sourced teas in this age? 

 

www.janepettigrew.com

www.barrystea.ie

www.mcenteestea.ie

www.suki-tea.com

www.nikstea.ie

www.wallandkeogh.com

www.clementandpekoe.com

(Photo credit: Flower vector created by macrovector - www.freepik.com)

Americans have been coming to Ireland in significant numbers for decades, often in a nostalgic search for their own cultural roots.  How has this history of American consumers shaped Irish food, restaurant and pub culture? From craft whiskey and pub music to the Irish adoption of the smoking ban, we investigate how Americans have helped shape the Irish culinary landscape. To American visitors, we explain why you should not order corned beef and definitely not a black and tan.

We also sadly bid adieu to host Julia Langbein, who is leaving Ireland.

Correction: Mei says that the Black and Tans were a police force in Northern Ireland; in fact they were the part of the "Royal Irish Constabulary," based in what is now the Republic of Ireland, and specifically recruited to quell those on the side of the Irish War of Independence. Black and Tans were famed for their brutality.  

 

 

In this episode:

www.fabfoodtrails.ie

www.irishfoodtrail.ie

www.americanfood.ie

www.boxtyhouse.ie 

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/04/12/523653040/episode-764-pub-in-a-box

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/11pubs.html

https://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/Get_Brexit_Ready/Market_Diversification/05-US-Market-Profile-FINAL-(Web).pdf

The Irish adore Mexico, and who can blame them?  In this country, the range of Mexican ingredients has vastly improved, and we can now regularly order huevos rancheros for brunch.  We talk with Lily Ramirez, founder of the shop and cooking school Picado and, for many years, a keeper of the authentic Mexican flame. We discuss her observations on the Mexican transformation in Ireland, while also getting the scoop on what brought Lily here (true love); why she won’t eat avocados; why burritos, while tasty, are not Mexican; and where she eats tacos when she isn’t making them herself. 

www.picadomexican.com

El Grito Mexican Taqueria

www.therevolutiontacos.com

Insta @ellacantalondon

As compared to Spain or France, for example, cheesemaking in Ireland seems to be dominated by women. How did this come to pass and what does it tell us about Ireland as a whole? What are some of our favorite lady cheeses? In this episode we talk about the ladies who rule the artisanal cheese movement here in Ireland starting with Veronica Steele, creator of Milleens. We also talk about some of  our favorite cheeses: Mileens (super Epoisse-y), Ardsallagh (because we love goat), and Durrus Og (Reblochon-like).

Correction: Jeffa Gill is the woman behind Durrus; Giana Ferguson is the lady behind Gubbeen.

www.mileenscheese.com

www.sheridanscheesemongers.com

Ballymaloe

www.cookingisfun.ie

www.irishcheese.ie

Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland: A Celebration Glynn Anderson and John McLaghlin

Ireland has some of the best Indian food we have eaten, compared to big cities like New York and London which have much larger south Asian populations.  In trying to answer this question, we spoke to Indian chefs, restaurateurs, and local residents and discovered that the culture of sophisticated regional Indian food in Ireland largely goes back to one courageous entrepreneur who took a bet on Irish consumers and their willingness to try new things.

Restaurants

www.anandarestaurant.ie

www.ruchii.ie

www.picklerestaurant.com

www.3leaves.ie

www.jaipur.ie

Blog about history of ethnic restaurants 

www.comeheretome.com/food-drink

The Irish Times Food and Drink Club

Indian food shops

www.ingredients.ie

www.eurasia.ie

From Australian chefs making Nashville hot chicken to Alison Roman putting coconut milk in her stew, cultural appropriation is a hot-button topic right now in the food world.

What exactly is cultural appropriation? How has it shaped our culinary landscape? What does it mean when we talk about white privilege and its relationship to cultural appropriation? While we can’t begin to pretend to have the answers to this extremely thorny issue, we touch upon some writers and chefs who are tackling it in their work (like the restaurant critic Soleil Ho), some famous appropriators in food history (both good and bad); and also discuss how we can educate ourselves about responsible

appropriation in the future.

Referenced in this episode:

Soleil Ho, “Craving the Other”

Osyai Endolyn, “Fried Chicken is the Common Ground”

Michael Twitty, The Cooking Gene

Plus Racist Sandwich is one of our favorite podcasts on gender,

race, appropriation, food and more.

Everyone loves a food feud. In the wake of the recent Alison Roman-Chrissy Teigen dustup, we take a look at some of our favorite culinary squabbles, which range from delightfully entertaining to downright nasty. Also we salute some of our dearest food provocateurs, the late, great Anthony Bourdain among them. Why are food fights so tantalizing to us? What role, if any, do they play in shaping the food’s future? Amidst all the dishing, there is room for thoughtful conversation about how food fights make us think about appropriation, honesty, plagiarism, and race.

 

Correction: In the podcast, Mei states that a restauranteur filed a lawsuit against a reviewer before she published her article entitled, “The Peacock, the Critic, and the Blind Pussy.” He did not; he wrote a solicitor’s letter.

Also Alison Roman is 34, and not 31.

Mentioned in this episode:

Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent (2017 documentary)

Grimod de La Reyniere (food critic) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Balthazar_Laurent_Grimod_de_La_Reyni%C3%A8re

Martha v. Gwyneth: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/martha-stewart-gwyneth-paltrow_n_5966142

Alison v. Chrissy: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/11/chrissy-teigen-alison-roman-food-fight

The Blind Pussy and other Irish and English dust-ups: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/aug/20/foodanddrink.features6

Achatz vs Muñoz (Alinea vs. Diverxo)

https://elcomidista.elpais.com/elcomidista/2014/11/17/articulo/1416204000_141620.html 

Adría vs. Santamaría (El Bulli vs. Can Fabes)

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/world/europe/01spain.html 

Martinez Moutiño vs Diego Granado (16th-17th century Spanish cookbook authors)

The Oxford Companion to Food (2006). Alan Davidson

Our guest this week is Manuela Spinelli, whose recent Irish Times article celebrating carbonara went viral. Spinelli is the secretary general of Euro-Toques Ireland, and is also beloved by many in this country as the former translator of football coach Giovanni “Trap” Trappatoni. Listen to us dish about the Italian food in Ireland, a narrative that ranges from fish and chips, over-the-top Celtic Tiger restaurants like the Unicorn and current spots like Grano. Spinelli has lived in Dublin since 1993, so she brings a personal spin to this tale. What was it like back when you couldn’t buy pasta at Tesco? What is authentic Italian food, and is it even possible in Ireland? What it is like to be an (unofficial) Italian-born ambassador to Irish food and culture? Plus, sports fan Blanca will quiz Spinelli on what Trap ate and “Mushroom Gate”.

For more about Manuela Spinelli: www.euro-toques.ie

Spice Bags is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network

Ragazzi Restaurant, 109 Coliemore Rd, Dalkey, Co. Dublin, A96 RX57. (01) 284 7280

Il Ristorante -- Luca Fantin,  2 Chome-7-12 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan +81 3-6362-0555

Grano. Unit 5, Norseman Court, Manor St, Stoneybatter, Dublin, D07 XD89. (01) 538 2003

While everyone's become a pioneer wife, turning to the cookbooks that teach pantry cooking and parsimony, in this episode we celebrate the ridiculous, the aspirational, the esoteric, and the gloriously dated. From the entertaining menus of fabulous interior designer Lee Bailey (no, we would not be invited to any of his soirées) to the sourdough loaves baked in outdoor ovens by the Basque shepherds of Idaho, Blanca unloads the best of these, along with some hilarious stories, from her time at London's judgiest cookshop, Books for Cooks. Tune into us to hear about some cookbooks that you will not be turning to in times of need-- unless you crave a green jelly avocado ring in your life.

Learn more about Books for Cooks on: https://www.booksforcooks.com/

Some of our favourite ridiculous books:

Lee Bailey, Lee Bailey’s City Food

Mary Berry, The Colour Book of Freezer Cookery

Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart's Appetizers  

Gordon Ramsay, Passion for Seafood  

Sandra Lee, Semi-Homemade Cocktail Time

Chan Chen Hei, Dim Sum

Roberto Marin, Secrets of Patagonian Barbecue

Spice Bags is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network

This episode is all about Ireland's contribution to the world of crisps. For many Irish, the cheese and onion Tayto crisp is the equivalent of Proust's madeleine. As outsiders, Julia, Blanca, and Mei have observed the Tayto phenomenon with fascination.  This episode was recorded March 5, so while we rubbed our hands with Purell, we were still three friends and a baby, sitting around the table sharing a bag of crisps.

SpiceBags explores why the Tayto crisp (created by a man called “Spud” Murphy) is an important culinary pioneer, not only in Ireland, but also to the world. We also touch upon American and Spanish potato crisps, like Cape Cod, Pringles, and Bonilla a la Vista, the artisan Galician crisp whose popularity soared after being featured in the Korean Oscar-winning film Parasite. After all, this is a snack that we globally share.

 

Warning: this episode contains moments of audible crunching.

Spice Bags is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network