Ask Chef Walter: Corned Beef Celebration – Chef Walter Potenza

by Executive Chef Walter Potenza, contributing writer

Image attribution via Love Ireland

Friends:

Saint Patrick’s Day, celebrated this week every year on March 17th, is a fun and festive holiday that pays homage to Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick.

While the holiday is rooted in Irish history and religious tradition, it has become a worldwide celebration of Irish heritage, typified by parades, green attire, and plentiful feasts. One of the most identifiable dishes in the country linked to the holiday is corned beef and cabbage. But how did that make its way onto the plate for Saint Patrick’s Day, and why does the holiday exist in the first place?

Let’s take a look.

The origin of Saint Patrick’s Day begins with the man himself, Saint Patrick, who was born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century. At 16, he was abducted by Irish marauders and taken to Ireland in slavery. During six years of captivity, he used his Christian faith as an inspiration. On his return to Britain after escaping from captivity, Patrick felt a vocation to return to Ireland as a missionary. For many decades, he evangelized the island of Christianity, building churches, schools, and monasteries.

He is reported to have used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the value of the Holy Trinity, and thus, the shamrock has become a symbol for the holiday. Traditionally, Saint Patrick’s Day was a religious feast day observed by the Catholic Church of Ireland. People would attend church services and reflect on Saint Patrick’s life.

Over time, the holiday became a broader celebration of Irish identity and culture, especially as Irish immigrants brought their traditions abroad. The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade was not in Ireland but in the United States. Irish soldiers in the British army held a parade in New York City on March 17, 1762, to honor their Irish heritage.

As waves of Irish immigrants arrived in America during the 19th century, particularly during the Great Famine (1845–1852), the holiday became a celebration by the Irish of their heritage and of advancing their cultural pride. Nowadays, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated all over the United States with parades, festivals, and lots of green-related festivities. The biggest and most famous celebrations happen in Boston, Chicago (where they dye the river green), and New York.

While Saint Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday, the association of corned beef and cabbage with the celebration is an American invention.

In Ireland, the celebration’s meal was more likely to feature bacon or ham since beef was beyond most families’ budgets. But why did corned beef become such a mainstay of the American holiday?

The answer lies in the Irish immigrant experience in America.

When Irish immigrants arrived in America, they found that Irish staple bacon pork was relatively costly. The Irish immigrants instead found that corned beef—a salt-cured brisket of beef—was significantly less expensive. This was partly due to the numerous Jewish immigrant groups in cities like New York, who produced and sold corned beef as part of their tradition of cooking. This cheaper alternative was embraced by the Irish and paired with potatoes and cabbage to create a filling and inexpensive meal. Corned beef and cabbage were Irish-American families’ new favorites, especially on Saint Patrick’s.

It eventually symbolized the holiday, even though it wasn’t an Irish tradition. It remains a valued part of the celebration, symbolizing the marriage of Irish heritage and American ingenuity. Saint Patrick’s Day is more than a day to dress in green and enjoy a celebratory meal. It’s a celebration of Irish culture, determination, and the success of the Irish diaspora worldwide. From its religious origins to its modern incarnation as an international holiday, the holiday has become the ultimate symbol of the unbreakable Irish spirit.

And corned beef and cabbage?

It’s a delicious reminder of how things can shift and change, creating new traditions out of the old and embracing the new while still honoring the old. So on this March 17th, whatever your way of celebrating—a plate of corned beef, a parade, or merely a toast to Saint Patrick—take a minute to reflect on the depth of history and meaning behind the traditions.

Slow-cooked Corned beef and cabbage recipe by Karen.

Sláinte! (Cheers!)

Reference:

ISRA Thursday Bulletin – March 17, 2022 – Illinois State Rifle Association. https://isra.org/isra-thursday-bulletin-march-17-2022/

Balloon Juice – Happy St. Patrick’s Day, BTW. https://balloon-juice.com/2011/03/17/happy-st-patricks-day-btw/

This Week In History: St. Patrick’s Day special | The Daily Campus. https://dailycampus.com/2021/03/15/this-week-in-history-st-patricks-day-special/

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Chef Walter is featured HERE every Sunday with his regular Ask Chef Walter column!

Meet Chef Walter! There is a constant, recognizable thread in the career of Walter Potenza to elevate the level of Italian culinary culture in the United States. Besides his unquestionable culinary talent and winning business perspective, Chef Walter has been a relentless educator with passion and knowledge who defeats stereotypes. His life, career, and values are a model, an example to follow by any chef of Italian gastronomy working outside Italy.  

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