1. Food and drink on the Emerald Isle

Focus on

At the Irish table 

<Favourite Irish recipes
Imagen de iatraveler en Flickr.  
 Licencia CC



How much do you know about it?

  • What are the traditional dishes in Ireland?
  • Have you ever tried Irish food? What are the main ingredients of these dishes?
  • Would you say 'no' to the traditional Irish breakfast i.e. a plate of fried bacon and eggs, sausages, black and white pudding and tomatoes?
  • If I give you the word vegetables or fruit, what comes to mind?

 

 
It's time to review vegetables in English!

The video below will show you a list of vegetables, listen and repeat. Pay attention to the pronunciation and repeat as many times as it is necessary until you get the pronunciation right.

 
Vídeo alojado en YouTube

 
Now, it's time to see if you have learnt the names of the vegetables.
Can you name the vegetables pictured in this quiz?
 
Let's review the vocabulary related to fruit.
Listen and repeat each word shown in the video below.


 
Video alojado en Youtube

 
Let's check if you remember the name of the fruit. Look at these pictures and type the name of the fruit.
 

In the grid below, you will find words related to different categories: meat, fish, ways of cooking, condition of food, taste and kitchen equipment. Take a piece of paper and place the words under the correct category as it appears in the example.

 

pork cod bake raw mussels roast past its sell-by date
grill liver chicken ripe rotten ham fry
lamb undercooked chopsticks turkey medium crab dishwasher
overcooked cooker tuna potato peeler bottle opener duck shrimps
sausage roll can opener kitchen roll crunchy microwave aluminium foil corkscrew
wooden spoon chopping board boil stew prawns frying pan kitchen scales
steam spicy apron oven glove kidneys savoury mild
well-done bland pork pie sweet salmon smoked salmon creamy
trout sour poach tasteless fresh bitter sausages

 

MEAT FISH WAYS OF COOKING CONDITION OF FOOD TASTE KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
 - beef      

 

 

 

 
 

Have a look at this list of words to practise the pronunciation of some of the nouns studied above.

Do it yourself

In the grid below you will find some of the most popular Irish dishes. Match the number with the definition. Write the number in the space provided.

1. Trifle
2. Dublin Coddle
3. Colcannon
4. Irish stew
5. Steak and Guinness Pie
6. Irish brown soda bread
7. Traditional Irish shepherd's pie

 

 

NUMBER DEFINITION
It is a variety of bread made with sodium bicarbonate instead of using the traditional yeast. It is due to the fact that the Irish flour is very soft to use yeast as a leavening agent.
It is a traditional Irish dish consisting of mashed potatoes and cabbage.
It is a meat pie made from stewing steak, beef gravy, Guinness stout, bacon and onions. Everything is enclosed in a pastry shell.
It is a pie made from ground lamb, mashed potatoes, onions and carrots. Grated cheese on top of the potatoes to be baked until the surface is crisp and brown.
It is a pudding made from cake covered with fruit or jelly, custard and cream. The ingredients are arranged in layers.
It is a traditional stew which used to be made with mutton, but nowadays is made with lamb as well as potatoes, onions and parsley. Sometimes it can also have carrots.
Traditional dish of sausages, bacon, onions and potatoes.

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Now, we are going to talk about your likes and dislikes as for food. Notice the expressions in bold since they are the ones you should use to talk about your likes and dislikes. Have a look at this wide range of English expressions for likes and dislikes.

  • Are you fond of any type of international cuisine?
  • Which of the Irish dishes studied above do you find appealing ?
  • Is there any kind of food you can't stand? Why?
  • Are you mad about a specific type of food?
  • Are you keen on going to fast food restaurants?
  • Is there any dessert you detest?
  • Is there anything you can't stop eating when you feel depressed?