Irish tea and treats for St. Patrick's Day

Image: AntiqueClipArt.com

Well, even though I'm not Irish, how can I pass up celebrating a holiday that honors a nation of tea-drinkers?  My mom always makes a corned beef, cabbage and potato dinner, and has lately started buying Irish beer for my dad and brother.  I, on the other hand, am more a fan of cider and wine rather than beer, and much more a fan of tea and treats.
I've made seed cake, shortbread and soda bread before, but not barmbrack, which according to modern recipes, is a fruitcake where you first plump the dried fruit in hot tea and then add it to the cake.  I may have to try that today for elevenses (morning tea and treat at 11 a.m.), which according to some Irish cultural websites, is as much an Irish tradition as an English one!

An Irish blessing for you ...

Image: Karen's Whimsy clipart

May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!
-- source: Irish Blessings & Sayings

Spring teas in the San Jose area.

Me making the tea in the kitchen!
Photo: Joanne Santner

Well, I started getting over my bad cold (still not completely better, though!) just in time for last weekend's 4th annual Cat Rescue Tea to benefit 13th Street Cats.  All the tea was donated by Satori Tea Bar in San Pedro Square and Peet's Coffee & Tea downtown San Jose and at Santana Row.  We served around 150 people over two days with a completely homemade afternoon tea menu in a lovely Victorian mansion in downtown San Jose's Hensley Historic District!  I'm so tired and my feet are sore, but it was worth it!  This was our first time using a larger venue -- our original venue is also a lovely Victorian house but we can only seat 35 at a time in the house, whereas this house sat 60 at a time -- and yet we sold out every seat in advance and had a waiting list!  Didn't think that would happen right away when we almost doubled our space!  We're already planning for next year, so keep your eyes on this blog for the notice when tickets go on sale (sometime in January or February of 2013) ...

Early St. Patrick's Day traditions.

Hore Abbey, Cashel Ireland.  Photo: www.pdphoto.com

By the 17th century, St. Patrick’s Day was still primarily a religious holiday, marked with a special Mass and religious symbolism. Secular celebrations of the holiday fed off of and extended the religious activity, and included processions to the church, which undoubtedly became the popular parades of today.  Instead of wearing green, 17th century upper and middle class Irishmen and women made and wore crosses on badges, probably using the popular Celtic cross, while the lower class residents pinned a shamrock to their hat for the day.  Due to pressure from England to abandon the Irish language and culture, the shamrock was becoming a nationalist symbol for the Irish.

The history of St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Cross, Rock of Cashel, Ireland.  www.pdphoto.com

St. Patrick's Day is one of the most widely-celebrated holidays in the United States.  Many traditions are gleefully kept every year on March 17th, and people often think that the activities and symbols now associated with the day have been part of St. Patrick’s Day from its beginning as a holiday.  However, with a little research, the history of St. Patrick’s Day begins to come to light, and it reveals that many of the things we associate with the day are neither particularly Irish, nor particularly old! 

Irish Tea Traditions for St. Patrick's Day!

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -- a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."-- Adrienne Cook

Which country consumes the most tea in the world? Did you guess China or Japan? Actually, it’s Ireland! According to Barry’s Tea company at Barrys-tea.com, Ireland consumes more tea per capita than any other nation in the world, each person averaging 4 to 6 cups of tea per day, or 7 pounds a year. In Ireland, tea’s only challenger in popularity is Guinness ale.

Tea was first introduced to Ireland around 1835, where it became popular with the upper classes, but it had become more affordable by the mid-19th century, and its use spread to all social classes, in the country as well as the cities. Tea was available in rural areas from small groceries, and could be bartered for as well as purchased with money. This tea was entirely in loose leaf form.

Ireland imported its tea through British merchants until World War 2, when Britain sharply reduced the amount of tea it imported, for political and strategic reasons. When Ireland declared itself politically neutral regarding Britain’s war efforts, tea shipments to Ireland through British merchants ceased almost immediately. In return, the Irish government founded its own private company, Tea Importers (Eire) Ltd., and stipulated, after the war ended, that all tea imported into Ireland be bought directly from the country of origin. Irish law required all Irish tea companies to be operated through Tea Importers Ltd. until 1973, when Ireland joined the European Economic Community, which does not allow such monopolies.

The Irish prefer their tea strong with lots of milk, and there are three traditional times each day when it is served, in addition to breakfast, lunch, and in the evening after supper: for Elevenses at 11 a.m. or so, Afternoon Tea at 3 p.m. or so, and High Tea at 5 p.m. or so. High Tea, as many are discovering, is not an extra-fancy tea time with lots of pastries and delicate dishes; it is a hearty supper for the working classes, accompanied by many pots of strong tea, and this is especially true in Irish tradition.

The traditional Irish tea blends, known as Irish Breakfast blends in this country, include Assam Tea as a prominent ingredient, sometimes combined with Ceylon but often alone. Black tea from the Assam region in India has a robust flavor that takes well to a good amount of milk in the cup; some tea-lovers have been known to prefer as much as 1 part milk to 2 parts tea. In recent years, teas from East Africa have joined Ceylon or Sri Lankan tea in the most popular tea blends. Often the tea is served in a heated pot with the milk and sugar already added. Food traditionally eaten with tea includes a variety of savory and sweet dishes, like shortbread. So, instead of celebrating with a bunch of green beer and other strange foods, why not make yourself a nice cuppa, and some shortbread, and enjoy a more civilized St. Patrick's Day?

Irish Shortbread
1 cup butter
1/2 cup caster sugar (superfine/baking sugar)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the flour and cornstarch. Roll out and cut into squares or rounds and bake in a slow (300 degree) oven until done.
--recipe from Brenda Hyde, www.seedsofknowledge.com

Source List:
Barry’s Tea, www.barrys-tea.com
Hyde, Brenda, "Irish Tea Traditions" http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/irishtea.html
Irish Culture and Customs, www.IrishCultureAndCustoms.com