Take a walk down memory lane with us and explore the evolution of St. Patrick’s Day St. Patrick’s Day is about to roll around yet again, so we thought we’d talk to you a little about Irish Soda Bread and what St. Patrick’s Day is all about!
March 7, 2024
Now, we all know that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but March 17th is more than an excuse to have a day of fun and drinking (can you believe it?). The roots of St. Patrick’s Day come from none other than…you guessed it, St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Now, you may wonder why March 17th was chosen to celebrate him, and its because St. Patrick’s death was said to be on March 17th in the year 461, around the 10th century the people of Ireland began to honor his life annually on that day.
Currently we know St. Patrick’s Day to be an over-the-top celebration with parades, plenty of Guinness and Jameson, and green galore, but if you can believe, in the 10th century people were not dying rivers green and wearing leprechaun costumes… shocking, we know. The tradition began as the Feast of St. Patrick or, in Gaelic: Là Fhéile Párdraig, and to us would’ve seemed more like a relatively quaint religious ceremony than a mass celebration spanning across countries.
Over time St. Partick’s Day evolved into not only a celebratory tribute to Patron St. Patrick, but a celebration of Irish culture and pride (that explains the whiskey and beer), and where does the green come from? We would say it is likely emulating Ireland’s beautiful landscape, after all it is known as the Emerald Isle.
Now, to keep yourself from turning green on the 17th we would like to make a friendly suggestion…don’t just drink like the Irish, eat like them too! The Irish are known for their corned beef and cabbage, beef stew and potatoes, blood pudding (if you don’t know what it is, google at your own risk), and the best for last, Irish Soda Bread, which may just be the perfect remedy to soak up everything in your stomach.
Europastry’s Irish Soda Bread is made with California grown raisins, and clean ingredients with a hint of sweetness and dense yet soft texture, and combines tradition with innovation, which is what we do best. Our recipe stems from the traditional Irish techniques that came about in 1830 when baking soda was first introduced to Ireland. The simple and cost-effective ingredients were favored because of the struggle Ireland was facing and would continue to face for some time, shortly after this period of financial struggle in the 1830’s, Ireland’s main crop, potatoes, would fail and cause what we know as the Irish Potato Famine. With that said, Soda Bread helped a lot of Irish people in times of struggle.
So, with this history in mind, we decided to honor Irish history and tradition by remaining true to the traditional recipe that helped many Irish people through hard times. So, this St. Patrick’s Day we encourage you to have all the fun (safely), but also remember where these traditions come from, because at Europastry we believe that honoring the past can help bring us into the future. Whether you have it with jam and tea, some Irish coffee, or use it to soak up Guinness, our Irish Soda Bread will make everyone an honorary Irishman this St. Patrick’s Day.
And as they say in Ireland…Sláinte!
P.S.
Here are some ways to enjoy our Irish Soda Bread:
