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Twelve Days of Irish Words and Phrases: Irish Christmas dinner
Written by Ciaran on Dec. 06, 2024 | 2 Comments
It's day 6 of our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas. Inspired by that traditional carol, and the funny Irish version, Christmas Countdown, we're bringing you Twelve Days of Irish Christmas (Words).
What's For (Irish Christmas) Dinner?
Now first, we should start by saying that there is a fair bit of variation in what people eat for Christmas dinner here in Ireland! Personal taste, diet, and different cultural influences all play a part in what's on the plate come Christmas. But here are a few Irish words for common foods that crop up at many an Irish Christmas dinner!
For those with the means, ham or liamhás (lee-vos) would have been a traditional dish at Christmas, and is still enjoyed today. Cooked in a large pot, low and slow for hours until tender, dressed with sugar and spices and then roasted to glaze. Goose, Gé (gay), stuffed and baked in a pot over coals, would have also been common on Irish plates at Christmas. While beef or mairteoil (mar-toil), cured with spices and again cooked for hours would have been a go-to choice for posh plates at Christmas, or on December 26th, St. Stephen's Day.
A glazed ham would have been the centerpiece at many Irish tables over the years, and is still a popular choice today. We've used this recipe by Irish chef Donal Skeehan to great effect.
Photo Credit: Donal Skeehan
The Irish For Turkey
These days, the turkey or turcaí in Irish, reigns supreme at Christmas. This loan word from English gives a clue to the fact that turcaí is a relatively new addition to the Irish Christmas dinner. It's often accompanied by the more traditional ham or beef and plenty of prátaí (prah-tee), potatoes, and glasraí, (gloss-ree) vegetables. And for dessert, of course, there is Cáca nollag (Kaw-ca null-aig) Christmas cake!
We may have already started on the traditional Christmas Cake, cáca nollag, made for the My Irish Jeweler team by Gemma's very talented mother-in-law. It's delicious!
If you would like to add an Irish flourish to your own Christmas dining table this year, here is our recipe for a Cáca nollag. This is one you can, and should, make ahead of time so there is plenty of time to feed it with whiskey! Time to get baking!
Irish Christmas Cake - Cáca nollag
Ingredients
- 450g (1 lb) sultanas
- 225g (1/2 lb) raisins
- 225g (1/2 lb) currants
- 100g (4 oz) candied cherries, halved or whole, not chopped
- 50g (2 oz) mixed candied peel, finely chopped - you can leave these out if you can’t find it
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice (a Christmas spice that is equal parts allspice, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- grated zest & juice of 1 lemon
- grated zest & juice of 1 orange
- 4 tablespoons Irish whiskey - whichever you like, but Jameson is traditional
All of the above should be soaked together overnight before being incorporated into the mix. Don't skip this step! Your finished cake will be dry rather than moist if you do.
- 1 large apple, finely grated
- 100g (4 oz) slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon Golden syrup
- 280g (10 oz) Irish butter - this needs to be proper butter, and it should be salted
- 225g (8 0z) soft brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 280g (10 oz) plain, all-purpose flour
- 50g (2 oz) ground almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (add an extra pinch if you had to use unsalted butter above)
- 2 more tablespoons of Irish Whiskey for pouring over the cake when cooked
Method
- Soak your fruit in spiced whiskey and fruit juices overnight
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) - this cake cooks for a long time!
- Line your 8 or 9-inch cake tin with greased baking paper - we grease this with butter to ensure the cake comes out easily!
- Whisk butter and sugar together in a large bowl until it is creamy and a light color
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is totally incorporated before adding another. If your mix isn't coming together at this stage, add a spoonful of your flour and mix again. That should help.
- Mix your flour, salt, and ground almonds together in a smaller bowl
- Fold your flour mixture into your butter, sugar, and egg mixture - this part should be done with a wooden spoon and certainly not a mixer or your cake will be chewy.
- Finally, fold in your soaked fruits. This will take some real elbow grease as the mixture should be thick and pretty sticky! In many homes, this work is shared and everyone in the family gives the mix ‘a stir’, making a wish for the coming year. Traditionally, the youngest goes first!
- Spoon or pour your mixture into your lined baking tin and smooth off the top of the cake with a wet spoon, making it dip slightly in the center - this should give you a level cake after it rises.
- If you like, you can place a circle of baking paper over the top of the cake to prevent it from browning too much, and then you can put it in the oven for 3.5 hours!
- Resist the urge to check on the cake - just enjoy the Christmassy smell!
- Take the cake out and check if it is cooked by inserting a skewer into the center. If it is dry when it comes out, the cake is done. If the cake mix sticks to the skewer, put it back in for another 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat this step until the cake is cooked—we told you, it's a labor of love!
- Let the cake cool in the tin overnight.
- Take the cake out of the tin carefully the following day, using a knife to peel off the paper.
- Turn the cake upside down and skewer it in 5 or 6 places to make small holes.
- Using a teaspoon, ladle the 2 oz of whiskey into the holes to “feed” the cake.
- Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper tied up with string or an elastic band
- Repeat steps 15 to 17 each week and ideally several times in the run-up to Christmas - spooning over a small amount of whiskey (or brandy if you prefer). We recommend flipping the cake each time so whiskey is added from top to bottom to ensure every part gets a good “feed.”
- Re-wrap the cake each time - again, it's a lot of work but worth it!
- You can leave the cake un-iced with just a dusting of icing sugar. Or, ice your cake with a layer of marzipan and royal icing from 24 hours to one week before Christmas.
- Decorate it however you like with cake ornaments, dried fruit, holly leaves, ribbon, etc.
- Serve on Christmas day on its own or with whipped cream, custard, or even ice cream, and enjoy your hard work! A hot cup of tea, coffee, or Irish Coffee goes well, too!
- Enjoy this cake for each of the 12 days of Christmas and Nollaig Na mBan. If there is any leftovers after all that, it should be kept for weeks (and some say months) wrapped in tinfoil in a cake tin.
What's Next?
Check back in with us tomorrow for Day 7 of our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas, or open Door Number 6 of our 12 Days of Christmas offers!
Christmas Gifts To Treasure
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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I have a small bit of Irish blood, but I love the Irish people and country. Hoping to visit Ireland someday.