Irish Traditional Cooking: Over 300 Recipes from Ireland's Heritage

I have just returned from a two week Darina Allen (Ballymaloe) cooking school in Ireland and her cooking books are my bible. She is an amazing woman and a great gift to all who love to cook and/or enjoy to eat! Check out her web site for more books and cooking schools! <br />Beverly

I first had Irish food (identified as such) two weeks ago at a local "imported" pub. It was wonderful, so I decided to explore further. I purchased this book because so many reviewers identified it as authentic. I can't speak to that, as I've never yet been to Ireland, but I can say it is well-organized, full of anecdotes, well-written, and bewitchingly charming. This weekend I cooked from it for Saturday's dinner. We had beef and Guinness stew, champ (similar to mashed potatoes, but with green onions), fluffy lemon pudding, and Gaelic coffee. HEAVEN. <br /> <br />A bit of warning: a small percentage of the recipes are similar to those in older cookbooks in that the ingredients are embedded in the explanation. Also, there are some ingredients listed that I think may be hard to get. Still, there are plenty of recipes we can easily make here in the US, and what I have made so far is so amazingly good that I know I will pull this book out again and again.

Even if I never make a single recipe from this cookbook, I'm thrilled I made this purchase. There is a story with each recipe that is just pure enjoyment! I'm very happy I made this purchase!

If you enjoy Irish cuisine or just want to try it this is an excellent cookbook to invest in. I received this just in time for St. Patty's Day and we enjoyed an excellent, traditional meal. Wonderful read as well.