Irish Tea Traditions
transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic.”
Adrienne Cook
Tea was first introduced to the 
upper classes in Ireland around 1835, but by the mid-19th century it had become more affordable and its use spread to all social classes. Only loose leaf tea was available in rural areas and could be bartered for or purchased from small groceries. Ireland imported its tea from the British, but once Ireland declared itself politically neutral regarding Britain’s war efforts during WW II, British tea shipments to Ireland 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.
In earlier days, individual shops often concocted their own local blends, and international tea brands were not widely known outside major cities. Traditional Irish tea blends, known as Irish Breakfast blends in this country, include the Indian Assam Tea as a prominent ingredient, sometimes combined with Ceylon but often alone. In recent years, teas from East Africa have joined Ceylon or Sri Lankan tea in the most popular tea blends.
The Irish prefer their tea strong with lots of milk, some preferring as much as 1 part milk to 2 parts tea. Assam's robust flavor takes well to a good amount of milk in the cup and often the tea is served in a heated pot with the milk and sugar already added.
High tea, the hearty supper for the working classes accompanied with many pots of strong tea, is a true Irish tradition. Food traditionally eaten with high tea includes a variety of savory and sweet dishes. Many include potatoes as an ingredient, but before potatoes became the staple of the Irish working class diet, oats and wheat held that place, and many traditional recipes feature oats.
1 cup butter
1/2 cup superfine 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.
Oatcakes
Oats have been grown in Ireland since the first millennium, and have been a significant part of the Irish diet since then. These oatcakes would originally have been cooked on a flat griddle over the fire on the family hearth.
1 cup oatmeal
½ cup flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. salt
granulated sugar to taste
¼ cup butter or margarine
¼ cup hot water
flour for working the dough
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the oatmeal into a large bowl. Sift the remaining dry ingredients into the bowl with the oatmeal. Bring the water and butter (or margarine) to boil in a small saucepan. Add the hot liquid to the dry ingredients and mix them in.
Turn the dough onto a flour dusted surface and roll into a circle 9" across and 1/8" thick. Dust with oatmeal, lightly pressing the grains into the surface. Cut into eight triangles. Place on a baking baking sheet dusted with flour and bake 40 minutes. Yield: 1 8" cake.
Did you know:
- According to www.barrys-tea.com, Ireland consumes more tea per capita than any other nation in the world, each person averaging 4-6 cups per day, or 7 pounds a year. Guinness ale is the only other beverage challenging tea's popularity in Ireland.
- Although often called “cha” in Irish slang today, tea has its own term in Gaelic; “cupan tae,” often Anglicized into “cuppa tay,” means “cup of tea”.
- There are three traditional teatimes each day in addition to the tea breakfast, lunch, and in the evening after supper: the Elevenses at 11 a.m. or so, Afternoon Tea at 3-ish, and High Tea at roughly 5 p.m.
www.IrishCultureAndCustoms.com