 A pot of freshly made colcannon | |
| Place of origin | Ireland |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Mashed potatoes,kale orcabbage |
.jpg)
Colcannon (Irish:cál ceannann, meaning 'white-headed cabbage'[ˌkaːlˠˈcan̪ˠən̪ˠ]) is a traditionalIrish dish ofmashed potatoes withcabbage. It is a popular dish onSaint Patrick's Day[1] and on the feast day ofSt. Brigid.[2]
Colcannon is most commonly made with only four ingredients: potatoes, butter, milk and cabbage. Irish historianPatrick Weston Joyce defined it as "potatoes mashed with butter and milk, with chopped up cabbage and pot herbs".[3] It can contain other ingredients such asscallions (spring onions),leeks,laverbread,onions andchives. Some recipes substitute cabbage with kale.[4] There are many regional variations of this staple dish.[5] It was a cheap, year-round food.[6][7] It is often eaten with boiledham,salt pork orIrish bacon. As a side dish it can be paired withcorned beef and cabbage.[3]
Colcannon is similar tochamp, a dish made withscallions, butter and milk that is traditionally offered to fairies in a spoon placed at the foot of ahawthorn tree.[4]
The origin of the word is unclear. The first syllable "col" likely comes from the Irish "cál", meaning cabbage. The second syllable may derive from "ceann-fhionn", meaning a white head (i.e. "a white head of cabbage."). This usage is also found in the Irish name for acoot, a white-headed bird known as "cearc cheannan" or "white-head hen.".
In Welsh, the name for leek soup iscawl cennin, a phrase combiningcawl meaning "soup", "broth" or "gruel", when it is not a reference to the typical Welsh meat and vegetable stew named in full "cawl Cymreig", with "cennin", the plural of "cenhinen", meaning "leeks".[8]
The song "Colcannon", also called "The Skillet Pot", is a traditional Irish song that has been recorded by numerous artists, includingMary Black.[9][10] It begins:
Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?
With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.
Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?
The chorus:
Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.
And the more I think about it sure the nearer I'm to cry.
Oh, wasn't it the happy days when troubles we had not,
And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot.
Media related toCategory:Colcannon at Wikimedia Commons
