Traditional Halloween Colcannon | CIE Tours (2024)

FAQs

What is the tradition of Colcannon on Halloween? ›

Colcannon is a hearty dish that has been eaten on Halloween night for years. Traditionally, a ring was hidden in the dish, and whoever was to find it would be likely to marry in the upcoming year! Colcannon was even paired with a little poem: Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

One is to take a spoonful of colcannon and dip it into the well of melted butter and experience a bite of heaven. 1735 – Earliest reference to mashed potatoes and cabbages is found in the Diary of William Bulkely, of Bryndda, near Amlwch in Anglesey, who made two journeys to Dublin in 1735. “Cabbage and Potatoes.

Colcannon is a mixture of cooked and shredded cabbage and mashed potatoes. The word colcannon is derived from the Gaelic term cal ceannann, which means "white-headed cabbage" — the vegetable most commonly mixed with potatoes in this dish.

Although carving pumpkins has become more popular in the United States, it is a tradition that has been adopted from Ireland. Traditionally, turnips are harvested over the autumn period right up to Halloween. Faces would be carved into these turnips and left outside their homes to scare any nasty spirits.

Barmbrack (Irish: bairín breac), also often shortened to brack, is a yeast bread with added sultanas and raisins. The bread is associated with Halloween in Ireland, where an item (often a ring) is placed inside the bread, with the person receiving it considered to be fortunate.

Halloween began as a pagan celebration over 2,000 years ago in Ireland as part of a festival known as 'Samhain'. Traditionally celebrated on the 31^st of October – 1^st November, the Celtic festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the annual harvest and the coming of Winter.

According to Irish mythology, the night before Samhain, November Eve (or 'Oíche Shamhna' in Irish), was a liminal time in which the lines between this world and the 'alltar' (the Irish for 'Otherworld') were blurred, due to the night's lying between one year and the next.

The ingredients joined ancient and modern Ireland; the ancestral diet in the country was heavy on kale and cabbage, and colcannon combined them with the more modern potato to create something hearty and filling that would keep the workingman satiated for a decent stretch of time.

What is the difference between Colcannon and Champ? Both Irish dishes, Champ is mashed potatoes with chopped spring onions (scallions) and milk. Colcannon is Champ with the addition of cabbage and sometimes some herbs.

What Is Colcannon? Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish consisting of mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale.

Why did the Irish dress up for Halloween? ›

This time of year was believed to be when the veil between the dead and the living was the thinnest and people would wear disguises to ward off spirits. This tradition was carried over to North America when Irish immigrants fled famine in the 1840s.

Barmbrack (Irish: bairín breac), also often shortened to brack, is a yeast bread with added sultanas and raisins. The bread is associated with Halloween in Ireland, where an item (often a ring) is placed inside the bread, with the person receiving it considered to be fortunate.

Turnips, apples and apple cider, mulled wines, gourds, nuts, beef, pork, poultry, ale – the Samhain recipes concocted from the harvest brought the community together as work halted, feasting started and the Celts ate the fruits of their labour, told stories and tried to predict their fortunes in the future.

Potatoes: The Original Jack-o'-Lantern!

But did you know this tradition started with potatoes? The Irish would carve spooky faces into spuds to scare away an evil spirit called Stingy Jack. Modern Halloween lovers are bringing back this historic trend, sharing their favorite potato jack-o'-lanterns or jack-o'-taters.