Page 25 - AAA Every Day – AAA Hudson Valley – September/October 2021

Changing Times
Irish fare is often miscast as the culinary “plain Jane” of Europe. But over the past few years, Ireland has seen a food-focused renaissance. Meat and potatoes and hearty stews are making room for gourmet tapas, aperitifs and sweet chili-coconut stir-fries. And for one small town on the southern shore, this revolution of cuisine has been brewing for years. It’s time to eat your way through Kinsale.
The picturesque fishing town of Kinsale in County Cork is rich with history, charming cottages and great food. Kinsale was recently named the “Top Foodie Town” by the Restaurants Association of Ireland. At the heart of the small town’s lively culinary scene is the Kinsale Good Food Circle. For more than 40 years, the GFC has rallied restaurants to come together and up their culinary game.
Inside the Irish Farmhouse
Out in the countryside of centuries past, an Irish matriarch would rise early in the morning to collect grains and milk the cows. In the evening, she’d enter her barley-thatched cottage and stand in front of a hot hearth for hours, preparing hearty batches of bread and stew. Fast forward a few hundred years, roofs are no longer made of grains and laboring over the stove after a long day at work is a thing of the past. But even with changing times, Irish farmhouse meals are still a culinary staple loved around the world.
There are endless reasons to visit Ireland, but the
thrill of delving into its culture through cuisine is one of the best. Landmarks and historic sites give you a great glimpse into its traditional roots, but there’s something about sitting down and sharing a meal that goes beyond sightseeing. Food is the main ingredient that connects us all and that’s especially true here.
Irish Whiskey 101
Quays Pub, Dublin
On a AAA Member Choice Vacations tour, you can explore the world of whiskey in Ireland with tastings, like at Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland. Whiskey has long been known as Ireland’s
“uisce beatha,” the Gaelic phrase for “water of life.” Its production dates back centuries and is still ingrained
in Irish culture today. More than seven million cases of Irish whiskey are produced in Ireland each year and it’s impossible to have a full picture of the Emerald Isle’s culinary culture without tasting its most famous libation.
Here are the four main types of Irish whiskey explained:
Single malt is malt whiskey from a single distillery and is exclusively made with malted grain. Popular brands include Bushmills 21, Knappogue Castle 16 and Palace Bar 12.
Single grain is whiskey made, at least partially, from grains other than malted barley. This would include varieties made from corn, wheat and/or rye. Look for Teeling Single Grain and Kilbeggan 8-Year-Old.
Pot still is a blend of malted and unmalted barley that has been distilled in a copper pot still. Try Yellow Spot, Powers John’s Lane and Redbreast 21.
Blended whiskey is the result of mixing one or more premium straight or single malt whiskeys with a less expensive spirit. Blended whiskey makes up about 90% of all Irish whiskey production, with Jameson and Kilbeggan the most notable.
Book your getaway to the Emerald Isle with AAA Member Choice Vacations. Contact your AAA Hudson Valley Travel Agent today! Call 518-426-1000 or email booktravel@aaahv.com.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 I 25