Five Hundred Recipes In The Irish Cookbook

In March 2020 the publisher Phaidon released a big book on Ireland's food. Its author was JP McMahon^[1].

The Irish Cookbook is a heavy book. It runs to 432 pages and holds more than 500 recipes^[1].

Past, Present And Future

It covers the whole story of Irish cooking: where it came from, what it is today and where it might go^[1]. Publishers Weekly praised it as a thoroughly researched book^[1].

Wild Ingredients

The reviewer liked the inventive use of wild and sustainable ingredients, especially fruit^[1]. There is a foraging field guide in the book, and a short history of Irish food^[1]. Every main dish comes with a full-colour photograph^[1].

It is the same idea as Aniar, put on paper. Look back at old Irish dishes and methods, then bring them into a modern kitchen^[1][3].

A Writer's Life

Writing is a big part of McMahon's work. He has published four books^[2]. The most recent, An Irish Food Story, came out in 2024 and took him on a book tour^[2]. He also writes columns and plays^[2].

Aniar's website has a section for his books, next to its workshops and online cooking classes^[3]. For readers who cannot get to Galway, the books and classes bring his ideas home.

Hard Times

The book came out just as the pandemic began. It was a hard period for his restaurants. A planned Japanese restaurant was abandoned during Covid-19, after he had borrowed €1m for a townhouse^[2]. Tartare, his café and wine bar opened in 2017, closed in 2022^[2].

Yet the book has lasted. For cooks around the world who want to understand Irish food, The Irish Cookbook offers a single, generous starting point, from wild fruit to the history of the Irish table^[1][2].