Christmas is around the corner and what could be better way to get into the Christmas traditions of Ireland than writing about the typical Irish Christmas plates? Goose, roast turkey or ham with cranberry sauce, smoked salmon, prawns, roast potatoes, smashed potatoes, creamed peas, brussel sprouts, mince pies, puddings and cakes...Of all these is a real Irish Christmas made! Bainigí sult as!
Traditional Irish Christmas Meal begins with starters. Typical starters are smoked salmon, prawns, melon or soup. The starters are followed by the Main Course. Nowadays almost everyone eats turkey for dinner in Christmas Eve, but roast turkey didn't become the first choice of Irish Christmas recipes until the 20th century. For this reason there are still families who prefer goose as it is more traditional. Roast ham is also becoming more popular among the Irish. 
Spiced beef is a traditional Christmas food throughout Ireland but mostly in the southern regions, especially in Cork. It is a delicacy that is not available at any other time of year. Spiced beef is made by marinating beef in a mixture of spices, juniper berries and sugar. The marinating process is slow and can take for up to two weeks! The cured beef is then slow roasted. When cooked, the beef is pressed to make a densly textured meat which can be cut in thin slices easily. 
Even it can seem impossible to even think about having Dessert after all these delicious plates, it is as important part of the meal as the others and after all- this is not an ordinary day! Popular Christmas desserts are Christmas pudding, hot mince pies served with fresh whipped cream or just a slice of Christmas cake.
The rich, fruity cake is an indispensable part of an Irish Christmas. A true Irish Christmas Cake is laced with a whole lot of true Irish whiskey. During the final week before Christmas, the Christmas Cake is covered with sheets of marzipan. Cake is prepared and slices of it are served to all the visitors during all Christmas time.
The Christmas pudding is also known as ‘plum pudding’, though it contains no plums. It is the traditional Christmas day dessert. The pudding can be served with a brandy or sherry sauce.
Merry Christmas! Nollaig Shona!
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