The history of Irish food is interesting for more than just the delicious combinations of meat, potatoes and alcohol but also for the lessons we must learn from the great tragedy of the Irish Potato Famine. Between 1845 and 1852 over one million Irish peasants died of starvation and another million fled the country hoping for fuller bellies. While there were many political and social factors leading to the terrible scale of this tragedy, everything started with nearly 3 million Irish peasants subsisting on a single strain of plant in their fields, one variety of the potato. This great tragedy hits close to home here at Heritage Foods USA as we support farmers fighting against the pressure of moving toward a monoculture food system.
St. Patrick’s Day brings memories of bagpipes marching down 5th Avenue in New York City, dying the river green in Chicago or a stomach too full of Guinness. Rarely, however, is a delicious meal associated with the once religious holiday. This may be because, as one writer put it, “economy is the main ingredient in most traditional Irish dishes.” The culinary tradition of that came out of a largely peasant Ireland to a proud Irish-American community is one of humble, simple and truly delicious food. St. Patrick’s day gives us the opportunity to tell the story of the food of Ireland taking us from the Gaelic Kings, through the Great Famine, to the now prosperous and proud Irish-Americans.
Don’t have a machine slicer at home? Not to worry, hand slicing is a can be a difficult skill to master but in reinforces the ancient roots of cured meat. It creates a unique experience compared to the machine generated paper thin slices and allows you to appreciate three-generations of curemaster knowledge that produce the perfect Surryano.
We first heard of St John’s Bread and Life (B&L) when Anthony Butler, the Executive Director, approached us about participating in one of their events providing food for New Yorkers in need. We were surprised to learn that B&L is the largest organization in Brooklyn working to end hunger in our community. Each and everyday Bread and Life supplies thousands of meals to people and families in need. But it wasn’t until we visited their facility on Lexington Avenue in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn that we really fell in love with their mission.
The Chinese New Year is based on the ancient Chinese calendar, which functioned as a religious, dynastic and social guide. Oracle bones inscribed with astronomical records and other artifacts date the calendar back as early as the 14th century B.C., during the Shang Dynasty.
The team at Heritage Foods USA prides ourselves on providing the best products available while supporting a network of eighty farmers who raise heritage and rare breeds. We are determined to lead the pack with the best tasting items available. To date we remain the largest meat purveyor with the mission of increasing agricultural biodiversity. We are always seeking promising competition to challenge our standard of quality as this would be a sign of a tipping point in the larger food system.
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