A popular dish is the an assortment of fried food, called the "Ulster Fry". It consists of eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausages, potato bread and soda bread. Some versions include mushrooms or baked beans. Fry's are generally prepared as the name suggests, everything is fried in a pan. Traditionally lard was used, but recently due to health concerns, it has been replaced with oils such as canola and olive. Historically, it was popular with the working class.
Some shops on the north coast close to Ballycastle, sell a local delicacy called dulse. This is a certain type of seaweed, usually collected, washed and Sun-dried from the middle of Summer through to the middle of Autumn. Additionally, in August, the lamas fair is held in Ballycastle, and a traditional sweet, called "yellow man" is sold in huge quantities. As you can tell from the name, it's yellow in colour, it's also very sweet, and can get quite sticky. If you can, try to sample some yellow man, just make sure you have use of a toothbrush shortly after eating it... it'll rot your teeth!
The cuisine in Northern Ireland is similar to that in the United Kingdom as a whole, with dishes such as Fish and Chips a popular fast food choice. Local dishes such as various types of stew and potato-based foods are also very popular.
It should be noted that, with the advent of the peace process and (until recently) the improvements in economic conditions for many people in Northern Ireland, there has been a great increase in the number of very good restaurants, especially in the larger towns such as Belfast and Lisburn. Indeed it would be difficult for a visitor to either of those cities not to find a fine-dining establishment to suit their tastes (and wallet).
Tesco NI hold a free event, 'Taste NI Food and Drink Festival', every year. The event celebrates the best of Northern Irish produce and invites the public to to take a culinary tour of the region, browsing food and drink stalls, meeting the people behind the local brands, sampling delicious produce and watching live cookery demonstrations from Northern Ireland’s top chefs.
This year's event is to be held in Belfast's Custom House Square on the 10th and 11th September, 2011.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Northern Ireland
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Northern Ireland - updated Apr 2024
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Northern Ireland Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
