A Few Things About St. Patrick's Day Worth Actually Knowing

Patrick was not Irish!!!!

He was a Roman Briton, born in Britain when Rome still ran things there. As a teenager he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and spent six years as a slave in Ireland before escaping. He made it home, became a priest, and then did something that is either deeply admirable or completely baffling depending on your perspective. He went back. Voluntarily. Spent the rest of his life in the country that had enslaved him, converting the Druid culture to Christianity. His name wasn't even Patrick. He was born Maewyn Succat. He changed it later.

He died on March 17th, somewhere around 461 AD. The Irish marked the day as a religious feast for over a thousand years after that. Quiet. Church in the morning, a meal in the afternoon, one day of relief from Lenten fasting. That was March 17th for most of its history. The loud green global version came from Irish immigrants in America who used the day to hold onto their identity in a country that wasn't always glad to see them arrive.

The green itself was not originally festive. Patrick's color was blue. Green became the color of Irish identity during the rebellion of 1798, when Irish republicans chose it specifically in opposition to British red. People sang The Wearing of the Green as an act of defiance. It stuck. The luck and the leprechauns came considerably later.

The shamrock goes back to Patrick himself, who reportedly used it to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to the people he was trying to convert. Three leaves, one stem. It was a teaching tool before it was a lapel pin.

And if you want to observe the day the old way: put a shamrock in your last drink of the evening and raise a toast. That is called drowning the shamrock. It is a real tradition, rooted in the one day of Lenten fasting that was lifted for the feast. The shamrock goes in the glass, the toast goes to Patrick, and then you either swallow it or throw it over your left shoulder for luck. Your call.

Soda Bread for the Table

This is the recipe I am making this year.

Full credit and recipe: Sally's Baking Addiction – Grandma's Irish Soda Bread

What you need: 1 and 3/4 cups buttermilk 1 large egg (optional, makes it richer and denser) 4 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for your hands 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed 1 cup raisins, optional

How to make it:

Preheat your oven to 400F. Use a cast iron skillet if you have one. If not, a lined baking sheet or a greased round cake pan both work.

Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in one bowl. In a large bowl whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture using a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins if using. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and fold until the dough comes together. It will be shaggy and that is correct.

Turn it onto a floured surface and knead for about thirty seconds, just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overwork it. Shape into a round and transfer to your pan. Score the top with an X about half an inch deep. This is not decorative. It helps the center bake through.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes until deep golden brown. If it is browning too fast on top, tent it loosely with foil. It is done when a thermometer reads 195F in the center. Rest for ten minutes before slicing.

Serve warm with butter.

One note: Buttermilk is not optional. It reacts with the baking soda to leaven the bread. If you don't have any, add one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and fill it to 1 and 3/4 cups with cold milk. Let it sit five minutes and it will work.