Bacon and cabbage: a traditional Irish dinner explained

Bacon and cabbage is a traditional Irish dinner of boiled bacon, cooked cabbage and potatoes, often with a parsley sauce. The bacon is a cut of cured pork, closer to a ham joint than to the rashers you have at breakfast. It is a plain, filling plate, and it shows up on pub and carvery menus year round.

What is on the plate

A slice or two of boiled bacon, a pile of green cabbage, boiled or mashed potatoes and a ladle of white sauce flecked with parsley. Some places add carrot or turnip. The sauce is a béchamel type, made with milk, flour and butter, with chopped parsley stirred in.

What the bacon is

In Ireland, bacon usually means a cured loin or collar of pork that is boiled whole and sliced. It is salty, tender and mild. It is not crispy, and it is not the thin rasher of a fry. If you expect streaky, you will be surprised.

What good looks like

The meat should be moist and tender, and sliced thickly enough to hold together. It should be salty but not harsh. The cabbage should be soft but still green, not grey. The potatoes should be hot and floury. The sauce should be smooth, pale and peppery, with fresh parsley.

A dry, stringy slice means the bacon was overcooked or sat in the heat. Cabbage that smells strongly of sulphur has been overcooked.

The parsley sauce

The parsley sauce does a job. It adds moisture and cuts the saltiness of the bacon. Ask for it on the side if you want to control the amount. A lumpy or floury sauce is a sign of a rushed kitchen.

Left-overs and the next day

Cold sliced bacon is a good sandwich filling, and fried cabbage with potato is a dish in its own right. If you cook this at home, you will want to cook extra for exactly that reason. In a restaurant, a kitchen that serves it will often reuse the stock for soup, so ask what the soup of the day is.

Where you find it

Pubs, carveries and traditional restaurants serve it, often as a lunchtime special. Some serve it only on certain days. Around St Patrick's Day, it appears on many menus. If you want it, ask the staff.

Dietary notes

Bacon is pork, so it is not suitable for halal or kosher diets or for vegetarians. The sauce contains wheat flour and dairy. The cured meat is high in salt. If you avoid any of these, ask the staff.

How it compares

It is a plainer dish than a stew and a lighter one than a roast. If you like honest, simple food, it is a good plate. If you want spice and sauce, order something else.

Making it at home

The method is simple. Soak a piece of bacon overnight if it is salty, then simmer it gently in fresh water with an onion until tender. Add the cabbage for the last few minutes, and boil potatoes alongside. Make a parsley sauce with the cooking liquid for extra flavour. Serve the sliced bacon with the vegetables and plenty of sauce. Leftover bacon makes a good sandwich the next day.

What to drink with it

A pint of stout, a glass of cider or a pot of strong tea all go with a plate like this. A glass of water is just as sensible, because the bacon is salty.

Finding it on Mosey

Where diners have photographed and named the dish, it can have its own page. Look at the pictures to see the portion and the sauce before you go. Our guide to Irish stew covers another traditional plate.