Irish Potatoes

Irish Potato Candy on green napkins with glover leaves. The Irish Potato candy is a dessert made for St Patrick's day. It is made from cream cheese,... more

by Iris Richardson

Title

Irish Potatoes

Artist

Iris Richardson

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Irish Potato Candy on green napkins with glover leaves. The Irish Potato candy is a dessert made for St Patrick's day. It is made from cream cheese, butter, sugar and shredded coconut with a coating of cinnamon on the outside. You are right to question where did the Irish get the coconut and creme cheese from? My kids asked the same question and we went on a quest to find out how the Irish Potato candy became to be. Rumors have it that this candy cannot be found in Ireland. It is a totally American made candy. Most likely it was an Irish mom who needed to keep her kids busy. This easy recipe takes no cooking nor baking. It is perfect for a very young child to make and proudly to present as their own contribution to the St Patricks day holiday dinner. It was a little bit shocking at first to find out that this traditional Irish candy was not so irish after all. But we all love it and it is a symbole of how immigrants make the US their home by creating new tradition and new dishes using their new homelands foods. Locals say the candy is a homespun tradition that is as much a part of St. Patrick's Day as corned beef and cabbage and minty-green shakes are everywhere else in the country. The candies were likely made by Irish immigrants on the East Coast more than a century ago. You won't find Irish potato candy in Ireland.

Uploaded

March 17th, 2018