RESEARCHERS IN Cork have recreated the diet that gave St Patrick the strength to drive snakes from Ireland, as the legend goes.
Far from the beer flowing around the globe in his honour today, the patron saint was likely to have snacked on a hearty diet of wholesome dairy and cereal products, with seasonal nuts and fruit for good measure.
Shipped to Ireland as a slave while still in his teens, Patrick no doubt endured a tough time before he escaped and returned to Britain six years later.
But while here and upon his return, his diet consisted of a rich mix of dairy, cheeses, cereals, porridge, gruel, eggs, honey, seaweed and fish, according to the food study.
Culinary historian Regina Sexton, of University College Cork, recreated the diet available in fifth-century Ireland to the young saint in the making.
Various wet preparations such as porridge, gruel, meal pastes and pottage as well as cereal-milk and fruit-nut combinations were also being eaten on the island when the young Patrick arrived, while a wide range of wild foods, notably watercress and wild garlic were used to garnish the various preparations.
The diet was seasonal and nourishing, according to Ms Sexton and the need to preserve dairy products gave rise to a rich and varied industry that continued to thrive until the arrival of the potato.
St Patrick would have consumed lots of fresh milk, sour milk, thickened milk, colostrum, curds, flavoured curd mixtures, butter and soft and hard cheeses, Ms Sexton said.
“From May onwards, the diet was very much dominated by dairy produce. It was incredible, such profound skills were developed making all sorts of wonderful creations from milk right up until the time the potato was universally adopted.”