An Introduction To Irish Cuisine 101

More than just beef stews and potatoes, Irish food culture is seeing a burgeoning increase in local artisanal food producers thanks to chef JP McMahon and his symposium Food On The Edge.

- Joyce Huang

The last week of October typically sees top chefs, food journalists and anthropologists, foragers and producers, and various names in the international food scene descend on Galway, Ireland. For the past five years, the harbour city has hosted Food on the Edge (Fote), a two-day symposium where the likes of Magnus Nilsson, Massimo Bottura, Virgilio Martinez, Ana Roš and the wider food community come together to discuss the future of food and its impact on our planet.

But as with many international events this year, Fote 2020 has been shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That, however, has not stopped founder and director of the boutique symposium, JP McMahon, from keeping audiences intrigued by releasing a free online book based on e-mail correspondences with past speakers and friends of Fote.

There is perhaps no bigger champion of Irish food than the flame-haired, bearded, bespectacled, and tattooed McMahon. And his mission for the symposium is two-pronged: gather prominent names of an international and diverse make-up in Ireland to showcase Irish food to them, as well as to give confidence to the Irish artisanal food industry. “We have all these great produce in Ireland and we need to celebrate it,” says McMahon.