International Foods Lesson Plans
As teachers, we are always looking for great lesson plan ideas for holidays like St. Patrick’s Day. These 3 ideas for teaching Irish foods in the culinary arts classroom have been “stewing” around in our brains for years.
My mother emigrated here from Ireland when she was 18 years old. As an Irish-American kid I grew up eating mashed potatoes, Shepard’s pie, beans and toast, scones, corn beef, and cabbage, and Cadbury chocolate, of course. I can’t say that I loved all of these dishes as a child but I appreciate them today as they are a part of my upbringing and culture.
I love to bring my Irish culture into the classroom and have the kids experience authentic Irish foods. Here are 3 cooking lab ideas for your FACS or Culinary Arts class:
-1. Make a Barmbrack. An Irish food memory that I love the most was when we would eat barmbrack. It is a cake that has items buried inside! If you get the slice with a little piece of rag rolled up inside, you would be poor. If you got the piece with a coin in it, you would be rich, etc.
Here is a traditional barmbrack recipe (that doesn’t include whiskey because lord knows we can’t smuggle that into the classroom!). This would be a fun cooking lab to do with students.
Here’s a nice video of a barmbrack being made…yum!
2- Make Scones. Scones are an iconic and delicious Irish food that your students should have fun making. Most of the items you should have in your kitchen with the exception of maybe currants but you can substitute them with raisins or golden raisins. Here is a recipe for scones for a class.
3- Present the History of Irish Foods and the most popular dishes. We have a whole line of international food lessons about countries around the world and their unique cuisines and cooking techniques. This one is about Irish cuisine and it includes a colorful slideshow as well as notes for students to complete and questions. I love these lessons because it helps the kids understand where the foods originated from and their influence on the United States’ cuisine.
It is easy to assign as it is in Google format. Click on the picture to check the lesson out!
Some other no-bake recipes include:
- A Shamrock Shake (Lucky Shake)
- Lucky Charms Rice Krispie Treats
Ice cream, milk, mint extract, and whipped cream
4- Reubens- Chris does a “Reuben Bonanza” menu in his culinary arts cafe for his school on St. Patty’s Day. They make Reuben dip, Reuben soup, Reuben pizza, and Reuben tater tots! The recipes include corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, rye bread, and Thousand Island dressing. Surprisingly, Reuben originated in the U.S., even though it is associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Corned beef is a traditional dish of Ireland, which is why the Reuben is often made during the holiday.
Let us know what you think of these 3 Irish food ideas in the comments. We always love feedback!
For more Global Foods ideas such as South American and Ukrainian foods, check out our other blog post.
