Some say it has to do with Catholicism and being made to eat fish on Fridays, but I think that’s just a story. The UK seems to have the same level of fish consumption as we do.
Anyone with a boat left the country.
It’s a good question that I’ve always wondered about. There has always been an obsession with beef and cattle. Even our ancient legends are all about cattle. It’s not just the diet though, there’s a distinct lack of seafaring tradition compared to other northern European countries. We’re just not really island people.
Simples, because most of what we are sold is not fresh.
I’m surprised Greece and Italy are as low as us tbh – would this exclude non-fish seafood? (i know, stupid question).
Potato
Don’t like it.
We are an agricultural country that so happens to be an island. But people had access to vegetables and meats.
Also, meats and vegetables, like potatoes, hold longer and so were easily managed for rural Ireland.
The Spanish took them all
When I go out for dinner I mostly eat fish and/or choose a seafood restaurant specifically. For dinner, we have fish twice a week, sometimes 3.
It is certainly expensive in Ireland. I think in order to really appreciate fish at home, you have to really enjoy cooking, even though the most simplest fish dinners are often the nicest.
Pan fried black sole on the bone with butter and flour, home made chips and some samphire, yum! Costs about €22-25 for everything for 2 people, which is not cheap for a home made meal!
Too expensive
Because we import two thirds of our cheese… Which, is A disgrace
It’s interesting that a lot of our earliest myths and legends featured cows and bulls. The only story involving fish was the salmon of knowledge. Our apathy to fish seems to have ancient roots.
I don’t like the smell or taste of most fish. I can eat battered cod/white fish, or tinned tuna, but that’s about it.
Which is mad because I love fishing. So it’s always catch and release for me 😁
I’d blame the brits
Post partition governments not investing in commercial fishing is a big one (de velera I curse thee in this regard), pre partition is mostly down to the land owners (mostly English) having control of the fresh water stocks and prohibiting the catching and consumption of such stocks if I had to take a guess.
I lived in Sweden for a year and a lot of their fish intake is herring. So. Much. Herring.
Like literally aisles of just pickled fucking herring.
Give me potatoes every day over that nonsense
Terribly expensive.
They’ve no eyelids
Technically, all we know from this is that our consumption is *at least* over 15kg annually. We could be eating more than the Portuguese and Norwegians… but the map is poorly labelled.
I blame all the delicious mammals.
Cows are easier to catch
Im always shocked by this. My family are from donegal and that’s where I would spend my summers. When I was a kid it was one of the most productive fisheries in the world and no one ate it locally except fried haddock and plaice when drunk. We used to buy bundles of king crab legs for 10 punt right on the pier, they were going begging because the crabs were fished for canneries that didn’t process the legs.
My mum cooked fish for us when I was growing up but it always had bones. Getting those in your mouth was uncomfortable. Thats what put me off.
We live on an island and yet the price of fish is fucking insane.
My of my friends in the restaurant biz avoid using fish because it’s shelf life is shit compared to meat. And it’s expensive as fuck
Cause beef, chicken, lamb and pork are class
I’m from Scotland and I don’t eat fish either. Bleh.
Or lobster? ‘Cause I just don’t get that one…
Most of the good quality fish from our own waters get exported or are very expensive. Our supermarket shelves get stacked with poor quality whitefish from other regions and that’s just a load of pollocks if you ask me.
My understanding is that it was viewed as a form of penance back in the day. But that could be shite too.
I was wondering about this…. I’m from New England in America where we have a clam shack , oyster bar, lobster joint, on every corner. Muddles, halibut, cod, tilapia, flounder, etc etc etc I’ve just moved to the U.K. and was shocked…we talk over the Welsh and Scottish and English coast up in the north. And the “seafood” joints were literally just fish n chips…
What do you do with your oysters?? Where are the mussels and fish ? In Ireland I remember there at least being chowder . Who do the fisherman fish for? I’m just so confused.
It rots/smells quicker than meat in the fridge. So I can’t buy it a few days in advance.
It’s not very nice really is it?
Like I’ll eat a bit of fish every now and then, grand for something different. But would never replace meat with it even say 2 days a week.
I can’t speak for others but personally I just always found fish fucking rank to be honest. I’ve tried it in some of the nicest restaurants in the world and sea food just makes me puke. I have this odd distrust of it for some reason. I can handle white fish and prawns no bother but anything beyond that just turns my stomach. Tried lobster in a fancy restaurant once because I thought I’d like it made by well trained knowledgeable chefs. But nah. It was rank and I really REALLY hated the texture. Convinced the Americans are just obsessed with it cause what they get is 90% butter.
Well the problem with the fishing industry is that they are getting no help from the government.
•For the last while the government is trying to bring in decommissioning with the aim of reducing of fishing fleet by 1/3 or more from 180 boats down to about 120.
•During the brexit negotiations or Fisheries minister did an absolutely piss poor job on fighting for fishermen giving up about 25% of our fishing. With accusations that he didn’t even bother turning to to thoes meetings.
•The spanish fishing fleets fule is subsidised by thier government. The spanish boats are getting 20c while the French are getting 35c on the litre. While our government offered to pay our fishermen to stayed tied to the pier for a month at a time.
Because, in the sensible manner in which successive governments have approached most matters, we give away our own good fish and then pay to import lower quality fish from far away. Stupid and bad for the environment, so everyone wins!
I’m from a part of Spain in which we eat a lot of seafood and when I first came to Ireland I couldn’t believe it how little seafood you consume. And when I told my dad he couldn’t believe it either. He kept saying that it wasn’t possible since the cheap frozen prawns he bought in Galicia came from Ireland, so there must be loads! 😂
38 comments
Expensive habit
Some say it has to do with Catholicism and being made to eat fish on Fridays, but I think that’s just a story. The UK seems to have the same level of fish consumption as we do.
Anyone with a boat left the country.
It’s a good question that I’ve always wondered about. There has always been an obsession with beef and cattle. Even our ancient legends are all about cattle. It’s not just the diet though, there’s a distinct lack of seafaring tradition compared to other northern European countries. We’re just not really island people.
Simples, because most of what we are sold is not fresh.
I’m surprised Greece and Italy are as low as us tbh – would this exclude non-fish seafood? (i know, stupid question).
Potato
Don’t like it.
We are an agricultural country that so happens to be an island. But people had access to vegetables and meats.
Also, meats and vegetables, like potatoes, hold longer and so were easily managed for rural Ireland.
The Spanish took them all
When I go out for dinner I mostly eat fish and/or choose a seafood restaurant specifically. For dinner, we have fish twice a week, sometimes 3.
It is certainly expensive in Ireland. I think in order to really appreciate fish at home, you have to really enjoy cooking, even though the most simplest fish dinners are often the nicest.
Pan fried black sole on the bone with butter and flour, home made chips and some samphire, yum! Costs about €22-25 for everything for 2 people, which is not cheap for a home made meal!
Too expensive
Because we import two thirds of our cheese… Which, is A disgrace
It’s interesting that a lot of our earliest myths and legends featured cows and bulls. The only story involving fish was the salmon of knowledge. Our apathy to fish seems to have ancient roots.
I don’t like the smell or taste of most fish. I can eat battered cod/white fish, or tinned tuna, but that’s about it.
Which is mad because I love fishing. So it’s always catch and release for me 😁
I’d blame the brits
Post partition governments not investing in commercial fishing is a big one (de velera I curse thee in this regard), pre partition is mostly down to the land owners (mostly English) having control of the fresh water stocks and prohibiting the catching and consumption of such stocks if I had to take a guess.
I lived in Sweden for a year and a lot of their fish intake is herring. So. Much. Herring.
Like literally aisles of just pickled fucking herring.
Give me potatoes every day over that nonsense
Terribly expensive.
They’ve no eyelids
Technically, all we know from this is that our consumption is *at least* over 15kg annually. We could be eating more than the Portuguese and Norwegians… but the map is poorly labelled.
I blame all the delicious mammals.
Cows are easier to catch
Im always shocked by this. My family are from donegal and that’s where I would spend my summers. When I was a kid it was one of the most productive fisheries in the world and no one ate it locally except fried haddock and plaice when drunk. We used to buy bundles of king crab legs for 10 punt right on the pier, they were going begging because the crabs were fished for canneries that didn’t process the legs.
My mum cooked fish for us when I was growing up but it always had bones. Getting those in your mouth was uncomfortable. Thats what put me off.
We live on an island and yet the price of fish is fucking insane.
My of my friends in the restaurant biz avoid using fish because it’s shelf life is shit compared to meat. And it’s expensive as fuck
Cause beef, chicken, lamb and pork are class
I’m from Scotland and I don’t eat fish either. Bleh.
Or lobster? ‘Cause I just don’t get that one…
Most of the good quality fish from our own waters get exported or are very expensive. Our supermarket shelves get stacked with poor quality whitefish from other regions and that’s just a load of pollocks if you ask me.
My understanding is that it was viewed as a form of penance back in the day. But that could be shite too.
I was wondering about this…. I’m from New England in America where we have a clam shack , oyster bar, lobster joint, on every corner. Muddles, halibut, cod, tilapia, flounder, etc etc etc I’ve just moved to the U.K. and was shocked…we talk over the Welsh and Scottish and English coast up in the north. And the “seafood” joints were literally just fish n chips…
What do you do with your oysters?? Where are the mussels and fish ? In Ireland I remember there at least being chowder . Who do the fisherman fish for? I’m just so confused.
It rots/smells quicker than meat in the fridge. So I can’t buy it a few days in advance.
It’s not very nice really is it?
Like I’ll eat a bit of fish every now and then, grand for something different. But would never replace meat with it even say 2 days a week.
I can’t speak for others but personally I just always found fish fucking rank to be honest. I’ve tried it in some of the nicest restaurants in the world and sea food just makes me puke. I have this odd distrust of it for some reason. I can handle white fish and prawns no bother but anything beyond that just turns my stomach. Tried lobster in a fancy restaurant once because I thought I’d like it made by well trained knowledgeable chefs. But nah. It was rank and I really REALLY hated the texture. Convinced the Americans are just obsessed with it cause what they get is 90% butter.
Well the problem with the fishing industry is that they are getting no help from the government.
•For the last while the government is trying to bring in decommissioning with the aim of reducing of fishing fleet by 1/3 or more from 180 boats down to about 120.
•During the brexit negotiations or Fisheries minister did an absolutely piss poor job on fighting for fishermen giving up about 25% of our fishing. With accusations that he didn’t even bother turning to to thoes meetings.
•The spanish fishing fleets fule is subsidised by thier government. The spanish boats are getting 20c while the French are getting 35c on the litre. While our government offered to pay our fishermen to stayed tied to the pier for a month at a time.
Because, in the sensible manner in which successive governments have approached most matters, we give away our own good fish and then pay to import lower quality fish from far away. Stupid and bad for the environment, so everyone wins!
I’m from a part of Spain in which we eat a lot of seafood and when I first came to Ireland I couldn’t believe it how little seafood you consume. And when I told my dad he couldn’t believe it either. He kept saying that it wasn’t possible since the cheap frozen prawns he bought in Galicia came from Ireland, so there must be loads! 😂