Lucy M. Long (Center for Food and Culture)
Soda bread, a quick bread using baking soda as the primary rising agent, is closely associated in the U.S. with traditional Irish foodways. The bread appears, however, in a variety of forms, functions, and meanings within Ireland and the Irish diaspora. This paper gives an overview of soda bread in Northern Ireland, Ireland, and the U.S, exploring how the different historical contexts have shaped its uses and meanings. Furthermore, the Irish heritage it stands for in each of those locales differs, suggesting the complexity of heritage itself as a cultural, economic, and political construct.
Part of 03-11 Folkloristic Perspectives on Culinary Heritage, Thursday, November 02, 2:30 pm–4:30 pm