Irish Stew

Irish stew is a stew from Ireland traditionally made with root vegetables and lamb or mutton, though in modern times it is also commonly made with beef, and it is considered a national dish of Ireland. Basic ingredients include lamb, mutton, or kid, potatoes, onions, and parsley, sometimes with carrots, boiled and simmered slowly for up to two hours; mutton was historically the dominant meat because sheep were valued for wool and milk, leaving only older, economically non-viable animals for the pot, and the dish, a product of a culinary tradition built around cooking over an open fire, was recognized as early as about 1800.