Traditional Irish Halloween Treats for Kids

Halloween’s roots stem from the region now known as Ireland when a version of the holiday was celebrated over 2000 years ago by the Celts. Back then, it was known as the festival of Samhain and consisted of bonfires, fortune telling and costumes. Though the holiday was later adopted by invading Romans and has evolved considerably over the centuries, the Irish still covet both Halloween and Samhain as their own. The reason Halloween is such an event in America, is down the number of Irish immigrants that took the festival with them. 

Whilst most of us relate Halloween foods with piles of chocolates and candy, the Irish have maintained their own unique set of foods and dishes for the special occasion.

Barnbrack

In Ireland, it isn’t Samhain without barnbrack. Popular with adults and children alike, the fruit loaf can be found throughout Ireland throughout autumn. Derived from the Gaelic word for speckled loaf, it’s made by soaking fruit in tea overnight and mixing them into a batter consisting of flour, eggs, sugar, spices and optional additional sweeteners such as honey. Following tradition, charms are mixed into the dough before baking. Once the loaf is baked, each family member receives a slice. Slices containing charms are connected to the recipient’s fortune. For instance, a ring stands for love, whilst a thimble means you’ll remain a spinster! Thanks to its fortune-telling abilities, barnbrack is commonly seen at Halloween parties throughout Ireland.

Soul Cakes

These sweet treats look almost like cookies, and are a popular trick-or-treat gift in Ireland. Made with simple ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs, flour and raisins, it’s an easy recipe to make and fills the whole house with a delightful sweet smell whilst they are baking. Soul cake bakers often like to add some personality to their creations by adding designs and patterns to the top of the cakes, using a knife or by neatly arranging raisins. 

Boxty

Not all Halloween treats have to be sweet. In Ireland, several traditional Halloween foods are quite savoury, containing potatoes and onions. The boxty is a type of Irish potato pancake often made in autumn. It consists of a batter made from grated or mashed potatoes, onions, flour, eggs and milk. Once the batter has been mixed to a relatively thin consistency, it can be fried on a griddle just like a regular pancake. The savoury treat is sure to fill hungry stomachs and will ensure that children won’t eat too much candy. 

Colcannon

Another savoury favourite, colcannon is a potato-based dish that’s traditionally eaten on the night of Halloween. Made from a hearty mix of potato, kale, leek and cream, it is slightly more complicated to make than the other foods. To start with, the potatoes and kale must be boiled separately until tender whilst the leeks simmer in the milk or cream. Afterwards, all the ingredients are mixed together over a low flame. Once completed, it is tradition to portion out the colcannon, make wells in each portion and fill them with butter. Though it’s perhaps not the healthiest treat, colcannon goes perfectly with a chilly autumn evening, and warms the kids' tummies ready for a night of trick or treating. 

About this article: This article has been written by Mary Murphy, the communications manager for Irish based website EUMom.ie - Ireland's largest online community website for mothers with over 100,000 members. The website publishes regular articles on parenting advice and guides for mums. Feel free to visit the website and join our happy community – www.eumom.ie