Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish with many regional variations. It is a staple made with potatoes, milk, butter, and cabbage or kale. Other ingredients can be added, such as leeks, scallions, onions, chives, and laverbread. It’s an inexpensive fare that can be eaten year-round and also works as a side dish for boiled ham, corned beef, Irish bacon, or salt pork. Traditional Irish Halloween colcannon is served with a thimble, ring, a threepenny, or sixpenny pieces hidden inside. The item you find in your portion of colcannon may foretell your future. Ireland is the birthplace of Halloween, also known as Samhain, with roots in Celtic folklore. The traditional Irish song “Colcannon”, also called “The Skillet Pot”, has been performed by numerous artists:
Song:
Did you ever have colcannon with lovely yellow cream?
And the Spuds and cabbage blended like a picture in a dream.
Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
of the creamy flavored butter that our mother used to make?
Chorus:
Yes, you did, so you did. So did she, and so did I.
And the more I think about, sure it the more I want to cry.
Oh weren’t them the happy days when troubles we knew not.
And our mothers made colcannon in the little skillet pot.
