Colcannon is an Irish dish made by pounding together cabbage and potatoes and then stewing them in butter. The name is a compound formed by combining cole—an old name for cabbage that also survives in coleslaw—and cannon, the name of a weapon used to blow one’s godless enemies to smithereens. The compound arose when Irish peasants turned cannon balls into kitchen implements by using them to pound vegetables into a paste; by so doing, they effected a transformation rivalling the United Nations’ mandate to turn swords into ploughshares.
A renowned culinary creation comprises of mashed potatoes blended with precooked onions and cabbage that have undergone extensive pulverization or “beetling.” Colcannon typically undergoes warming in the oven before serving.
A well-liked Irish dish is the amalgamation of boiled potatoes and cabbage, blended and mashed together. This dish, commonly referred to as colcannon, can also be prepared with any leftover cooked cabbage and potatoes, combined and fried in a pan. Colcannon bears a striking resemblance to a dish from England known as Bubble and Squeak.