TU Dublin Academics Win International Book Award
.jpg)
A major international honour has been awarded to Irish Food History: A Companion, the acclaimed volume co-edited by TU Dublin’s Dr Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire with graduate Dr Dorothy Cashman. The book has been named Best of the Best for Ireland at the 31st Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, a distinction recognising the most significant food publication to emerge from the country in the last three decades. The award was formally presented in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Dr Mac Con Iomaire representing the editorial team.
This latest accolade follows a remarkable run of recognition for the publication. Last year, the book took home the title of Best Culinary History Book in the World at the Gourmand Awards in Lisbon, competing against entries from almost 100 countries.
Published by the Royal Irish Academy, Irish Food History: A Companion takes readers on a compelling journey through Ireland’s culinary heritage from the Ice Age to the present day. The richly illustrated volume is a collaborative achievement, featuring contributions from TU Dublin staff and graduates, including Dr Elaine Mahon, Dr Brian J. Murphy, Margaret Connolly, and PhD graduates Dr Fionnán O’Connor, Dr Tara McConnell and Dr John D. Mulcahy. The book’s distinctive visual design is the work of Brenda Dermody from TU Dublin’s School of Art and Design.
Across its 28 expert-written chapters, the book traces Ireland’s food, farming, and gastronomic traditions from early hunter-gatherer societies to the development of livestock farming, through medieval feasting, the Famine, and the evolution of modern Irish cuisine. It also highlights the cultural significance of food through poetry and storytelling, with contributions from renowned Irish poets.
Unusually for an academic collection, the book has become a genuine public success. It won the 2024 An Post Irish Book Award for Food and Drink, has already sold through its initial print runs, and has been downloaded nearly 12,000 times worldwide. It also received the Food History & Heritage Award at the Irish Food Writing Awards earlier this year. Dr Mac Con Iomaire notes that one of the book’s most important contributions is its clear demonstration of Ireland’s long, rich and sophisticated food culture, countering the lingering misconception that Ireland lacks deep culinary roots.
TU Dublin warmly congratulates both editors and all contributing authors on this outstanding achievement, which celebrates not only the scholarship behind the book but also Ireland’s enduring food heritage.