On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 14:33:59 +1100, Old Mother Ashby
According to the web sites below corned beef is indeed Irish, being mentioned in manuscripts from the 12th century. They claim it was a delicacy for kings because of the expense of beef. More common for most was a dish of bacon, potatoes, and cabbage. The Irish who moved to the US where beef was cheap were able to subsbreastute it for the pork; some sites believe that they were introduced to corned beef by the Jews in NYC, an interesting circle. Clearly it was here where corned beef and cabbage became buttociated with St. Patrick's Day since no one else outside of the US makes it much.
Here's one that laments the dish but says: "To most Irish people, these days, the dish is just too poor, plain or boring to eat on a holiday. They'd sooner make something more festive ...if they bother cooking at all, in these days when the Irish shopper has as many frozen-food, microwaveable, and cook-chill options available to him or her as anyone else in industrialized western Europe. " (She also says that the Irish don't put green in their beer.)
From what you say, the Irish who moved to Australia didn't go with the corned beef, that's all.
Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
