The meat traditionally paired with cabbage in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day is bacon.
Bacon and cabbage is a classic Irish dish made with a joint of cured pork, often called Irish bacon or back bacon, served with boiled cabbage and usually potatoes. The bacon is typically less fatty than the streaky bacon commonly associated with breakfast in the United States.
The dish reflects older Irish home cooking, when cured pork was an important source of protein and could be stored for extended periods. It was especially practical for rural households, where cabbage and potatoes were inexpensive, dependable crops. Some recipes simmer the bacon first and cook the cabbage in the flavorful broth.
The biggest mix-up is with corned beef and cabbage. That combination is strongly associated with St. Patrick’s Day in the United States, but bacon and cabbage is the more traditional Irish pairing. “Bacon” here can mean a cured pork joint rather than thin slices fried in a pan, and regional recipes may add parsley sauce, mustard or other accompaniments.