Dear Barbara: Why did the Irish pickle or brine their beef? Was it just to preserve it? — Shannon from Lodi

Dear Shannon: Although we all seem to associate corned beef with Ireland, it actually started in England. People in Ireland couldn’t afford it. The beef was used for trade and soon became a favorite of the English. You could brine less expensive cuts of beef and make them tender. Ireland raised the cattle and processed the corned beef, but it was all shipped out in trade. Since the fields were used up with cattle, Irish farmers had to come up with something that would feed their people; hence the potato.