Category: Scotland

SCOTTISH MEALS AND CUSTOMS

It has been said that the best Scottish meals are breakfast and tea. But those who have enjoyed fine black Angus beef or rich Scottish salmon may well have a quarrel. And though there has long been a Scottish superstition (especially in the north) against shell-fish and seafood as “the lice of the sea,” many Scots do enjoy locally caught shrimps, mussels, winkles, crab, and lobster. But those persisting in the old beliefs hold that salmon, cod, haddock, or herring can’t be beaten for a fine meal.

Generally Scots prefer a few simple good dishes for a meal rather than many courses and elaborate service. What they lose in variations they make up in hearty servings. Scottish hospitality is legendary: no one leaves a table hungry no matter how simple the fare.

A Scottish breakfast will likely include oatmeal porridge made from finely milled, unrolled oats and served with cool milk or cream. Traditionally each spoon of hot porridge is dipped in milk to cool it. Toast with butter, preserves, and a cup of tea complete the meal. More elaborate breakfasts may include a fish dish, bacon, assorted cheeses and tea breads.

The noon dinner often consists of a hearty meat and vegetable soup, a dessert of steamed pudding, custard or baked bread pudding and tea.

Often the highlight of the day will be the tea served in the late afternoon at about five-thirty. Here will be the display of breads and cakes, preserves and marmalades that Scotland is famed for: baps, bannocks, scones, tarts, and buns all served with strong tea, milk and sugar. Chops or sausages with eggs or a dish of sole, kippers, or salmon may accompany the tea.

Perhaps because the late afternoon tea is so special, the evening meal is usually light and includes only one course: either sausages, bacon, chops with eggs and a garnish of peas or a mashed vegetable combination dish served with a glass of buttermilk. In humbler homes, the evening supper may be just a bowl of hot porridge made of oats or barley and served with milk.

SCOTTISH FOOD GLOSSARY AND FOOD TERMS

Arbroath Smokies: tiny haddocks smoked slowly to a dark color and strong flavor. A specialty from the east coast near Dundee.

Ashet: an oval or rectangular baking dish with high sides and spout, especially used for pies.

Atholl Brose: a dessert made of honey, cream, and oatmeal moistened with Scotch whiskey and served in glasses.

Bannock: an original Scottish bread made of flour, water, and fat, leavened with baking powder and traditionally baked on a griddle (or girdle) as a flat round cake. When cut into farls (wedges), and then baked, the result is called scones. Sometimes milk or buttermilk as well as soda is added to the basic ingredients. Other variations include the addition of spices, molasses, currants, raisins or even cooked, mashed potatoes.

Baps: small dimpled oval rolls of yeast dough. Traditionally a breakfast bread.

Biscuits: this term may refer to the baking powder biscuits known in North America, but the term is mainly used to refer to cookies.

Black Bun: the traditional cake for Hogmanay, a rich very dark fruitcake baked in a dough crust.

Black Pudding: a mixture of oats, suet, and onions plus fresh animal blood cooked by steaming in a cloth.

Blenshaw: a beverage made by blending hot milk or hot water with a small amount of oatmeal.

Brambles: blackberries.

Brose: a very thick porridge made with oatmeal, hot water or milk with added fat.

Cabbie-Claw: cod.

Caboc: a soft, buttery cheese formed into a log shape and crusted with toasted oats. Served with Baps.

Caithness: a soft aged cheese for spreading.

Cake: may be taken to mean cake or cookies.

Car Cakes: a batter of oatmeal, milk or buttermilk and leavening dropped onto a griddle and cooked as pancakes.

Carrageen: also called “Irish Moss,” a purplish, edible seaweed, gathered and dried and used to thicken gelled desserts, puddings, and custards.

Chicken Stovies: a baked casserole made of layered, sliced chicken, potatoes and onions seasoned with salt and pepper.

Clapshot: a popular side dish or supper dish of equal amounts of cooked mashed potatoes and turnips seasoned with salt and pepper and served with butter.

Clootie Puddin’: a steamed dessert pudding made mainly of bread.

Cock-A-Leekie: a rich chicken broth made with leeks. Sometimes rice or prunes are added.

Colcannon: a combination of shredded cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and turnips all cooked together in water then drained and mashed and served with salt, pepper, and butter.

Collops: thin slices of meat, generally referring to beef or veal.

Cranachan: a dessert of sweetened whipped cream and toasted oatmeal. The addition of fresh fruit is optional.

Cream Cruddie: a bland dessert similar to junket, served in a round mold accompanied by crisp oat-cakes.

Crud: curds.

Cullen Skink: a cream soup made with mashed potatoes and flaked, cooked, smoked haddock (See Finnan Haddie)

Dundee Cake: a light fruit cake.

Dunlop: a type of Cheddar cheese long popular in Scotland.

Feather Fowlie: a rich, creamed chicken broth seasoned with herbs and garnished with slivers of ham.

Finkadella: likely a corruption of the Danish frikadiller. Small meatballs made with ground meat and seasoning.

Finnan Haddie: fillets of fresh haddock prepared according to the traditional style – said to have been first used in Findon, Kincardineshire – brined then smoked.

Forfar Bridies: small pastry turnovers filled with ground meat, oatmeal and onions, seasoned with salt and pepper. Often these are garnished with cooked peas.

Girdle: a griddle.

Grosset or Crosert: gooseberries.

Haggis: the traditional Scottish dish to be served at special banquets, especially for Robbie Burns’ Night or Hogmanay. A carefully blended mixture of finely ground sheep’s heart and liver, beef suet and toasted oatmeal, onions, salt and pepper is stuffed into a well-cleaned sheep’s stomach and then well steamed. Traditionally served with Neeps and Nips and mashed potatoes.

Hattit Kit: a freshly made cream cheese made from scalded milk and buttermilk allowed to stand about 20 hours at a temperature between 80°-90°F. The mixture is placed into a cloth-lined colander and allowed to drip to separate the whey. The resulting cheese mold is chilled and served with fresh fruit and cream.

Hodgils: poached dumplings made of suet and oats.

Hotchpotch: a very thick soup usually made with a variety of the first garden fresh vegetables cooked in a lamb stock.

Hough: broth.

Howtowdie and Drappit Eggs: a stewed chicken dish finished by garnishing with poached (drappit) eggs.

Jittet: a leg or haunch of veal or lamb.

Kilkenny: a mixture of cooked shredded cabbage and cubed cooked potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh cream.

Kippers: smoked herrings.

Lemon Butter or Lemon Curd: a type of custard made with fresh lemons, eggs and butter sweetened with sugar. It is eaten as a spread on breads or toast or used as a filling for tarts or pies.

Lights: lungs.

Mealie Pudding: a mixture of oatmeal, onions, and suet steamed in a cloth.

Mealy Candy: a taffy candy made from sugar, molasses, water, and oats flavored with ginger.

Mince: ground meat, usually heel.

Mungo Chocolate Tablet: an uncooked chocolate fudge cut in squares.

Musselburgh Pie: oysters wrapped in strips of beef, placed in a pan and covered with stock and pastry and oven-baked.

Neeps and Nips: the traditional accompaniment to Haggis. Mashed turnips and “nips” of Scotch whiskey

Nettles: another name for thistles. The young shoots are plucked, well washed and cooked and served much like spinach.

Oatcakes: very thin crisp rounds or fads (wedges) of a mixture of fat, oats and water toasted in the oven or on a griddle (or girdle).

Partan Bree: a creamed soup of crab meat with rice. “Partan” is the Scottish name for crab.

Potted Hough: a jellied aspic mold of cubed beef and veal.

Raasey Cheese: a teatime dish made of a thick sauce of eggs, milk and cheese served on toast.

Rumbledthumps: similar to Kilkenny, a mixture of cooked cabbage and potatoes, but oven-baked and topped with grated cheese.

Scotch Barley Broth: a well-known soup of lamb or mutton broth simmered with vegetables and barley.

Scotch Crumpets: small dessert crepes served with cinnamon sugar.

Scotch Eggs: peeled hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage meat, then coated with crumbs or oatmeal and deep-fried.

Scotch or Irish Oatmeal: unlike the familiar rolled oats commonly used in North America this is more like a coarse mealy flour made from oats.

FOOD AND CULTURE OF SCOTLAND

A small, rocky country of streams and lakes, with a moderately cool climate, and proud, vigorous inhabitants, Scotland is also known for short-bread, marmalade, and Scotch whisky. Though about 5 million folk make their homes in the Highlands, Lowlands, and Uplands, it could almost be said that one of Scotland’s principal exports is people: an estimated 20 million Scots have emigrated to other countries.

They have carried with them their kilts and their pipes, their brogue and their oats to whatever wee corner of the world they decided to call home. And several times a year they gather for their Scottish Games – a day of Highland flings and sword dancing, tug-of-war and the flinging of the mighty caber all to the stirring wail of the kilted bands. Always, Scottish souls are stirred by the foot-tapping rhythms, and Scottish eyes mist as “Scotland the Brave” fills the air. And though they may be heard to call themselves “Scotch and proud of it,” they’d rather you refer to them as Scots and their fine smoky whisky as Scotch.

Early accounts show a predominance of oats, barley and dairy products as the mainstay of both urban and rural diets in Scotland. Although sheep and black Angus cattle were raised, they were mainly for export rather than local consumption. The general porridge and milk diet was supplemented with kale or cabbage. Small amounts of fish were used in coastal areas and occasionally some meats in the interior.

By the 1800s, the rapid growth of urban areas in Scotland became the impetus for agricultural improvement and diversification. There was a sharp increase in the use of wheat bread, meats in broths and stews, and wider acceptance and use of potatoes. This soon made barley and oats a minor part of the daily fare except in the more remote agricultural settlements where economic factors still limited the variety of the diet.

Although people generally ate what was available and what they could afford, good food simply prepared is still the keynote in Scotland. Scots have never been keen on seasonings, sauces, or exotic mixtures of foods.

The earliest influences on the Celtic and Gaelic traditions of Scotland were English. But English influence gradually threatened to become English control. In 1295, John de Baliol, King of Scotland, formed an alliance with France, making England the common foe. This alliance lasted several hundred years and through many successions of kings. To this clay many Gaelic food names can be traced from the original French name: flam from flan; tartan purry from tarten-puree; kickshaw, quelque chose; stovies, a l’etuvee; and jigget, gigot.

Scottish food retains the individuality of its people. To this day Scottish foods preserve their simplicity while retaining the most delightfully endearing names – even if some of the sources are long forgotten.

FOODS IN SCOTLAND

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Milk, cream, and butter are widely and generously used. Cheeses in great variety are assuming increasing importance in the Scottish diet. Some types commonly used:

• Caboc: a log-shaped, soft, buttery cheese rolled in fine oatmeal and traditionally served with Baps.
• Caithness: a soft cheese aged sixty days.
• Hattit Kit: the Scottish version of cream cheese, often molded and served with fresh fruits and cream (French-food bulls will note its similarity to Coeur a la
• Creme, a classic French dessert prepared from a blend of cream cheese and cottage cheese pressed into a heart-shaped basket to drain off the whey. Un-molded, it is served with sugared fresh berries.)
• Raasey Cheese: a thick, cooked mixture of milk, eggs, and cheese served on toast.
• Rarebit: a thick sauce of melted cheese with beer or ale, seasoned with mustard and served on toast.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Fresh fruits and vegetables are usually served in season and are often prepared with milk, butter, or cream. Staples for winter use include kale, seaweed, cabbage, and potatoes. Canned peas are often used as a garnish. Fruits are consumed as preserves, sweetened desserts, or in baked goods. Scots by tradition are not large vegetable eaters nor do they usually consume any great quantity of fresh vegetables or green fresh salads. Typical fruits include apples, plums, and many types of berries. To the staple vegetables listed above may be added turnips (neeps), leeks, onions, tomatoes, and parsnips.

MEATS AND ALTERNATES

Fish and, more recently beef are the favored protein foods. Extended practical use of offal (heart, liver, kidneys, tripe, etc.) and economical cuts of meat are prepared simply. Usual methods of cooking include meaty soups, stews, or meat pies and broths. When the budget permits, beef, veal, and mutton are used most, with chicken and pork products less. The exception is bacon which is used often, and frequently lends its smoky taste to many economical dishes or light suppers. In some areas wild fowl and game are used. Fish is preferred over other seafood. Favored fish include salmon, trout, cod, haddock, kippers, and herring. There is some consumption of mussels, oysters, crab, winkles, and shrimp.

Eggs are mostly used as an ingredient in other dishes or prepared as a light supper. Legumes are used only occasionally in some soups.

BREADS AND GRAINS

Oatmeal is no longer the leading item in the Scottish diet. Nonetheless it is still the most important grain cereal used. Some of its ingenious variations include its use as a thickening and coating agent: as a breakfast cereal; toasted, baked, griddled, boiled or fried: as part of soups, beverages, desserts, dumplings, cookies, and meat mixtures. Scottish oatmeal is used in the fine ground form rather than as rolled flakes.

Each Scottish cook takes pride in the authenticity of traditional family recipes for breads, cakes, biscuits, and shortbreads. Most are made from wheat flour, very few use yeast as a leavening agent, and all are characterized by the delicate natural taste and aroma of fresh eggs and butter.

FATS

Butter, margarine, lard, and suet prevail as the favored fats in cooking and baking. Oil is seldom used. Fats are also consumed in the form of buttery cheese and cream.

SWEETS AND SNACKS

Candies, especially butterscotch, taffy, and hard sugar candies are frequent treats, found in many pockets and often used to reward children. Jellies, jams, marmalades, and preserves such as fruit butters are on the table daily. Quick tea breads, plain un-iced cakes and crisp plain cookies (biscuits) are consumed in large enough quantities to form a significant part of the diet. Scottish shortbread is enjoyed in many countries and not only by Scots.

SEASONINGS

The Scottish spice shelf is one of the smallest in the world. Salt and pepper are used but seldom are other spices or any herbs called for. Onions add zest to many dishes, and butter and oats are used with such frequency that they could also be considered to be typical flavors. Ginger is the spice most used in baking, if at all. The pure natural taste of fresh ingredients is preferred to the addition of any spices or herbs or anything that may mask them.

BEVERAGES

It has been said that Scotch whiskey is the staple beverage of Scotland, and there’s scarcely an individual who won’t stoutly defend the attributes of a favorite brand. But a fair amount of beer and some imported wines are also consumed.

Tea is the beverage for breakfast and for a refreshing break. This is usually accompanied by at least a few of the famed tea breads and cakes for it wouldn’t do to have tea alone. At its simplest, tea will at least be accompanied by bread, butter, and preserves.

SCOTTISH DOMESTIC LIFE

Simplicity and practicality, so much a part of the Scottish diet, are also a part of the Scottish kitchen. Utensils are sturdy and useful rather than ornamental, and many pieces of kitchenware (as well as recipes) have been handed down from mother to daughter. There are few gadgets, fewer luxury-type electrical appliances, and a more limited spice shelf than typically found in North American kitchens. Refrigerators generally are smaller because cold pantries are frequently found as an adjunct to the Scottish kitchen, pantries being practical for food storage in a moderately cool climate.

Greaseproof paper is still widely used for baking pans, iron griddles are still favored for scones and bannocks, and carved thistle presses are still used to shape the traditional Scottish shortbread. But other traditional utensils are declining in general usage. These include the spurtle, a stick with a thistle-shaped handle used for stirring porridge; and the ashete, the traditional oval or rectangular enameled baking dishes with high sides to support a pastry crust. Surprisingly these age-old utensils are being snapped up by collectors and treasured by novice gourmet cooks in other lands.

SCOTTISH SPECIAL OCCASIONS

The Presbyterian Church of Scotland has more than a million followers. The Roman Catholic Church is second in importance with other denominations following in much lesser numbers. Christmas in Scotland is a one-day holiday highlighted with a festive family dinner at noon featuring roast chicken, mashed potatoes and turnips and climaxed with a flaming steamed fruit pudding.

But the merriest days on the Scottish calendar are Hogmanay and Robbie Burns’ Night. Hogmanay is the day before New Year’s and probably the only day in the year when everyone takes a holiday. This is the time for gifts and merrymaking, for nibbling nuts and eating juicy imported oranges. It is also the time for the finest bakery from the kitchen – black bun, fragrant cherry and currant cakes, crispy delicate shortbreads – all to be accompanied with port wine, ginger wine or Scotch whiskey. Later in the evening after midnight, all present enjoy a buffet meal of cold ham, roasted fowl and other meats, scones, bannocks and sweet butter to be followed yet again by the array of cakes and buns till all are happily sated.

Robbie Burns’ Night is the celebration marking the birth of the great Scottish poet. It is celebrated on January 25 and is only slightly less important than Hogmanay. For public banquets both occasions may be marked with the almost-mystical preparation of the haggis, served with great ceremony to the accompaniment of the pipes and many a nip of Scotch whiskey.

SCOTTISH FOODS THAT ARE COMMONLY USED

Hearty soups, fish dishes, and a great variety of quick breads and cakes (leavened with soda or baking powder rather than yeast) are the staples in a Scottish kitchen. Fish may be considered one of the most important staples, but dairy products are also used in abundance. Fruits are used mainly in season and in the form of jellies, preserves, and marmalades rather than fresh fruits to satisfy the Scottish sweet tooth. Garden vegetables are popular but kale and seaweed, cabbage and potatoes are the favorites. Thistle leaves may be used as a food but usually only in times of necessity.

North Americans tend to think of oatmeal as a breakfast cereal and perhaps occasionally as a component of breads and cookies. But the Scottish use of oatmeal has stimulated an astonishing array of recipes including beverages, soups, meat and fish dishes, puddings, dumplings, stuffing and many desserts and baked goods. There is even a popular cheese which is sold coated in oatmeal.

Though Scottish food may be prepared with a minimum of seasonings and a maximum of cooking, it is nonetheless substantial and filling.