Again, something different.

I decided to familiarize my ’followers’ with Scotland a bit more, and did some research on this magnificient country’s cuisine, since food is universal. We all like to know what we can eat when abroad, don’t we? I hope you’ll get hungry by the time you scroll down to the end!

P.S.: This is not going to be the same format as the rest of the blog entries. For my own, and, of course, for the sake of anyone who decides to read this I did it like a handout. If you wish to find out more about any of the dishes, Google them. Oh, and it’s long!

First some general info:

Natural larder: game, dairy, fish, fruit and vegetables
Reliance on simplicity, lack of spices from abroad
Dishes vary: some healthy (Scottish broth), but many common dishes are rich in fat ( contributing to a high rate of obesity and coronary heart disease)

History:
First millenium: seafood (still dominant)on the coasts, than the introduction of oats
Medieval times: meat expensive, emphasis on dairy produce (evident even today). Average meal: herbs, roots, bread and cheese when available
Before potato: oat and barley
All parts of animals were used, when available
Mobile nature of Scots required food that would not spoil quickly, carrying a small bag of oatmeal that could be transformed into a basic porridge or outcakes was common. (Haggis)
The French influence:
(Auld Alliance) and Mary Queen of Scots: French staff: revolutionising cookery, responsible for unique terminology
until the downfall of Jacobitism and the defeat at Culloden: Scotland came into the cultural sphere of England.

· 20th and 21st centuries:
o World Wars and large scale indusrtial agriculture limited the diversity of food
o Imports (British Empire) led to the introduction of processed food
o Recently: resurgence of traditional restaurants, gastro- pubs
o Immigration effects: Italians reintroduced the standard of fresh produce, and the later comers introduced spice. (Middle East, Pakistan, India)

Dishes:

Scotch Broth:
1. filling soup, now obtainable world wide
2. ingredients: barley, cut of beef or lamb, vegetables (carrots, turnips, sweeds, cabbage and leeks) dried or split peas and lantils often added
3. cooked for 4 or 5 hours, nowadays served canned, but best when fresh

Scotch Pie: (Shell Pie or Mince Pie)
1. a small, double-crust pie filled with minced mutton (or other meat)
2. The traditional filling of mutton is often highly spiced with pepper and other ingredients and is found within a crust of thin, stiff pastry.
3. individual recipies kept secret!
4. baked in a round, straight-sided tin, about 8 cm in diameter and 4 cm high, top crust is placed about 1 cm lower than the rim to make a space for adding accompaniments such as mashed potatoes, baked beans, brown sauce or gravy
5. Scotch Pie Club holds the World Scotch Pie Championship annually, butchers and bakers, World Scotch Pie Champion

Scotch Egg:
1. cold, hard-boiled egg removed from its shell, wrapped in a sausage meat mixture, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried
2. eaten cold, typically with salad and pickles
3. not a Scottish dishJ

Porridge (Porage):
1. traditional breakfast of Scotland (where it is also spelled porage) it is made with salt.
2. is a simple dish made by boiling oats (normally crushed oats, occasionally oatmeal) or another cereal in water, milk, or both.
3. In Scotland, the art of porridge-making is competitive
4. World Porridge Making Championships (Golden Spurtle) held annually in Carrbridge, Inverness-shire. the winner receives a gold-coloured trophy of a spurtle, which is a utensil used for stirring porridge

Stovies:
1. traditional dish
2. ingredients vary widely between regions, and even families
3. usually: consists of tatties (potatoes) and onions and some form of cold meat (especially sausages or leftover roast; mincemeat or corned beef in the east)
4. stove: old Scotttish for an oven ("Yer dinner's oan the stove".)

Haggis:
1. traditional dish
2. many recipies, common ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours.
3. modern commercial haggis outside Scotland is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. There are also meat-free recipes for vegetarians.
4. often asserted: served with "neeps and tatties" and a "dram" (ie. a glass of Scotch whisky)
5. be more accurate to describe this as the traditional main course of a Burns supper, since on other occasions haggis may be eaten with other accompaniments.Whisky sauce (made from thickened stock and Scotch whisky) has recently been developed as an elegant addition.
6. Larousse Gastronomique (2001): "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour."

OK, I know this is a lot of stuff, but it is also an interesting cuisine, and these are just a few of the many traditional dishes. Next: drinks. Up in a few hours, I hope.