Aberdeen Sausage is a Scottish sausage. There are both commercial and home-made versions of it. Commercial versions of the sausage are shaped in a long, very thick form, wrapped in cloth, boiled and then coated in bread crumbs. The meat used may include some beef and bacon in addition to pork. It is sliced and…
Scottish Food
Abernethy Biscuits
Abernethy biscuits are round, flat, crisp semi-sweet biscuits made in Scotland. They are made from flour, sugar, baking powder, fat, eggs, milk, lemon zest and caraway seed. The most well-known commercial Abernethy Biscuits are made by “Simmers.” Simners don’t list caraway seed among the ingredients, only “Natural Flavouring.”Nutrition FactsPer 1 biscuitAmountCalories60Fat2.6 gCarbohydrate8.6 g History Notes…
Ailsa Craig Onions
Ailsa Craig Onions are a variety of a Spanish onion. They have straw yellow skin and are very white inside. They average 1 to 2 pounds in weight (450 to 900g), and 6 to 8 inches across (15 to 20 cm.) They can grow as big as 4 pounds (1.8 kg.) They have a sweet,…
Andrew Kent Beans
Andrew Kent Beans are beige-coloured beans with maroon streaks and spots. They are .6 inches (15 mm) long by .35 inches (9 mm) wide, and kidney-bean shaped, though a bit less curved at the ends. Andrew Kent Beans grow on a bush type plant that grows up to 14 inches (36 cm), and does well…
Arbroath Smokies
Arbroath Smokies are Scottish hot smoked golden-brown haddock sold in pairs. They are a European PGI food product. The fish is dry outside; inside it is creamy-white, moist and flaky. It is slightly salty, with a mild fish and mild smoke taste. The smoky aroma is stronger than the actual taste of the smoke. Each…
Atholl Brose
Atholl Brose is a thick, spoonable drink, made from honey, oatmeal, water and whiskey. You mix the oatmeal and water to form a thick paste, let stand a while, then strain the oatmeal out, keeping the liquid. You mix the liquid with honey and whisky, stir or shake well, and serve. It will keep in…
Ayrshire Middle Bacon
Ayrshire Middle Bacon is cut from the flank left attached to the side of a pig. It is cured whole without the rind or bones. Ayrshire Middle Bacon is pickled in a brine for about 2 days (better quality Ayrshire Middle is actually set in a brine, rather than having brine injected into it), then…
Bannock
Bannock is a quick, flat bread. Historically it was either unleavened, or leavened with a natural yeast starter. Now baking powder leavened versions are more common.
Bannock Nicht
Brose Day and later that day, Bannock Night, were food-related traditions held in Scotland on the same day as Shrove Tuesday.
Bawd Bree
Bawd Bree is a soup made in Scotland. It has a gamey taste from the hare used to make it. To make it, you take a whole hare, and clean it, saving the blood. You then chop up the hare getting the meat off it and set aside the meat. You lightly sauté in a…
Béaltaine Caudle
Béaltaine Caudle was a custard was made of flour (or ground oatmeal), cream, sugar and whipped egg. It was cooked over the Béaltaine fires and was called the Béaltaine Caudle. Some of the Béaltaine Caudle would be poured on the ground as a libation. This was so that the hens would lay well the coming…
Beef Brawn
Beef brown is like pork brawn, except cow parts are used instead of pig parts. It can be made from the head of a calf or a cow. It is often made instead of pork brawn in Scotland and the northern parts of England.
Beremeal
Beremeal is a primitive variety of barley, with 4 rows of grains, and a spiny, sharp, seedhead. The grain is very dark, almost black. Beremeal is grown in the Orkney and Shetland Islands, Scotland. Beremeal used to be grown primarily for brewing, though it could also be used for distilling whiskey from. In the Orkneys,…
Black Bun
Black bun is a Scottish rich fruit dessert that could be described as a cross between a square or rectangular-shaped pie, and a cake. It is like a pie, in that it is baked with top, bottom and side crusts, and a filling. But, it is usually sliced and served like a cake.
Blackwood Dry Gin
Blackwood Dry Gin is gin based on alcohol distilled from barley and maize. It is a pale green colour, and has a more intense aroma than many other gins. It is called a vintage gin, not because it’s aged, which it’s not, but because the botanicals used in it change each year so that each…
Blawn Whitings
Blawn Whitings are partly-dried whiting (a type of fish.) The fish are gutted and the eyes are removed, but the skin is left on. The fish is wiped with salt, then threaded together in bunches through the eye sockets, and hung up to dry for 1 to 3 days somewhere where there is air movement….
Brose
Brose is a very thin, liquidy oatmeal porridge. Scots purists say that this is the only, true, manly way to eat oatmeal; that it’s the food that fended off the Romans and the Vikings. To make it, oats are placed in a bowl, and just covered with boiling water. Sometimes a small amount of butter…
Cabbie Claw
Cabbie Claw is a Scottish dish of cod served in white sauce with chopped egg white in it. To make it, the cod is cleaned, then rubbed with salt inside and out, then hung outside to dry in the wind for 24 to 48 hours. The cod is then simmered for about half an hour…
Camp Coffee
Camp Coffee is a black, concentrated coffee-flavoured syrup sold in the UK and in Canada. The syrup is 26 percent chicory root, 4 percent coffee, and sugar and water. It is made by McCormick Foods in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Camp Coffee comes in a square-shape glass bottle, with a very decorative label. The bottle itself…
Chippie Sauce
Chippie Sauce is a condiment used in Edinburgh, Scotland on chips (aka “French Fries” in North America.) A rival to the traditional salt and vinegar, it is still pretty much unique to Edinburgh and is held by fans to be a defining cultural mark of the city. A “chippie” or “chippy” is a shop that…
Clootie Dumpling
A Clootie Dumpling is a Scottish steamed pudding that resembles a rich, dark, moist fruitcake. It is cooked by wrapping it in a cloth and simmering it in water. The cloth causes a skin to form on the pudding when it is done. The batter is made from flour, baking soda, sugar, shredded suet and…
Cranachan
Cranachan is an easy-to-assemble Scottish dessert. In concept and execution, it is a bit like a trifle. You fold toasted oats, honey and Scotch whiskey into very thick cream (double cream). Ideally, you let it sit overnight (refrigerated) for flavours to marry before dishing out. Then you put into dishes, garnish with fruit, and serve….
Crappit Heids
Crappit Heids is a savoury Scottish dish consisting of stuffed, simmered haddock heads. The stuffing varies, though the common binder appears to be oatmeal. Occasionally, a small amount of milk is added in some recipes. A “meat” can be added, such as suet, fish roe, lobster, or chopped haddock lives. Other possible additions are chopped…
Cullen Skink
Cullen Skink is a creamy fish and potato soup from the Cullen area of the Morayshire coast in Scotland. The fish used is a smoked haddock called a “Finnan Haddock.” You put the fish in a pot, with just enough boiling unsalted water to cover it. Leave the skin on the fish. Bring the water…