The 25th of January is Robbie Burns Day, celebrating the birthday of the man considered by many to be Scotland’s national poet. Many food rituals are involved.
Scottish Food
Rolled Bacon
Rolled Bacon is a generic term for bacon that has been rolled up into a roll. The meat will of course be boneless, which enables it to be rolled. In Ireland and Scotland, it is rolled so that a slice from it will have both streaky and back meat. In Scotland, it is called Ayrshire…
Rumplethumps
Rumplethumps are a potato side dish. They are a Scottish take on Irish champ and colcannon. It is made from mashed potato, mixed with onion, some grated cheese, and either shredded cabbage or shredded kale. The onions are simmered in milk, which is then used to make the mash with. The cabbage or kale is…
Scotch Broth
Scotch broth is not really a broth as we think of broth, but rather a Scottish soup made with lamb or mutton, barley and various vegetables.
Scottish Food
Scots get tired of their food being summarized as haggis, whisky, deep-fried Mars bars, and shortbread in tartan tins. Yet there is something to it. Haggis is oats and offal, of which the Scots both eat a lot. Scots are very proud of their whisky (which they spell without an “e.) And as for shortbread,…
Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is made with lamb or mutton, either already cooked or not, with some flavouring vegetables such as onion mixed in, then topped with mashed potato and baked. It’s often served with garden peas. If the dish is made with a meat other than lamb or mutton, it is actually a Cottage Pie. Cooking…
Shortbread
Shortbread © Denzil Green Shortbread are sweet, dense, rich Scottish cookies. The dough can also be used as shells for tarts. Traditionally, shortbread was made as one large cookie in a round shape, with notches on the edges to evoke in one’s mind the rays of the sun, particularly for the Winter Solstice. The ingredients…
Shortbread Day
The 6th of January is Shortbread Day! This could be a good day to dispose of the last of the Christmas Shortbread still hanging around by unloading it on friends and neighbours, or by cramming it into the lunchboxes of your unsuspecting loved ones.
Shrimp Paste
Shrimp Paste is a potted, puréed spread made from fresh shrimp. It is not the same as Dried Shrimp Paste. If an Asian recipe calls for Shrimp Paste, it probably means the dried kind. Shrimp Paste will come in a small plastic container, and have a thick consistency, like fudge. In the UK, it is…
Sowans
Sowans is a gruel or porridge-like Celtic dish that once was made a great deal in both Scotland and Ireland. It was seen as food for the poor, but it was nutritious, and it was traditional on St Brigit’s day, and Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. To make Sowans, you’d take meal and oat husks…
Spurtles
A spurtle is a long, round, thick piece of carved wood specially designed for stirring porridge. It will be thicker at the handle end, which is usually carved in a way to make holding easier.
St Andrew’s Day
The 30th of November is the day of St Andrew, the Patron Saint of Scotland. Apple peels were used for fortune telling on this night. You may wish to serve Scottish food.
Stovies
Stovies is a Scottish potato dish designed to use up leftovers, particularly those from a roast dinner: items such as potatoes, meat, veg, dripping, gravy, etc. It can be prepared from scratch, too, without leftovers. The dish is cooked on top the stove in a pot, as opposed to in an oven, and thus the…
Strathdon Blue Cheese
Strathdon Blue is a Scottish blue cheese, reminiscent of a milder version of Stilton, with a spicy taste and many blue veins.
Tartan-Purry
Tartan-Purry is a Scottish dish. It is a thin porridge made with oatmeal that has either been: cooked in water that either kale or cabbage was previously cooked in; OR has chopped kale or cabbage cooked up with it; OR both. Language Notes Reputedly Tartan-Purry comes from “tarte-en-purée”, though while the “purée” part is easy…
Tate & Lyle
Life and Times Tate & Lyle were a major international sugar company. They were the original makers of Lyle’s Golden Syrup, and were owners of what was Redpath Sugar in Canada. In 2010, they sold their sugars business, which included all their consumer brands of sweeteners and syrups, to the American Sugar Refining company. The…
Tattie Scones
Tattie scones are a Scottish creation that is about halfway between a scone and a potato pancake. A batter is made from mashed potatoes, salt and flour, formed into a circle about 6 inches wide (15 cm), then fried in oil. The top and the bottom brown, the edges get crispy, and the insides stay…
Tayberries
Tayberries © Denzil Green Tayberries are berries that look like deeper red, tall, cone-shaped raspberries. Their fragrant smell and tart-sweet taste is reminiscent of blackberries and raspberry mixed together. Some cultivars have a nice balance of sweetness and refreshing tartness for out of hand snacking or for enjoying as a bowl of fruit. Other cultivars…
Teviotdale Cheese
Teviotdale is a Brie-style, cylinder-shaped cheese made from raw milk from Jersey cows. It has a tangy, salty taste.
Thompson Seedless Grapes
Thompson Grapes are green, sweet and firm, almost crisp. Though 95% of all raisins made in North America are from Thompson Grapes, they can also be used as a table grape. Thompson Grapes and raisins aren’t truly seedless. They have small, soft undeveloped seeds in them that go unnoticed. History Notes A Scottish immigrant to…
Tummelberries
Tummelberries are a raspberry hybrid variety.They are firm, medium to large-sized longish berries that ripen to a bright red. They are ready for harvest from July to mid-August. The flavour is mild. Tummelberries freeze well and hold their shape when thawed. The bush’s canes need support. History Notes Tummelberries were developed by the Scottish Crop…
Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers
Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers © Denzil Green Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers are a candy bar, consisting of five layers of wafer with four layers of caramel in between. The wafer and caramel layers are the same thickness. The most popular version, a milk chocolate version, is wrapped in red and gold foil. A plain chocolate version is…
Tunnock’s Snowballs
Tunnock’s Snowballs © Denzil Green Tunnock’s Snowballs are a round ball of soft, foamy, glossy marshmallow that is dipped in chocolate and coated with white shredded coconut. The marshmallow is made with egg white and syrup. The snowballs are similar to Tunnock’s Teacakes, but minus the shortbread base, and with the addition of the coconut…
Tunnock’s Teacakes
Tunnock’s Teacakes © Denzil Green Tunnock’s Teacakes are not really a teacake, as in something you’d bake at home or get from a bakery. They are more of a cookie or biscuit. The bottom is a shortbread biscuit topped with a glossy, thick, soft, foamy, marshmallow-like mound. It does not have a layer of jam…