What is Scottish food like?

Question

Could someone out there names some popular dishes and what they consist of. Also, I'd like to know what the staple foods of Scotland are. Please indulge me, since I have NO idea...

Thanks,

An appreciative American

Answer 1

This is a difficult question to answer because the Scots have not got a good health record and have a reputation for eating a poor fatty diet combined with far too little exercise.  This is of course statistical and there will be very healthy Scots as well.  You really can't take a whole nation and talk about what they eat just like that.  There are traditional foods like oat cakes, porridge and haggis but I have no idea how many Scottish people eat these on a day to day basis.  From the health records I suggest that not enough do.  Apologies to all the healthy Scottish folk out there.

Answer 2

I think they eat sheep stomach......and i think its called haggis. I'm not to sure though. Do they eat black pudding aswell? It just seems a bit scottish is all! :)

Hope this helps!

:)

Answer 3

haggis is a scottish delicacy, i think it's sheep's stomach. it's actually pretty good

soups and stews are really popular in scotland, and potato based meals

they eat lots of swede and turnips aswell

hope that helps !

Answer 4

Salutations,

Hagis! Probably the National dish. made famous by Bobby Burns in "Ode to a Haggis" it's the organ- meats of a sheep,stuffed with meat and Barly into the stomach and cooked like a sausage. all I can say is try before you Judge it, though most people do say Yuck when I talk about this. and if you like fish, Finnan Hadde, also ****-a-leekie, a wonderful soup made with Leeks. Cheers

Answer 5

Your answer from KK is very comprehensive.   Scotland has great natural larder of food from the best cold water fish both river and sea to delicious lamb and beef and venison when we can get it and it is not being exported.  Like every country in the west we have the problem of people not cooking at home and buying take away which gives a bad reputation but this is only amongst the lower echelons as any good family still eats well and always has done.

We have excellent cheeses and soft fruits and of course our climate makes malt whisky a good drink in moderation.  My daughters are very modern women with careers and small children but are excellent cooks and can knock up simple pasta dishes or more elaborate meals when required.  Our preference in the past for oats over wheat and fish over meat is what kept our ancestors healthy.  I would like to see more modern families go back to just that.

Answer 6

bloody....reaallly bloody

enjoy :)

Answer 7

Not very good..lots of smashed peas and potatoes and parts of lamb you do't want :)

Answer 8

We probably eat all the same stuff you do, but heres some tradiational foods; Haggis, which I cant stand; mince n tatties which is mince an mash potatoes to you, stovies which is corned beef, onion and mash potatoes, lots of fish dishes and lots of soups

Answer 9

KK gave you all the traditional Scottish dishes.  The oddest thing (aside from haggis) I saw on my honeymoon in Scotland was a fried Mars candy bar.

Edit:  BTW - If you go, I can attest you'll eat very well.  I had the best Angus steak and the absolutely best apple pie I've ever had in Edinburgh.  That's saying alot for another appreciative American.

Answer 10

Here are a few things, hope this helps ;)

Arbroath Smokie

A wood-smoked haddock still produced in small family smoke-houses in the East coast fishing town of Arbroath.

Bannocks (or Oatcakes)

A barley and oat-flour biscuit baked on a gridle. In modern times bannocks are often eaten with cheese. There are several traditional recipes and many manufacturers in Scotland today.

Scottish Beef

The Aberdeen-Angus breed of beef cattle are now widely reared across the world. Reknown for their rich and tasty meat, which makes excellent steaks. Good butchers will still hang and prepare meat in the traditional manner, although these butchers are rare these days and people often complain that even Scotch Beef has lost its taste.

Scotch Broth or Hotch-Potch

A rich stock is traditionally made by boiling mutton (the neck is best), beef, marrow-bone or chicken (for a chicken broth). There is also freedom over the choice of vegetables, which should be diced. Carrots, garden peas, leeks, cabbage, turnips and a stick of celery can all be used. The hard vegetables should be added first to the boiling stock, with a handful of barley, with the softer vegetables being added later.

The final consistency should be thick and served piping hot.

Black Bun

Black Bun is a very rich fruit cake, made with raisins, currants, finely-chopped peel, chopped almonds and brown sugar with the addition of cinnamon and ginger. It takes its name from the very dark colour.

Colcannon

A dish found in the Western Islands of Scotland and also in Ireland. It is made from boiled cabbage, carrots, turnip and potatoes. This mixture is then drained and stewed for about 20 minutes in a pan with some butter, seasoned with salt and pepper and served hot.

Crowdie

A simple white cheese, made from the whey of slightly soured milk seasoned with salt and a touch of pepper. The seasoned whey is squeezed in a muslin bag to remove excess water, left aside for two days and then rolled in oats and served.

Scottish Salmon

The Rivers Tay and Tweed are major salmon fisheries. Since victorian times these and other rivers have hosted wealthy fishing parties on the estates of the aristocracy. There is much more information on fishing on the River Tweed. Poaching (illegally catching) salmon is an equally traditional activity.

In recent times, many major fish farms have been established in the Sea Lochs on the West coast of Scotland. These are major commercial sources of fish, although the quality is not considered to be the same as wild river-caught salmon.

Today the salmon tends to be smoked, and thinly sliced, served as an entrée.

Forfar Bridies

An oval delicacy, similar to the Scotch Pie, described below. Unlike the pie, filling is crimped into the pastry case. The pastry may be either plain or flakey.

The plain pastry is made by preparing a stiff paste of flour and water, seasoned with a pinch of salt. This should be rolled out into an oval shape about 5" by 7". In the centre is placed minced beef, a little suet and a sprinkling of very finely chopped onion. The pastry is then folded over along its longest dimension, brushed with milk and cooked until the pastry is golden brown.

Haggis

Haggis is perhaps the best known Scottish delicacy, and it is wonderful stuff, with a rich flavour, although those partaking for the first time are often put off when they hear what it is made of...

Robert Burns said in his Address to the Haggis:

Fair fa' yer honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o' the pudden race!

Haggis is made from sheep's offal (or pluck). The windpipe, lungs, heart and liver of the sheep are boiled and then minced. This is mixed with beef suet and lightly toasted oatmeal. This mixture is placed inside the sheep's stomach, which is sewn closed. The resulting haggis is traditionally cooked by further boiling (for up to three hours) although the part-cooked haggis can be cooked in the oven which prevents the risk of bursting and spoiling.

Perhaps the best known maker of haggis is the Edinburgh company of Charles MacSween & Son (now relocated to out of the city). Their haggis is widely available in the U.K. and they will happily ship it overseas, although note that the strict agriculture regulations preclude importing haggis into the U.S.

MacSweens also make a vegetarian "haggis", which is actually quite tasty, even though the only ingredient it has in common with the real thing is the oatmeal! For more information on haggis:

Answer 11

There are so many things to mention. We love home made soup, made with barley, carrots, peas and a ham hough. It's so thick that it sticks to your ribs! lol. Mince and tatties, porridge etc are also favourites. Check out this link for loads more - http://www.rampantscotland.com/recipes/b...