Scottish cuisine shares much with that of other parts of the British Isles but has distinctive attributes and recipes of its own, thanks to foreign and local influences both ancient and modern. Traditional dishes exist alongside international foods brought by immigration and a Scottish public eager to try new dishes.

Scotland's natural larder of game, dairy, fish, fruit and vegetables is the integral factor in traditional Scots cooking, with a high reliance on simplicity and a lack of spices from abroad, which were often very expensive. However while many inveterate dishes such as Scotch Broth (et cetera below) can be considered healthy, the nature of many commonly consumed dishes, rich in fats and low quality meats, contributes to the high rates of heart disease and obesity in the country. In recent times greater importance has been placed on the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, but many Scots, particularly those of low incomes, continue to have extremely poor diets, a contributing factor to the high mortality rate from coronary conditions.^[1]

Despite this, Scottish cuisine is enjoying a renaissance, with nine Michelin starred restaurants operating in the country in 2006, serving traditional or Fusion cuisine made with local ingredients. In most towns, Chinese and Indian take-away restaurants exist side-by-side with traditional fish and chip shops; larger towns and cities offer cuisine ranging from Thai and Japanese to Mexican, Polish or Turkish.

History

Scotland, with its temperate climate and abundance of indigenous game species, has provided a cornucopia of food for its inhabitants for millennia. The wealth of seafood available on and off the coasts provided the earliest settlers with their sustenance. Agriculture was introduced, with primitive oats quickly becoming the staple.

In common with many mediæval European neighbours, Scotland was a feudal state for a greater part of the second millennium A.D.. This put certain restrictions on what one was allowed to hunt, therefore to eat. In the halls of the great men of the realm, one could expect venison, boar, various fowl and songbirds, expensive spices (pepper, cloves, cinnamon &c.), as well as the meats of domesticated species. From the Journeyman down to the lowest cottar, meat was an expensive commodity, and would be consumed rarely. For the lower echelons of Mediæval Scots, it was the products of their animals rather than the beasts themselves which provided nourishment. This is evident today in traditional Scots fayre, with its emphasis on dairy produce. It would appear that the average meal would consist of a pottage of herbs and roots, (and when available some meat or stock for flavouring) bread and cheese when possible.

Before Sir Walter Raleigh's introduction of the potato to the British Isles, the Scots' main sources of carbohydrate was gained from bread made from oats or barley. Wheat was generally difficult to grow because of the damp climate. Food thrift was evident from the earliest times, with excavated middens displaying little evidence of anything but the toughest bones. All parts of an animal were used.

The mobile nature of Scots society in the past required food that would not spoil quickly. It was common to carry a small bag of oatmeal that could be transformed into a basic porridge or oatcakes using a Girdle (griddle). It is theorised that Scotland's national dish, Haggis, originated in a similar way: A small amount of offal or low-quality meat, carried in the most inexpensive bag available, a sheep or pig's stomach. It has also been suggested that this dish was introduced by Norse invaders who were attempting to preserve their food during the long journey from Scandinavia.^[2]

French Influence

During the Late Middle Ages, and the Early Modern Period, the cuisine of France started to play a role in Scottish cookery due to the cultural exchanges brought by the "Auld Alliance"^[3]. and especially during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary, on her return to Scotland brought an entourage of French staff who are considered responsible for revolutionising Scots cooking and for some of Scotland's unique food terminology. This influence continued until the downfall of Jacobitism and the defeat at Culloden, when Scotland came into the cultural sphere of England, and the faculties of continental gastronomy were out of bounds.

French derived cooking terms

"Ashet", Assiette-a large platter

"Cannel", Cannelle-Cinnamon

"Collop", from Escalope

"Gigot" (IPA:ˡdʒɪɡət) of Mutton - Gigot

"Howtowdie", Hétoudeau-a boiling fowl (Old French)

With the advent of the Sporting estate and enclosure in the eighteenth century, harvesting Scotland's larder became an industry. The railways further expanded the scope of the market, with Scots' Grouse at a premium (as today), on English Metropolitan menus shortly after the 12th of August.

20th and 21st centuries

Scotland, in common with the other parts of the British Isles, suffered during the twentieth century. Rationing during the conflicts that affected that period, as well as large scale industrial agriculture, limited the diversity of food available to the public (see:Rationing in the United Kingdom). Imports from the British Empire and beyond did, however, introduce new foods to the Scottish public. But processed foods have become more and more popular, particularly among the youth: the schoolchildren of Glasgow have been reported as eating a large amount of processed foods.^[4].

Recently there seems to be a resurgence in traditional restaurants, gastro-pubs are abounding, and farmer's markets increasing their scope, not to mention the influence New Scots have had on the national palate.

During the 19/20th c. there was large scale immigration to Scotland from Italy, and later from the Middle East, Pakistan and India. These cultures have influenced Scots cooking dramatically. The Italians reintroduced the standard of fresh produce, and the later comers introduced spice. An urban myth maybe, but it is alleged that the Chicken Tikka Masala curry was invented in Glasgow. With the enlargement of the European Union in the early years of the 21st c., there has been a noted increase in the population of Eastern European descent, from Poland in particular. It is too early to assess the impact that this will have on the future of Scots cookery, but a number of speciality restaurants and delicatessens catering for the various new immigrants have opened in the larger towns and cities.

Traditional Scottish Specialities

Soups Cullen Skink Bawd bree Cock-a-leekie soup Game soup Hairst Bree (or Hotch potch) Partan bree Scotch broth Fish and Seafood Arbroath smokies Cabbie claw (Cabelew) Crappit heid Eyemouth pales Finnan haddie Kippers Rollmops Smoked salmon Meat, Poultry and Game Ayrshire bacon Black pudding, Red pudding and White pudding Boiled Gigot of Mutton or Lamb Forfar Bridie Collops Haggis Howtowdie with Drappit eggs Kilmeny Kail Mince and tatties Mutton ham Pottit heid Potted hough Roast Aberdeen Angus beef Roast Haunch of Venison Roast Grouse Roast Woodcock/Snipe Solan goose Scotch egg Scotch pie Skirlie Square sausage Stovies Vegetables Clapshot Curly Kail Neeps and Tatties (Swede and Potato) Rumbledethumps Tattie scones Fruits Raspberries Slaes Blaeberries Strawberries

Cereals Porridge Dairy and Cheese Bishop Kennedy Carola Criffel Crowdie Ayrshire Dunlop Isle of Mull Cheddar Lanark Blue Loch Arthur Caboc Strathdon Blue Dunsyre Blue Galloway Cheddar Puddings and Desserts Burnt Cream Apple Frushie Blaeberry pie Carrageen Moss Clootie Dumpling Cranachan Deep-fried Mars Bar Hatted Kit Marmalade pudding Tipsy Laird Cakes, Breads and Confectioneries Abernethy biscuits Bannock Berwick cockles Black bun Butterscotch Butteries Caramel shortbread Drop-scones Dundee cake Edinburgh rock Fatty Cutties Hawick balls Jethart Snails Moffat toffee Oatcakes Pan drops Pan loaf Petticoat tails Plain loaf Scones Scots Crumpets Selkirk Bannock, variations include Yetholm Bannock Shortbread Soor plooms Tablet Condiments Dundee Marmalade Rowan jelly Spiced plums

Scottish beverages

Alcoholic

90 shilling ale 80 shilling ale 70 shilling ale India Pale ale (see- Scottish beer) Lager Atholl Brose

Drambuie Ginger wine Het pint Heather ale Scotch ale and beer Scotch mist- a cocktail mainly containing Scotch Whisky

Non Alcoholic

Irn Bru

Red Kola

Sugarellie

Fast food

Scotland's reputation for coronary and related diet-based diseases is a product of the wide consumption of fast food within the latter part of the twentieth century. Fish and chip shops remain extremely popular, and indeed the battered and fried Haggis supper remains a favourite; they have been joined in more recent years by outlets selling Pizzas, Turkish-style kebabs (though generally with no resemblance to the original Anatolian dish), pakoras and other convenience foodstuffs. Scotland, and the West coast in particular, is notorious for the amount of deep-fried food consumed, and being the home to such delicacies as the Deep-fried pizza and Deep fried Mars Bar. Deep fried Döner kebab have also become notorious in Glasgow.

In addition to the independent fast-food outlets, the sixties saw the introduction of American-style burger bars and other restaurants such as Wimpy and latterly in the eighties, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken in most major towns and cities, a phenomenon common with other Western European nations .

Notes and references

•  • [ e] Topics on Scotland
History	Timeline Prehistoric Scotland Kingdom of Scotland Scotland in the High Middle Ages Davidian Revolution Wars of Scottish Independence Scotland in the Late Middle Ages Scottish Reformation Scottish colonisation of the Americas Acts of Union 1707 Scottish Enlightenment Jacobitism Highland Clearances Lowland Clearances
Geography	Geology Climate Demographics Mountains and hills Islands Lochs Fauna Highlands
Economy	Companies Bank of Scotland Royal Bank of Scotland North Sea oil Whisky Tourism Harris Tweed Renewable energy Transport
Law	Courts Lord President Crown Office Lord Advocate Solicitor General Procurator Fiscal
People	List of Scots Inventors Musicians Scientists Writers
Politics	Political parties Elections Scottish Parliament Scottish Executive First Minister of Scotland Secretary of State for Scotland Scotland Office Local government Monarchs of Scotland Military Scottish independence
Religion	Church of Scotland General Assembly Roman Catholicism Judaism Scottish Episcopal Church Islam Hinduism
Language	Scottish Gaelic language Scots language Scottish English Highland English
Culture	Clans Cuisine Education Flags Coat of arms Anthem Hogmanay Innovations Literature Music Sport World Heritage sites Nationalism
See also

External links

• Food Stories — Explore a century of revolutionary change in UK food culture on the British Library's Food Stories website