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The famous Scottish saying "S mairg a ni tarcuis air biadh," "He who has contempt for food is a fool." describes the attitude of the food and cooking of Scotland. Scotland is geographically located in the continent of Europe occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britan. Scotland is the second largest country in the United Kingdom of Great Britan. Scotland is known around the world for its grade A whisky as well as being considered the homeland of the popular American sport of golf. Of all the wonderful contributions Scotland brings to the world, I am here to study the culture and importance of Scottish food.
Scottish cuisine is very distinct and unique, usually based off of traditional foods. For example, a very simple Scottish traditional food is porridge. Porridge should be thick and wholesome not slimy like gruel. Porridge must be cooked with salt to get the right flavor. Those eating porridge outside Scotland have been known to cook it without salt and instead eat it with sugar or even syrup, which is a habit which would turn the stomach of any Scotsman. Scotch whisky (or simply "Scotch") is the best known Scottish drink. Scotch whisky is distilled from barley liquor and flavored with peat tainted water. There are two types of whiskey, Malt whiskey which is more expensive and comes from a single distillery, and Blended whiskey which is cheaper and more popular, comes from multiple distilleries. The national dish of Scotland is Haggis. Haggis is made from lamb’s offal mixed with suet, onions, herbs and spices, all packed into a skin bag traditionally, made of a sheep’s stomach. Haggis is often served with mashed potatoes and mashed swede or turnips.
The country of Scotland has foods that are very different than that of American cultural foods, yet there are some similarities for example salmon. Scotland is famous for its fish game and salmon as well as us here in the Pacific Northwest. Fish and Chips and salmon are two popular dishes that are present here in the United States and in Scotland. In my opinion, a large difference between Scottish and American foods is the presentation and look of the dishes. American foods have quite a bit of color and an appealing appearance while many dishes in Scotland look dull and somewhat bland, yet this could just be because I was raised here and not there.
Scotland has many holidays and festivals one being Burns Night. On January 25th a supper known as Burns Supper is traditionally served to celebrate the immortal memory of Rabbie Burns. During Burns Supper the popular food is haggis with turnips and mashed potatoes, commonly drunken with whiskey. Another common holiday is Beltane's Day. Beltane’s Day is a pagan fire festival that was supposedly celebrated to encourage the crops to grow. There has been a holiday at the start of May in many parts of Scotland for centuries. Young girls would also rise early to wash their faces in the May dew. The custom of lighting fires became very popular around Scotland at the start of May. Although there are not any traditional foods eaten or celebrated, The Scots would light fires and encourage their crops to be abundant and healthy.
Scotland, like America, also has unique culinary and cooking terms that are specific to the types of food they create. It is said that much of Scotland’s cooking terms were derived from the French and also British. For example, Scots call French Fries “Chips”, and they also call cookies “Biscuits”. To make porridge Scots use a spittle a wooden stick which is about a foot long to avoid the formation of lumps.
To conclude, although Scotland is across the globe we can still relate ourselves to them through food and some cultural similarities and traditions. Yet Scottish cuisine is the strangest and most unique type of food I have studied. The colors aroma and taste is entirely different than that of American foods.
"Scottish Cooking." Scotland in a Week. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.scotlandinaweek.com/Scottish-cooking.html>.
"Beltane - Interview with a Drummer." EdinburghGuide.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.edinburghguide.com/festival/beltane/interview-with-a-drummer>.
"Scotland.org - The Official Gateway to Scotland." Scotland.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.scotland.org/us>.