French Bru

French Bru

What You MUST Eat When You're in Scotland

Despite its reputation for requiring a certain dash of bravery from its consumers, Scottish food is surprisingly varied.

Yes, you will find the wonderfully controversial 'haggis' on every Scottish menu (and in most chip-shops for that matter) but when it comes to Scottish food, haggis is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Scottish chefs typically combine a variety of seafood and Scottish meat produce such as Aberdeen Angus beef with a number of delicious local vegetables. Fruit is often used to create sauces, purees and sorbets to compliment these largely meat-based meals. Scottish cheese, especially goat's cheese is also a regular feature on Scottish menus.

As a result, Scottish restaurants tend to serve up hearty fare complimented by unique and largely unexpected flavours. Not even the French could turn their noses up at that! If you browse through the menu of the Stac Polly restaurant in Edinburgh, you will be taken aback by the sheer range and diversity of dishes on offer.

In my opinion, you have not had a truly Scottish experience if you haven't tried the local produce. We might not have 'fois gras' but we have many tasty and memorable 'culinary' delights that you will struggle to find elsewhere. Don't leave Edinburgh without trying them...!

The World Famous Haggis

After years of fooling the English into believing that the haggis was a four-legged creature residing in the haunted valleys of the Scottish Highlands, it was finally revealed that this 'creature' was simply a man-made dish.

Perhaps it was the claim that the haggis had two legs shorter than the others so as to walk in a straight line on the mountain-side that eventually gave the game away...

The reality of the situation is, for some, far more ghastly. The haggis is effectively a sheep's stomach filled with a sheep's heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, salt and stock. Cracking! Waste not....want not.

The stomach should simmer for around 3 hours before being sliced open (to the dulcet tones of Robert Burns' poem 'Address To A Haggis') allowing the contents to literally 'spew out'.

Still with me? Eat this surprisingly delicious stew-of-sorts with turnip and potatoes (neeps and tatties) so you can claim to have enjoyed the most traditional Scottish dish of them all.

It will rank alongside other wonderful life-changing moments like passing your driving test and your wedding day. Don't believe me......?

Black Pudding

After conquering the culinary beast that is the haggis, black pudding should be a walk in the proverbial park. Available in every chip shop in Scotland, the black pudding is a local favourite and particularly tasty when drowned in brown fruity sauce.

On entering the 'chippy' simply recite the line, "a black pudding supper please" (black pudding and chips) to warm the cockles of your heart.

What's in it you ask? Well there's no sheep's stomach, I'm afraid. In its place, however, you get pig's blood. Combine that with some fat and oatmeal and you have the humble black pudding.

Of course, Scotland is not the only country where the black pudding lives so it is not strictly Scottish food. However our version is very often covered in batter and deep fried to add a crispy shell. Until you drown it in brown sauce, that is.

So when you order your full Scottish breakfast at 9am on a Sunday morning and the waitress asks, 'mushrooms or black pudding?', you know what to do!

Stovies

There is nothing better than a good meal with a story to go with it. Stovies is a traditional Scottish meal stemming from times when families were large and food was relatively scarce.

Families would often take the leftovers from the previous night's meal, throw it all together and tuck in. Scottish food at its best! Out of such admirable resourcefulness, stovies was born.

Common ingredients are potatoes (unavoidable in Scotland, it's even a popular surname), onions, beef and lard. The heart's best friend!

Due to its somewhat cheap and cheerful nature, you will struggle to find this dish on any menu, anywhere. So make it yourself!

Nevertheless, stovies is often served at ceilidhs (traditional Scottish dancing party) along with Scottish ale (beer) and whisky to give the participants a spring in their step and a break from their normally exemplary diet.

There are not many enjoyable dishes out there made from leftovers!

Irn-Bru

Praise be to thee, Irn-Bru, the greatest of all 33cl canned soft drinks!

The recipe for Irn-Bru (pronounced Iron Brew) has never been publicised. There is good reason for that. It's just too valuable. Irn-Bru is only available in Scotland. There is good reason for that. It would spell the end the world's leading soft-drinks.

Pop into any supermarket, newsagent or drinks vendor and purchase a can of this traditional Scottish soft drink and enjoy it in all its orange glory.

Irn-Bru is rumoured to have magical properties making it Scotland's number one hangover cure.

If you should venture into one of Edinburgh's many nightclubs you may see party-goers sipping away on a mysterious orange liquid. Irn-Bru tastes so good with vodka, bottles of the stuff are widely available in bars and clubs.

Shortbread

Scotland's favourite biscuit! Such is the popularity and quality of shortbread, it can be found all over the world. Yet there's nothing like a slice of shortbread to finish off your lunch while wandering down the High Street!

In fact, a couple of slices of shortbread would probably suffice for an entire due to its high fat content and the fact that shortbread is incredibly filling. Two slices usually silences all stomach rumbling.

While whisky is our most important drinks export, shortbread is our most important food export. Put them together and you have a champion combination!

Scottish Tablet

Dentists in Scotland have been making a fortune from Scottish tablet for years. The general consensus of opinion is, however, that tablet is worth losing your teeth for. Yes people, Scottish food single-handedly keeps the dentistry field going...

Tablet is effectively semi-hard chunks of sugar, milk and butter. The mixture is boiled and allowed to crystallise. Sometimes other ingredients such as nuts and vanilla are added.

This confectionery product is widely available in Edinburgh especially along the High Street and in the old town where the vast majority of the tourist shops are located.

Tablet comes in bar form, in boxes and sometimes bags and makes a great gift for someone. Just remember to get them a tube of toothpaste too.

Scottish Macaroon Bar

This is without doubt my favourite confectionery product. Scottish macaroon bars consist of a fondant centre covered in chocolate with coconut sprinkles on top. Delicious.

Apparently, this particular recipe was coined when confectioner John Lees attempted to make a chocolate fondant bar and made a mess of it. In his anger he threw coconut over the top of the bar and my favourite candy was born!

Nowadays, Lees' Original Macaroon Bar is rather unsurprisingly the most popular and readily available macaroon bar on the market. You can buy this in most good newsagents and supermarkets.

However, you will also find other varieties of macaroon bar in the same tourist shops that sell Scottish tablet. Enjoy!

About the Author

Robbie Leys is a writer for http://www.edinburgh-insider.com, an Edinburgh tourist information site providing tips, recommendations and hidden gems from the locals.

How do I convince my parents to let me backpack through europe at 16?

When I am 16, I want to backpack through Europe on my own for about 4 months. I can get the money needed but how can parents be convinced to let me do this, on my own. I am very responsible person and do not try and get into bad situations. I speak some French and some Russian so would that be any reason to let me do what I want to do, This will be only chance. The countries that would be seting foot on are.

Dublin, Ireland
Reykjavik, Iceland
Oslo, Norway
Stockholm, Sweden
Tampere, LS, Finland
St. Petersburg, Russia
Moscow, Russia
Yerevan, Armenia
Jerusalem, Israel
Chisinau, Moldova
Athens, Greece
Tirana, Albania
Belgrade, Serbia
Podgorica, Montenegro
Budapest, Hungary
Zagreb, Croatia
Rome, Italy
Malta
Madrid, Spain
Andorra La Vella, Andorra
Paris, France
Brussels, BRU, Belgium
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Should I be allowed to do this?

You've already asked this question 7 times; how many times do you need to see the word NO before you realize that your parents are right and you are wrong?

What fallacy makes you think this is your only chance? That is total nonsense.

Your list is ridiculous for a single trip of a seasoned adult traveler; it is total insanity for a child. Most of those places won't permit to stay in a hotel alone; some won't let you enter the country unaccompanied. The cost will be astronomical; £10.000 to £15.000 easily, maybe more. The travel to all those places will be huge, and accomodations - even a hostelry - for 4 months (120 nights) would be thousands. Perhaps you should ask your parents what it cost them to have you in their home for 4 months - the answer will shock you!

The visas you will need will cost hundreds, and if they knew you were traveling alone the would deny the visa - especially Russia.

So you speak a little French and a little Russian - enough to get around? Or only a few random words? What about Flemish, Spanish, Maltese, Croatian, Serbian, Albanian, Greek, Moldovan (Romanian), Hebrew, Armenian, Finnish, Norwegian, or Icelantic?

To answer your quesion: NO - you should not be given permission to do this. NO - you are forbidden by law from leaving home without permission. You will be labelled a runaway and hunted down like a fugitive. Even asking such a question proves you lack the responsibility or maturity to be let out of your home without supervision - let alone out of the country.

Will the French buy Irn Bru?