Five Scottish Foods and one Drink You Should Try

Book English Lessons

The air is bracing and misty as you approach a castle built on an ancient volcano. You see it is getting dark and gloomy above and draw your coat tighter about you. Then, the sound of a lone piper comes to you and chills your bones, raising the hair at the back of your neck.

You are experiencing the thrill of Edinburgh Castle. If you are there at 1pm you will even experience a piece of field artillery being fired in an old tradition, but with a modern gun.

Modern Scotland is vibrant and welcoming, known for its wild vistas, thistles, tartans, kilts and whisky. Scotland is also the home of healthy cholesterol-reducing oats porridge, and simple hearty cuisine.

We are going to take a look at five scrumptious Scottish dishes and their second national drink.

Cullen Skink: Copyright SpeakAnglo

Cullen Skink

This is a rich, creamy soup that originated in the Scottish town of Moray. The main ingredients include smoked haddock, potatoes and onions.

Cullen Skink is perfect for warming up on a chilly day – the ultimate comfort food.

Arbroath Smokies

Haddock, a type of fish is salted, tied into pairs, and then smoked over hardwood. Once they have reached a coppery-brown colour, they’re cooked and ready to be served. You can enjoy with them a starchy side dish, such as potatoes or a warm, crusty bread.

Why are they called Arbroath Smokies? They are from the Scottish town of Arbroath and there is a legend that they were invented by accident. But that’s a story for another day.

Irn-Bru

“Iron Brew” is Scotland’s other national drink. The legend says that it is made from girders. It does actually contain a tiny and safe amount of iron, but the legend is unfounded.

It is said to taste like the colour orange, not “orange the fruit”.

Haggis

This is Scotland’s national dish and a must-try when you visit there next time. This dish combines meat, oatmeal, onions, salt and spices. It is always served alongside neeps and tatties, which are Scottish terms for turnips and potatoes.

The tatties are usually boiled and then mashed with milk or butter. This gives it a creamy and fluffy texture. The neeps are also boiled and then mashed with a little bit of butter. Salt and pepper are then added.

[Note: In the USA traditional haggis is illegal because of the inclusion of lung meat in the recipe.]

Shortbread

These melt-in-your-mouth biscuits are made from three simple ingredients. Flour, butter and sugar. They have an amazing mouthfeel and go well with a steaming mug of hot coffee or cup of tea.

Why not give this one a go yourself at home?

Here is a simple recipe at wikiHow.

Cranachan

This wonderful desert includes raspberries, toasted oats, honey and whisky-infused cream. Cranachan can be enjoyed anytime of the year but is especially enjoyable during spring and the warmer months of summer.

There are many versions of this traditional Scottish pudding. The idea is to layer the cream and raspberries, which adds to the visual appeal of the pudding as well as giving different textures in the mouth while eating it.

In the past it was made using crowdie cheese but the modern recipe calls for whipped cream instead.

Would you like to try it in your home kitchen? Check out this recipe at BBC Good Food.

Scotland has many other delicious meals to try, but these few we’ve mentioned above are a great starting point.

Happy sampling!

By the way, would you like to check out some of our other articles on internatoinal cuisine? Find out about five British dishes to try here. Also, if you'd like to know more about Yorkshire Pudding, take a look at this article.