A recurring them, foodstuffs are certainly parts and parcels of my blog. If you have followed my literary fare for the past six weeks, you will have seen photos and read descriptions of interesting comestibles. Today, I give you the "Fry-Up" and haggis.
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| Just a light snack... |
We shall start with the Full Scottish Breakfast, or "Fry-Up," masticated and digested with pride at the Edinburgh Larder on Blackfriars Street. And what, you may ask, makes this menu selection so delectable (and filling)? Survey says: toast, bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, beans, and...black pudding. Black pudding is so-called because of its color; it is essentially blood mixed with filler and cooked until it congeals (the blood may come from pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, or duck).
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| Appealing, no? |
Moving right along. Haggis is one of those foods that exists in the imagination of some, for others is a myth, and for many is woven into fairy tales to scare children: "And then, the haggis leapt angrily from the bushes, snarling and waving its sheep stomach in the air, brandishing its intestinal standard with gastronomic glee! Quoth the haggis, 'just a little more!'" (From "The Haggis," the not-so-successful sequel to Edgar Allan's Poe's "The Raven"). I will diligently distill a decent description of this delectable delight in a decrassified definien: a dish made of sheep's pluck (offal, or heart, liver and lungs) mixed with oatmeal and suet. And spam gets a bad reputation. Above, you see pictured haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes) smothered in gravy. For those of you with a strong stomach, why not follow this link to see how haggis is made? WARNING: if you do indeed watch this video, you may never want to sample this dish...
As you can clearly see, we have carefully chosen low-carb foods.
In other exciting news, Dr. Amos and I have discovered our long-lost cousins: McAmos the Cheerful and Wallace the Witty.
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Uncovered in the nether-regions
of the Highlands... |
Did you know?
Scotland contains one of the largest percentages of people claiming to be Jedi Knights, according to respondents answering questions pertaining to religious preferences.
May the haggis be with you...
Appears your queazy stomach brought on by a few ripples on the Firth of Forth has been brought under control. Your next gastronomic quest is to go and find a fish & chip shop which serves the really yummy delicacy known as the deep fried Mars bar. This is a chocolate confection with a caramel interior which is dipped in batter then deep fried. I positively challenge to eat one!! PS thought you should know that donner kebabs are usually only eaten by drunks staggering home from pubs. :):):)
ReplyDeletePS You an' Doc Amos look like a fine pair o' guisers. Now that was a Scottish tradition that got stolen by the Americans and softened up and called Trick or Treat, (similar but different).
ReplyDeleteSince you have been so gastronomically inclined of late I would like to add to your record that a large proportion of Scots hate haggis (Saucy Sandra - never), me and those others who "indulge" only really do it at ceremonials like Burns Suppers. (Haggis which is illegal in the States is kept alive by tourism, mostly Americans!)
Final challenge - go find a restarateur who is brave enough to sell you a dish of Guga. (There are some, believe me.) Unlike extreme delicacies such as puffer fish this will not kill or poison (or make you boke) but, it is illegal and may get you locked up!! And a real delicacy simply because it's rare (like truffles I suppose). If you can't find guga stick with the salmon and venison that a dyed-in-the-wool toff & gastronome such as yourself should be promoting!! :):):)
I think you have the names wrong -- it's McMoe, McCurly and here's your long lost McHomey, McLarry ...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/kayadams/2765240079/in/set-72157606746640518