In the land of haggis, neeps, and tatties

Tag : Tea Seed Cake


In this gorgeous country, where you see wild heather,rhododendrons, and yellow iris along the countryside, deep-friedhaggis, pizza, and Mars bars somehow turn up as favorite edibles,along with deep-fried ice cream and deep-fried pineapple rings.

In Scotland's rapidly growing fast-food industry, the most popularmeal is still fish and chips. Many of these "chip shops" servedeep-fried Mars bars or Milky Ways accompanied by fries. That's notall they're dropping into the deep fryer: they're also fryingpickled eggs, Snickers bars, and bananas. But Scotland's beloved haggis - the combo of sheep's heart, lungs,and liver mixed with oatmeal and spices - is showing up atfast-food shops as well. And you guessed it: It's also deep-fried.

Some places, from hotel dining rooms to rest-stop cafeterias, offerdeep-fried blood or black pudding in the popular all-day "fullbreakfast," which may also include canned Heinz baked beans, friedtomatoes, potato scones (wedges of nearly paper-thin potatopancakes), eggs, potatoes, sausages, and toast. This feast, whichwill hold you until dinner, costs $8 to $16.

At the other end of the spectrum is the tiny and famously spiritualisland of Iona, where the Argyll and St. Columbia hotels both groworganic gardens near the Iona Abbey and provide vegetables for thehotels' restaurants and Martyr's Restaurant & Bar, tucked justto the side of the ferry pier. Martyr's offers a mouth watering baked pasta with island-madecheddar, butter, and milk. The chef adds diced tomatoes, choppedonions, and pasta shells, arranges the mixture in individual bakingdishes, and tops them with more cheddar before baking until bubbly.

Not everyone eats such rich food. Thin sandwiches are a staple ofthe midday diet. They consist of two slices of bread, about ateaspoon of butter or margarine, with a thin slice of meat orcheese slapped between the two. Mayonnaise and mustard rarely showup in a sandwich, but chutney variations adorn those made withcheese or meat. This might be accompanied by tea, fries, cookies,or a small pastry. Scotland grows miles of rapeseed, from which canola oil is made;oats, the carbohydrate staple; and barley. Leeks, broad (fava)beans, potatoes, strawberries, and raspberries grow profusely,along with flax seed and mustard. Hunters bring in venison, andfish and shellfish are available all over. Salmon, oyster, andmussel farms abound, although farmed cockles are mysteriously dyingby the thousands.

An awareness of the connection between diet and health is evidentin some spots. Nearly all better restaurants take great pride inoffering the best fair-trade, sustainably grown, and organic foodspossible.

Many old-fashioned cooks still make Scotch broth by boilingwhatever bones they have left from another meal and adding scrapsof meat, carrots, corn, peas, leeks, celery, and turnips. The dishalso appears on most restaurant menus. Pubs and casual restaurants, such as Milne Bar in Edinburgh, servethe ever-present haggis, and something called "haggis neeps andtatties," which is haggis with parsnips and potatoes. A piece offried or steamed haddock might be presented on black pudding; andit's haddock that generally goes into fish and chips (never servedwith coleslaw; if you want ketchup, ask for "tomato sauce"). For dessert, you'll find prune or bran bars, and at Martyr's onIona, the best tiny currant-loaded scones around, along withmillionaire's shortbread, which, as the name implies, is very richand topped with caramel and chocolate.

Along the North Pier in Oban, which has romantic views of Oban Bay,the island of Mull, and the Morvern Hills, you'll see the brightorange roof of the award-winning modern restaurant Ee-Usk. The namemeans fresh fish in Gaelic. The MacLeod family, which owns Ee-Usk, buys fresh fish daily fromlocal fishers; shellfish is delivered live. A haddock fish cakeappetizer is large enough for a main course; the smoked haddock potwith mashed potatoes and cheddar topping is rich and warming;seared local diver scallops taste like the sea; and creamed leeks,which are served with local sea bass, are so good you'll wish youhad a whole bowl.