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  1. #1
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    Scottish Soul Food

    Scotland’s “soul-food” sans pareil, is anything from a chip-shop. Traditionally, chips have been chunky and irregular (not the McDonald’s peely-wally uniformly-sized fries) and deep-fried in beef-dripping (a cholesterol heaven). They weren’t crispy but fried light brown and slightly floppy (due mainly to being once-cooked and put in hot storage trays in the frier until needed). You can ask for open (open for eating outside on a salubrious Scottish winter’s evening) or closed (for taking home, usually for tea-time) or after the pub. If you were buying the family’s tea to take home, the usually conversation might go something like (though being four, my family wouldn’t order as much as this) :-

    “One large chips, 2 fish* suppers, 1 haggis supper, 1 black-pudding supper, 1 chicken supper and 1 steak pie supper – and 1 single fish please”

    As they prepare the food in the wrappers, the chippie-person would say
    “Everything** on it ?”

    “Yes please, but just vinegar and salt on one of the fish suppers”
    “Closed ?”***

    “Yes please – oh and can I have 2 pickled onions please”


    Note – not one mention of little sauce portions in wee packets or little two-prong wooden forks. !

    *In Scotland “fish” is understood to mean haddock and shows on menu-boards as “fish”. Nowadays, other fish are available, such as cod (England’s substitute for haddock), salmon, monkfish tails (in posher chippies), scampi and also “rock salmon” (euphemism for dogfish, popular in England and previously never used in any self-respecting chippie in Scotland).

    ** Like most of the UK, Scotland uses salt and vinegar only on chips and suppers. Some places also put mushy peas over the chips. Some use ketchup. However, where I came from (the Edinburgh area) it was unique in the land for using brown chip-sauce, a thinnish brown spicy condiment whose recipe is a closely-guarded secret and is likely derived from bottled brown sauce such as A1, HP, Hammonds or a Scottish brand. Usually water and/or onion pickling juice or malt vinegar (or all) is added to thin it down and tone down the spiciness. Being thinner, it also runs over the chips in the bag and makes it delectable. To me, this way of eating chippie food, with chip-sauce, is the best ! What makes them even more delectable is eating it all straight out of the wrapper with your fingers.

    *** Closed for eating at hope, left open for eating outside.

    Everything from just chips to suppers (something + chips) were wrapped in grease-proof paper (either a sheet or a poke), then wrapped in brown paper, then in newspaper, but if ordering a few things to take home, then only the outermost wrapper was newspaper.

    Nowadays, health concerns mean that sunflower or other vegetable oil is used. In all my years, I never ever saw a deep fried Mars Bar ! Also, wrappings are more convenient and hygienic, using card or foam plastic trays and also little eating forks are issued. The menu has expanded somewhat too. When I was young, it was fish (haddock), sometimes scampi, haggis, black pudding, red pudding (sometimes), Dutch smoked sausage (exotic !), battered sausage, battered hamburger, fried chicken, steak pie, mince (Scotch) pie, bridie, possibly Scotch egg and Aberdeen chippies had white puddings (mealie jimmies) - condiments were salt, malt vinegar and in my area brown chip-sauce and also big pickled onions and pickled eggs.

    Nowadays, many things are available in addition to the above.

    The Fish Supper today


    The fish supper above looks pretty good to me. This is Scotland’s favourite fish – the haddock. This serving comes from a chippie in Anstruther, Fife, who have poshed it up with a lemon wedge and a bowl of mushy peas. The individual pots of ketchup wouldn’t happen in Edinburgh and Musselburgh chippies – brown thin chip-sauce over everything !


    The Haggis Supper


    Great Chieftain etc – battered of course !


    Battered Black Pudding


    Single black pudding please !

    Red Pudding


    Battered of course !

    White Pudding


    The famous Aberdeen mealy jimmies waiting to be cooked

    Mince Pie


    A Scottish basic, known in Dundee (or Din-day) as a pey.

    SteakPie


    This one ‘s is poshed up for eating-in.


    Battered Sausage Supper



    Saveloy Supper


    An English invasion item, but available in some Scottish chippies now

    Cod supper aka cod and chips


    An English favourite, available in Scotland

  2. #2
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    That's interesting, Lachlan09. I saw this thread last night, where I live, but I was not able to post, problem with the forum connection or something. Do I detect a small jab at American food?

    The whole part about the different ways of wrapping the food, then using newspaper is neat.

    Are the pickled onions the small whole onions, or is this something different?
    I tried to ask my inner curmudgeon before posting, but he sprayed me with the garden hose…
    Yes, I have squirrels in my brain…

  3. #3
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    Argh!!! You're making me hungry for REAL fish and chips. I've never found a place in the States that serves the battered fish that I've had in the UK.

    When I was a lad my Dad was in the American Air Force and we were stationed in England. At least once a week we'd have fish and chips from the wagon that came around. Everyone else would order cod but I'd get the haddock. It was served in old newspapers, which I liked to read as I ate.

    I don't recall getting the brown sauce (which I like on my meat pies), but I do remember the malt vinegar (which I liked) and the thin ketchup which my brothers and sister liked.

    Whenever I get over, I always make sure to have at least one meal of fish and chips (and usually a couple more for good measure), though my weakness now are for the pies.
    Virginia Commissioner, Elliot Clan Society, USA
    Adjutant, 1745 Appin Stewart Regiment
    Scottish-American Military Society
    US Marine (1970-1999)

  4. #4
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    MMMMMMMMM! So delicious. I can hear my heart valves clanging shut just at the thought of all these delectables.

    Sir William, I to have a fondness for pies, especially when they're floating in mushy pea soup (preferably accompanied by a pint or two of bitter [extra special]).

  5. #5
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    Now I'm hungry, thanks for that. Last time I had really good fish and chips I was in Oban Scotland with my dad. It was delicious, wish I could pay them a visit now.

  6. #6
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    Talking

    Thanks Lachlan, I can feel my arteries clogging as I view this thread!

    (...but what a feast for the eyes! )
    [SIZE="2"][FONT="Georgia"][COLOR="DarkGreen"][B][I]T. E. ("TERRY") HOLMES[/I][/B][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
    [SIZE="1"][FONT="Georgia"][COLOR="DarkGreen"][B][I]proud descendant of the McReynolds/MacRanalds of Ulster & Keppoch, Somerled & Robert the Bruce.[/SIZE]
    [SIZE="1"]"Ah, here comes the Bold Highlander. No @rse in his breeks but too proud to tug his forelock..." Rob Roy (1995)[/I][/B][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

  7. #7
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    Lachlan09, I was going to razz you about the origin of potatoes and sunflower oil, but the mood has long since passed. I noticed something else that seemed a little interesting. You say there was sometimes "red pudding ."

    What exactly is "red pudding"?

    I know I could look it up, but I want to hear you're description. My question about the pickled onions still stands.

    And now for the ten minute wait while it posts.
    I tried to ask my inner curmudgeon before posting, but he sprayed me with the garden hose…
    Yes, I have squirrels in my brain…

  8. #8
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    It’s great to see us all drooling a bit for food that’s hard to get for those of us away from the supply source ! Glad to share !

    Definitely no dig at American fast food or soul food ! I honour everyone’s favourite comfort foods !

    The pickled onions in chip shops are usually larger than the ones from the supermarket. They can be obtained pickled in white vinegar, though more commonly I found them in brown malt vinegar. They usually sit in a big gallon jar on the chippie counter and may be added direct to the order, or else put in a little greaseproof bag alongside your order. Working from memory, I would say it’s not uncommon to find big jars of pickled onions about 2 inches diameter. I liked 2 of them with my fish/haggis/black pudding supper.

    As for red pudding, my main recollection is seeing a dead one which had been thrown (part-eaten) over a garden wall in Edinburgh, while I was surveying the house to which the garden belonged ! I never tried one, but as far as I am aware, it is a meat sausage made of beef, with bacon, pork or bacon rind, suet, dried breadcrumbs, stock (beef I think), salt , pepper and spices.

    Apparently, the thin brown chip sauce I mentioned is particular to Edinburgh and SE Scotland. It was a standard condiment in my home town Musselburgh (Mussaburry had many chip- shops and mobile vans), plus the surrounding area where I’ve had suppers or chips, such as Dalkeith, Prestonpans, Seton Sands, North Berwick, Dunbar etc. I could have sworn it was used in West Lothian too, such as Broxburn. I also thought I had it with chippies in Fife (such as Cowdenbeath, Kelty, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, the Dunf and Aberdour) and parts of the Borders (such as Galashiels, Selkirk, Melrose, Hawick etc) but I could be wrong. When I was a lad in the 1960’s and our family used to drive through to Kintyre in our Bedford Dormabile (with 2 canoes on top and towing our boat containing creels and net !) for 2 weeks during the school holidays, we always stopped off there and back at the chippie in Harthill on the old A8. I’m sure they had brown sauce there.

    I’ve had chippies in Cambeltown, Oban (I bet the same one on the Esplanade as you went to Woot !), Ullapool, Portree and beyond, but I can’t remember if they chip sauce or not. I was highly surprised to learn recently that other places in Scotland don’t use ‘The Sauce” ! For someone brought up with chip-shop chip-sauce, if it’s not there in my supper, there’s something missing. It’s difficult to explain chip–shop brown sauce, if you try to make it yourself, somehow it’s never the same as what they splash over your chips in SE Scotland chippes. Chip-shops sometimes offer bottles of their own secret concoction for sale.

    I have heard that it’s made from the cheapest brown sauce you can find – Gold Star Brown Sauce is apparently often used, mixed with some water (2 parts sauce to 1 part water) to thin it down. It is said they don’t use A1, HP, Daddy’s, Branston or other spicy brown sauce as they’re too spicy and too expensive.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    It’s great to see us all drooling a bit for food that’s hard to get for those of us away from the supply source ! Glad to share !

    Definitely no dig at American fast food or soul food ! I honour everyone’s favourite comfort foods !

    The pickled onions in chip shops are usually larger than the ones from the supermarket. They can be obtained pickled in white vinegar, though more commonly I found them in brown malt vinegar. They usually sit in a big gallon jar on the chippie counter and may be added direct to the order, or else put in a little greaseproof bag alongside your order. Working from memory, I would say it’s not uncommon to find big jars of pickled onions about 2 inches diameter. I liked 2 of them with my fish/haggis/black pudding supper.

    As for red pudding, my main recollection is seeing a dead one which had been thrown (part-eaten) over a garden wall in Edinburgh, while I was surveying the house to which the garden belonged ! I never tried one, but as far as I am aware, it is a meat sausage made of beef, with bacon, pork or bacon rind, suet, dried breadcrumbs, stock (beef I think), salt , pepper and spices.

    Apparently, the thin brown chip sauce I mentioned is particular to Edinburgh and SE Scotland. It was a standard condiment in my home town Musselburgh (Mussaburry had many chip- shops and mobile vans), plus the surrounding area where I’ve had suppers or chips, such as Dalkeith, Prestonpans, Seton Sands, North Berwick, Dunbar etc. I could have sworn it was used in West Lothian too, such as Broxburn. I also thought I had it with chippies in Fife (such as Cowdenbeath, Kelty, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, the Dunf and Aberdour) and parts of the Borders (such as Galashiels, Selkirk, Melrose, Hawick etc) but I could be wrong.

    When I was a lad in the 1960’s and our family used to drive through to Kintyre in our Bedford Dormabile (with 2 canoes on top and towing our boat containing creels and net !) for 2 weeks during the school holidays, we always stopped off there and back at the chippie in Harthill on the old A8. I’m sure they had brown sauce there. I’ve had chippies in Cambeltown, Oban (I bet the same one on the Esplanade as you went to Woot !), Ullapool, Portree and beyond, but I can’t remember if they chip sauce or not. I was highly surprised to learn recently that other places in Scotland don’t use ‘The Sauce” ! For someone brought up with chip-shop chip-sauce, if it’s not there in my supper, there’s something missing. It’s difficult to explain chip–shop brown sauce, if you try to make it yourself, somehow it’s never the same as what they splash over your chips in SE Scotland chippes. Chip-shops sometimes offer bottles of their own secret concoction for sale.

    I have heard that it’s made from the cheapest brown sauce you can find – Gold Star Brown Sauce is apparently often used, mixed with some water (2 parts sauce to 1 part water) to thin it down. It is said they don’t use A1, HP, Daddy’s, Branston or other spicy brown sauce as they’re too spicy and too expensive.

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    A Dundonian interjects...

    Quote Originally Posted by Lachlan09 View Post
    Mince Pie


    A Scottish basic, known in Dundee (or Din-day) as a pey.
    Ach, awa ye daft Jambo! ;c)

    Dundee is only "Din-day" to people from someplace else, presumably Embro. To Dundonians of any heritage, it will always be "Dunnn-deeeeee".

    And it will always be a "peh" to rhyme with...erm, something that rhymes with "peh". Think of it as the first bit of "permanent" but drawn out a bit more and the vowel flattened as much as possible..."pehhhhh".

    It is this glorious word that prompts the only sentence of which I'm aware to feature no spoken consonants.

    In response to "Whar's meh peh?", the unrepentant Dundonian epicure can answer "Eh ehh' ih' aa'!'' (trans: "I ate it all!")

    You forgot to mention the "bridie" which, from the much lamented "Wallace's Land O' Cakes" came in plain ("meat" only) or onion ("meat" and onion) versions in an excellent savoury shortcrust pastry.

    You could purchase both by asking for "Twa bridies; a plehn ane an' an ingin' ane anaa'" (Two bridies; a plain one and an onion one also")

    Sadly, since the demise of Wallace's, pehs just urnae the same and bridies tend to be the flaky "elephant's lug" variety produced by Flemings of Forfar.

    rb

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