OpenLearn Works Unit 6: Food Drink - by Annie Mattheson
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OpenLearn Works Unit 6: Food Drink by Annie Mattheson Copyright © 2019 The Open University
2 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
Contents Introduction 4 6. Introductory handsel 4 6.1 Traditional foods 7 6.2 Drink 14 6.3 Scran, piece and jeelie piece 19 6.4 Fish 21 6.5 Herrin, caller an saut: herring, fresh and salt 23 6.6 What I have learned 28 Further research 29 References 29 Acknowledgements 31 3 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
Introduction
Introduction
In this unit we look at the role of the Scots language in an important area of Scottish life
and in Scotland’s economy. Food and drink make up the largest sector of Scottish exports
and this very successful industry employs almost 1 in 5 (18.8%) of all workers, most of
them in small local businesses (Gates, 5 top exports for Scotland right now, 2017).
You will learn about traditional Scottish fare; food and drink which are created from
produce grown or sourced in Scotland. Not surprisingly, it is largely the geography of the
country, its rugged hills and cool, damp climate that have determined the crops which can
be grown and the animals which can be reared.
With just under 17,000 km of coastline, it is equally unsurprising that seafood features
prominently on our menus. Scotland’s food and drink are celebrated so vibrantly in the
nation’s literature and folk culture that there are references throughout to examples of
these. Consideration of such examples will raise your awareness of Scotland’s culture
and attitudes to Scottish staple foods and drinks.
Two books have defined the nature of Scottish cookery for several generations of
consumers: The Meg Dods Cookery Book by Margaret Dods (1823) and The Scots
Kitchen, Its lore and recipes by F. Marian McNeill (1929).
However, with increased availability of international ingredients, you may consider there is
now no such thing as distinctive Scottish fare. Yet, on the other hand, you may well
believe that the traditional Scots kitchen is undergoing a gastronomic revolution.
Important details to take notes on throughout this unit:
● The influence of geography on the production of Scottish food and drink
● Food and drink: their role in Scottish culture
● The Scottish eating and drinking habits and the nation’s health
● A gastronomic trend.
Activity 1
Before commencing your study of this unit, you may wish to jot down some thoughts
on any of the four important details we suggest you take notes on throughout this unit.
You could write down what you already know about each/any of these four points, as
well as any assumption or question you might have. You will revisit these initial
thoughts again when you come to the end of the unit.
Provide your answer...
6. Introductory handsel
A Scots word and example sentence to learn:
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6. Introductory handsel
Spurtle
Definition: A short, round stick used for stirring porridge, soup, etc.
○ Example sentence: “The meall is steired wi a spurtle tae mak parritch.”
○ English translation: “The oatmeal is stirred with a spurtle to make porridge.”
Please note: In Scots, meall always refers to oatmeal, as opposed to pease-meal or
barley meal.
Activity 2
Click to hear the sentence above read by a Scots speaker.
You can then make your own recording and play it back to check your pronunciation.
Voice Recorder is not available in this format.
Go to the Dictionary of the Scots Language for a full definition of the word
Related word:
Kail
Definition: Borecole, esp. the curly variety; by extension, a main meal or dinner.
○ Example sentence: I hope, Sir Andrew, ye'll no objek to tak your kail wi' us.
○ English translation: I hope, Sir Andrew, you won’t object to taking your meal
with us.
Please note: With Scotland’s relatively mild winters, kail was the staple vegetable, grown
almost everywhere and used in broths as well as cooked in various other ways. As its
main use was in soup, the word kail often referred to any kind of soup or even to a meal.
Activity 3
Click to hear the sentence above read by a Scots speaker.
You can then make your own recording and play it back to check your pronunciation.
Voice Recorder is not available in this format.
Go to the Dictionary of the Scots Language for a full definition of the word
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6. Introductory handsel Arthur Melville ‘A Cabbage Garden’ (1878) 6 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.1 Traditional foods
6.1 Traditional foods
Kail, haggis, neeps an tatties
Activity 4
Sweet potato kail and quinoa fitters
In recent years, kail, a form of brassica, has become a fashionable vegetable. Here is
a picture of some ‘posh nosh’: sweet potato, kail and quinoa fritters with crème fraiche
for dunking.
Read this information and take notes on the climatic factors favouring the growing of
kail.
Please note: The usual spelling in Scotland is kail, but “kale” is also often used.
Cold-hardy and resilient, kale is an easy member of the cabbage family to grow. You
can set out plants quite early in spring as long as you protect the young plants from
severe cold winds with a cover. They will grow steadily for months until the weather
gets too warm. You’ll get a second chance to plant kale in the fall, when cool weather
brings out a wonderfully sweet, nutty flavour that is unique to these cold-natured plants.
Fall is the best time for growing kale in areas where winter doesn’t dip below the teens,
or in a cold frame farther north, because the leaves are sweeter when they mature in
cooler weather. In the kitchen, kale can be steamed, stir-fried, or substituted for spinach
in omelets, casseroles, or even quesadillas. It’s a wonderful addition to smoothies, too.
(Bonnie Plants, Growing Kale)
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6.1 Traditional foods
Provide your answer...
Answer
Kail or kale is a vegetable that thrives in cooler conditions. However, when it gets too
cold and windy, or too hot, the plants won’t grow or even survive. Autumn is the best
time for growing sweet-tasting kail, but in areas where temperatures infrequently dip
below 10˚C kail can grow throughout the winter.
This is an ideal nutritious vegetable for Scotland’s temperate climate with an average
temperature ranging from 17˚C in the summer and 5˚C in the winter.
Neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) are most famously served champit (mashed) as
an accompaniment to haggis at Burns Suppers. Haggis was essentially the food of the
poor cottar farmers who had to sell most of their animals in the autumn as they could not
grow enough to feed themselves as well as provide fodder to winter their beasts.
Hence, the perishable offal (heart, liver, lungs) was minced and mixed with oatmeal,
spices, suet and seasoning, then stuffed in the animal’s stomach. If you would like to
make a haggis from scratch, consult Meg Dod’s cookery book!
No one knows where haggis originated, but it has – largely thanks to Burns’ poem –
become Scotland’s national ‘delicacy’. Great respect is shown to it at Burns’ Suppers, as
befits a dish which has all the life-enhancing qualities the poem describes! During the
address to a haggis as part of the Burns Supper ceremony, the reciter plunges the knife in
the haggis then pours a dram of whisky into ‘the entrails’.
Activity 5
Part 1
In the previous units you have listened to spoken Scots language and began to ‘tune
into’ the way this language sounds. In this activity you will be able to do this again, this
time with one of the most iconic poems in Scots, Robert Burns’ ‘Address to a
haggis’ (1786).
Listen to the first verse of poem without reading the transcript and test how much you
can understand. Take some notes while listening.
Audio content is not available in this format.
Provide your answer...
Part 2
Now read the entire poem and its translation and compare both with your notes from
Part 1 of this activity.
Address to a Haggis Address to a Haggis Translation
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Good luck to you and your honest, plump
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race! face,
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6.1 Traditional foods
Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Great chieftain of the sausage race!
Painch, tripe, or thairm: Above them all you take your place,
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace Stomach, tripe, or intestines:
As lang's my arm. Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill, The groaning trencher there you fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill, Your buttocks like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill Your pin would help to mend a mill
In time o need, In time of need,
While thro your pores the dews distil While through your pores the dews distill
Like amber bead. Like amber bead.
His knife see rustic Labour dight, His knife see rustic Labour wipe,
An cut you up wi ready slight, And cut you up with ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright, Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch; Like any ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight, And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich! Warm steaming, rich!
Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive: Then spoon for spoon, the stretch and
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive, strive:
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve Devil take the hindmost, on they drive,
Are bent like drums; Till all their well swollen bellies by-and-by
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive, Are bent like drums;
'Bethankit' hums. Then old head of the table, most like to
burst,
'The grace!' hums.
Is there that owre his French ragout, Is there that over his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow, Or olio that would sicken a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew Or fricassee would make her vomit
Wi perfect scunner, With perfect disgust,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view Looks down with sneering, scornful view
On sic a dinner? On such a dinner?
Poor devil! see him owre his trash, Poor devil! see him over his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash, As feeble as a withered rush,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash, His thin legs a good whip-lash,
His nieve a nit; His fist a nut;
Thro bloody flood or field to dash, Through bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit! O how unfit.
But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed, But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread, The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade, Clap in his ample fist a blade,
He'll make it whissle; He'll make it whistle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned, And legs, and arms, and heads will cut off
Like taps o thrissle. Like the heads of thistles.
Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care, You powers, who make mankind your
And dish them out their bill o fare, care,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware And dish them out their bill of fare,
That jaups in luggies: Old Scotland wants no watery stuff,
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer, That splashes in small wooden dishes;
Gie her a Haggis But if you wish her grateful prayer,
Give her [Scotland] a Haggis!
Part 3
And now you have the opportunity to practice your spoken Scots. Read out the first
verse of Burns’ poem and record yourself doing so. Then compare your reading with
our model as well as the spoken version from a Burns supper presented in the video
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6.1 Traditional foods on the Scottish poetry website . Repeat this activity step until you are satisfied with your pronunciation of Burns’ poem. Voice Recorder is not available in this format. Part 4 In this final step we want to draw your attention to the fact that what many consider the Scottish national dish is not always approved of in other cultures. As an example, read this article on the BBC Scotland news page to find out why haggis was banned in the United States despite repeated efforts by the Scottish Government to overturn the ban. Beef and lamb Ayrshire cows In June 2016, Scotland had 6.8 million sheep and 5.3 million people. Sheep thrive on the short rough grass of the hills, while the longer juicier grass which grows in the wetter west supports large numbers of dairy cattle, like the Ayrshire cow. In the past, pigs were fed on the skimmed milk and buttermilk which were by-products of the dairy industry. This made the western county of Ayrshire famous for its bacon. The famous black Aberdeen-Angus and Galloway cattle are known throughout the world as a source of prime beef. 10 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.1 Traditional foods
Left: Stovies; Right: Mince an tatties
Stovies and ‘mince an tatties’ are perhaps Scotland’s best loved comfort foods and the
ingredients in both dishes are basically the same: minced beef, onions, carrots, potatoes.
However, the tatties are usually champit in the latter dish, whereas in stovies, which are
are usually made from left-over meat or mince, gravy and tatties are added to complete
this dish that is cooked with all ingredients in one bowl or pot.
Activity 6
We live in an age of globalisation, which in cooking and gastronomy often results in
culinary fusions. Later on in this unit you will engage in some more detail with this
aspect of Scotland’s culinary revolution. To prepare your engagement with this, we
would like you to consider what determines what and how people eat in a particular
culture. You will comment on the statement by Marian McNeill below.
‘…however plentiful and varied the imported foodstuffs, it is the natural conditions and
products that determine the general character of the national cuisine.’
(McNeill, F.M., The Scots Kitchen, 1929, p. 22)
Considering what you have learned so far, do you agree with Marian McNeill’s
statement, even at the age of globalisation? Note briefly the geographical and any
other factors which have resulted in Scotland’s best known traditional food and drink
and whether you think that these traditional foods might change through external
influences.
Provide your answer...
11 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 20206.1 Traditional foods Answer This is a model answer. Your notes might be different. Marian McNeill’s statement can hardly be disputed. The mountainous parts of Scotland support 6.8 million sheep that thrive on the short wiry grass and can survive cold weather, while the low-lying areas are used to rear cattle and grow crops. The heavy rainfall on the west encourages long grass for dairy cows and mild winters allow an extended grazing period. The climate is too cool for wheat, but oats and barley have been grown for centuries, especially in the drier sunnier east. Fishing is also of great importance along Scotland’s 17,000 km of coastline. Haggis, perhaps Scotland’s most famous traditional dish, was originally a peasant food invented to use up the perishable parts of the sheep and cattle which had to be slaughtered before winter set in. In my view the core of the Scottish cuisine will not change despite culinary influences from abroad, changes to the way food is produced and supplied and to how people cook and eat. The Scottish climate also has an impact on the kinds of food people want to eat. For example, I believe that in winter people in Scotland will always want the foods we label ‘comfort food’ – the climate is relatively cold, the weather often harsh and people crave food that provides them with enough calories to keep up their body temperature. Fantoosh Fusion…from Oat to Haute cuisine You have come across the word Fantoosh in the unit Scots today. In the context of this unit, the word is used to describe something flashy, showy or ultra-fashionable, namely Scottish cuisine as a modern culinary trend. The Taste of Scotland website confirms that Scotland due to its rich and varied food resources can develop a worldwide reputation: ‘If Scotland’s chefs can continue to serve up the finest and freshest seasonal Scottish ingredients, showcasing Scotland’s larder of artisan and native foods, enhanced with a gourmet spin, flair and passion then Scotland will be able to take its place as a world class food destination’. (Taste of Scotland, 2017) Traditional foods like kale or haggis have been given a new look by modern chefs. In recent years, international chefs have recognised the quality of Scottish fare and ‘A Taste of Scotland’ has encouraged those at home to experiment using Scottish ingredients. Fusion Cuisine You can find out more about current trends in Scottish fusion cuisine on the Taste of Scotland website. Here you can discover some of the esoteric dishes that are the product of the culinary fusions tried out by modern chefs which feature Scottish ingredients. In 2007, the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership was formed. Within a decade of this, the Food and Drink industry’s turnover increased by 44%. In March 2017, Ambition 2030 12 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.1 Traditional foods was launched to build up Scotland’s reputation as a ‘Land of Food and Drink’ and to promote Scottish food locally and globally. 13 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.2 Drink
6.2 Drink
In this section, you will become familiar with all kinds of traditional Scottish drinks, from
water to whisky. From learning new words and studying some quotations about drinking,
you will be able to form an opinion on the attitude of the Scots towards various beverages.
The water of life
In 2017, ‘Whisky accounted for over 20% of all UK food and drink exports. There was
further growth in exports of Single Malt Scotch Whisky, growing by 14.2% in 2017 to
£1.17bn’ (Scotch Whisky Association, 2018).
Single malt whisky, mostly made in the Highlands, has to be made at one distillery, from
malted barley, and matured for at least three years in traditional casks. ‘Malted’ means the
barley is steeped in water then spread out until it germinates, after which the barley is
dried out in a kiln.
In the western islands, the kilns are fired with peat. This along with the peaty water gives
island malts a peaty, smoky flavour. Malt whiskies from Speyside are not smoky. Ordinary
whisky is sometimes called grain whisky as it is made from a mixture of barley and other
cereals, like wheat or maize.
Whisky has always played an important role in Scottish life and culture; a dram (an
informal name for a small amount of an alcoholic drink, especially whisky) will be taken to
calm a troubled spirit, seal a bargain, make a toast, cure a cold, steady the nerves, or
celebrate special events. For this reason, it is hugely celebrated in Scottish literature and
song.
Again, the national bard, Robert Burns, produced poetry that even finds Biblical
justification for alcohol. For example, he began his poem Scotch Drink with a poetic
rendering of ProverbsCh 31, verses 6 and 7 from the Bible:
Verse 6: Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish; and wine unto those that be of
heavy hearts.
Verse 7: Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
(Solomon's Proverbs, xxxi. 6, 7.)
This is Burns’ adaptation in his 1785 poem:
Gie him strong drink until he wink,
That's sinking in despair;
An' liquor guid to fire his bluid,
That's prest wi' grief an' care:
There let him bouse, and deep carouse,
Wi' bumpers flowing o'er,
Till he forgets his loves or debts,
An' minds his griefs no more.
(Robert Burns Country)
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Activity 7
In this activity you will be working with Burn’s poem ‘Scotch Drink’ in some more detail
and practise speaking Scots again.
Part 1
Translate the first verse of Burns’ poem ‘Scotch Drink’. If needed, consult the DSL for
help with the translation. Then compare your translation with ours.
What attitude to getting drunk is portrayed in this poem?
Provide your answer...
Answer
Here is our suggestion for a translation of the first verse of ‘Scotch Drink’. Your version
might be different.
Give him strong drink until he winks,
That’s sinking in despair;
And liquor good, to fire his blood
That’s pressed with grief and care-
Then let him drink and drink to excess
With drinking cups overflowing
Till he forgets his loves or debts,
And remembers his griefs no more
And here a possible answer to the question:
I think Burns describes whisky or strong alcoholic drink as a way to help people forget
their sorrows, but the verse also shows that people do not just forget their sorrows
when they drink, they forget their loves, too and drink can ‘fire their blood’, making
them aggressive.
Please note: You might have found that translating this poem was not that difficult as
much of it was close to the English language. The reason for this was that Burns was
writing some of his poetry in Scots that appears more ‘Anglicised’ – probably due to
pressure from his publisher. Remember what you learned in unit 5, where he was
quoted saying that his publishers often asked him to write in English rather than Scots.
Part 2
Now listen to the first verse of 'Scotch Drink' and record yourself reading it out loud.
Then compare your own version with our model.
Voice Recorder is not available in this format.
Uisge-beatha is the Gaelic word from which the word whisky is derived, usquabae the
Scots equivalent of the Gaelic. It means literally ‘water of life’. Here is an extract from
‘Tam o’ Shanter’ (1790), another famous Robert Burns poem where drinking alcohol
features strongly. It personifies barley as ‘John Barleycorn’ and extolls its ability (when
made into beer or whisky) to give you courage. Here an extract outlining how whisky
changes people’s perception of reality.
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Inspiring bold John Barleycorn!
What dangers thou canst make us scorn!
Wi' tippeny, we fear nae evil;
Wi' usquabae, we'll face the devil!
Please note: tippeny is a thin beer
Provide your answer...
Answer
● Whisky is consumed in many situations: to calm a troubled spirit, seal a bargain,
make a toast, cure a cold, steady the nerves, or celebrate special events.
● Whisky means ‘the water of life’ and is celebrated in Scottish literature and song.
● Burns believed in the comforting powers of whisky as it helped people forget their
troubles – at least for a while.
● However, Burns also warned that whisky can make people aggressive due to its
high alcohol content.
● The link to a risk to people’s health is also expressed in a famous sarcastic toast.
● Often drinking alcohol is portrayed as over-indulgence and drinking oneself into a
stupor.
Single malt whisky, mostly made in the Highlands, has to be made at one distillery, from
malted barley, and matured for at least three years in traditional casks. ‘Malted’ means the
barley is steeped in water then spread out until it germinates, after which the barley is
dried out in a kiln.
In the western islands, the kilns are fired with peat. This along with the peaty water gives
island malts a peaty, smoky flavour. Malt whiskies from Speyside are not smoky. Ordinary
whisky is sometimes called grain whisky as it is made from a mixture of barley and other
cereals, like wheat or maize.
Activity 8
In this activity you will practise speaking Scots once more and also compare the
attitude towards drinking alcohol expressed in Burns’ ‘Tam o’ Shanter’ with that
articulated in a traditional Scottish toast.
Part 1
Listen to the first four lines of verse 13 of the poem and record yourself reading it out
loud. Then compare your own version with our model.
Voice Recorder is not available in this format.
Part 2
Here you see a traditional humorous Scottish toast that touches upon the health risks
that come with drinking too much alcohol.
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You might want to memorise and practise speaking this toast in Scots.
Here’s tae us! Wha’s like us?
Damn few an they’re aw deid!
English Translation:
Here’s to us! Who is like us?
Damn few and they are all dead!
Voice Recorder is not available in this format.
Do you think the attitudes towards drinking alcohol expressed in the two examples
here are the same as or different from those voiced in ‘Scotch Drink’? Why?
A hauf an a hauf
You may hear someone asking for this in the pub. It literally means a half and a half. A
hauf o whisky means a half gill and a wee hauf a quarter gill; the other hauf refers to a half
pint of beer as a chaser. And do note - no Scot would ever ask for a ‘Scotch’!
This folk song, often played when people part company, mentions many haufs! This is the
second verse of We're No' Awa' Tae Bide Awa’.
So we had a hauf an' anither hauf,
And then we had anither,
When he got fou' he shouted “Hoo!
It's Carnwath Mill for ever."
To listen to this song being performed, access this recording here.
Activity 9
And finally, you will find out about some Scots words used to describe that someone is
drunk. Overindulgence in alcohol can result in a person getting fou (fu) (drunk). Not
surprisingly, there are many words and phrases which mean ‘drunk’ in Scots. Here are
a few:
● blootert
● steamin
● oot the game
● fou as a puggie / fu as a coo / roarin fu
Two of these words are particularly interesting in terms of their origins.
Research the roots of the words steamin and fou and come up with a short summary of
where these words originated.
Provide your answer...
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Answer
a. steamin – ‘noticable reduction in common sense and decision making capacity’;
this word has an interesting origin... by the turn of the 20th century, many
Glaswegians spent the Glasgow Fair weekend going doon the watter – going
down the river Clyde from Glasgow. Many families who could not afford an
overnight stay would buy a day trip to Rothesay or the Kyles of Bute. Therefore,
the term steamin was used to describe people who had a little too much to drink
on the paddle steamer.
Please note: steamin can also be used to express the degree of being drunk, and
for that purpose it is combined with other words for being drunk as this example
illustrates: ‘his lordship gets them fou, steamin' fou’.
b. fou or fu – can have two meanings:
a. is derived from the French word for crazy ‘fou’, in Scots it means a person
shows irrational, wild and outlandish behaviour because of having drunk too
much alcohol
b. being full of alcohol
Please note: It is interesting to see that the Oxford Dictionary provides the translation
as ‘crazy’ derived from French, whereas the Dictionary of the Scots Language states in
the third meaning listed that fou means being ‘full of liquor, drunk, intoxicated’, stating
as the origin of the word the English ‘full’.
Where the Oxford Dictionary explains that steamin is one adjective to use in
connection with fou to highlight the degree of intoxication, the DSL lists the following
adjectives for this purpose: bitch, blin, greetin, roarin, stottin, and tumbling.
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6.3 Scran, piece and jeelie piece
In this section you will explore the use of three new Scots words for bread-related food.
● Scran: n. Food in general, especially in odd or miscellaneous pieces, provisions,
“grub”; a schoolboy's term for sweet-meats, holiday or picnic provisions.
● Piece: a piece of bread and butter, jam, or the like, a snack, usually of bread, scone
or oatcake, a sandwich.
● Jeelie piece: bread and jam; the most common kind of piece in Scotland, often
provided as a snack between meals. By extension, a piece came to mean the
sandwich lunch carried to work by the working man.
Left: The piece box; Right: ‘A piece an jam’ or ‘jeely piece’
Activity 10
Part 1
If you research the term piece box in the urban dictionary, you will come across this
example:
Gaffer (Foreman): "Did ye bring a piece?"
New fella: "Aye, that's mah piece box there"
Practise your spoken Scots by speaking this short dialogue.
Voice Recorder is not available in this format.
In parts of Glasgow, mothers would sometimes throw a piece out of the tenement
window for a child to catch. When high rise flats were built to replace the 3-storey
tenements in the 1950s, this became a little more challenging! The song writer Adam
McNaughton produced his response to this in his ‘Jeelie piece sang’ in the 1960s.
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Part 2
First of all, find out some more about the word piece for sandwich on the
Scots word of the week section of Edinburgh’s Heriot Watt University. You’ll find the
words and translation of McNaughton’s famous song here as well.
Part 3
You can also hear this song performed in this video. When listening, consider the
social comment that is being made in this song.
Provide your answer...
Answer
This is a model answer. Your answer might be different.
In my view, the building of high-rise flats and the consequent failure of the ‘jeely piece’
to reach its recipient for various amusing reasons is a metaphor for the loss of
community and erosion of urban culture.
Note the reference to bread in the chorus of the song. Here is a picture of Scottish pan
bread.
A Scottish pan loaf
There is no crust on the sides of plain loaves due to the unbaked loaves being stuck
together in batches, baked together then torn into individual loaves afterwards; the pan
loaf was baked individually in a tin. The pan loaf was more expensive than the plain so
that the phrase pan-loaf came to be an adjective describing someone with a posh accent
as this extract from Alan Sharp’s novel illustrates.
‘“Hello John” He had never quite accustomed himself to Mrs Davidson's voice. It had
the classical range of refinements common to the west of Scotland, well-to-do
matron, those vowel discolourations and arbitrary emphases known as the 'pan loaf',
but instead of the effete bleat that usually accompanied it, with Mrs Davidson there
was a hard vigorous timbre ...’
(Sharp, A., A Green Tree in Gedde, 1985)
20 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 20206.4 Fish
6.4 Fish
Scotland is part of an island – thus fish is one of its main natural resources. According to
the NHS Good Food website, ‘a healthy diet should include at least two portions of fish a
week, including one of oily fish’.
Although Scotland is surrounded by water and boasts 8 per cent of Europe’s coastline, a
staggering 17,000 km, 70 percent of Scots are not eating this healthy food as often as
they should.
A dietician quoted in this article, states that fish should be eaten twice a week. Oily fish
like herring, salmon and mackerel, all caught in Scottish waters, provide vitamins, protein
and omega 3 which are nutritious and help protect against several serious diseases.
Activity 11
In contrast to the fact that people in Scotland might not eat enough of this resource,
Scottish seafood has developed an international reputation.
Part 1
Watch this video to discover the wide variety as well as the international reputation of
Scotland’s seafood.
Part 2
Read the statistical information on the Scottish fishing industry and note down three
facts you find are the most important in this list. Also explain the reasons for your
choice.
● Scottish seafood accounts for £759 million of Scotland’s food and drink
exports.
● 46 Scottish companies attended Seafood Expo Global in Brussels in April, up
40 per cent on 2016
● Scottish seafood accounts for the biggest rise in food exports from Scotland at
26 per cent year on year
● Scottish salmon is enjoyed in 60 countries worldwide
● North Sea cod was awarded the gold standard for sustainability by the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC) in July
● 70,000 tonnes of cod is eaten in the UK each year, making it the nation’s
favourite fish
● A YouGov survey carried out for the MSC found 35 per cent of UK adults didn’t
know if cod was sustainable or not
● North Sea cod stocks peaked at 270,000 tonnes in the 1970s, before stocks
fell to 44,000 tonnes in 2006.
(Dove, 2017)
Provide your answer...
21 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 20206.4 Fish Answer This is a model answer. Your key facts and explanations might be different: Scottish seafood accounts for the biggest rise in food exports from Scotland at 26 per cent year on year. I think this is a really important statistic as it shows that Scottish seafood is a very important industry to raise the profile of Scotland as a trading partner abroad and to bring revenue into the country. An amazing fact is that Scottish salmon is enjoyed in 60 countries worldwide. I had no idea that Scotland exports salmon to so many countries. Of course it is great to hear that Scottish salmon is sought after in all these places. But to satisfy this demand, salmon needs to be reared on an industrial scale and there are already many salmon farms in Scottish sea lochs, which have a negative impact on the other species living there. A YouGov survey carried out for the MSC found 35 per cent of UK adults didn’t know if cod was sustainable or not. This fact shows that we need to educate people much more about the impact of our eating habits and industrial-scale fishing in our seas on the survival of different kinds of seafood. It is good to see that efforts to protect cod have made an impact in helping cod stocks grow again in the North Sea to make it sustainable. 22 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.5 Herrin, caller an saut: herring, fresh and salt
6.5 Herrin, caller an saut: herring, fresh
and salt
For centuries, herrings, both fresh and salted, were a staple food of Scotland. The growth
of the herring industry in north-east Scotland in the 18th century is described by Neil Gunn
in his novel The Silver Darlings. Here an extract:
Beginning in May, shoals of herring followed their migratory routes from Stornoway round
the north coast, then south to Yarmouth. The catch was landed at the nearest port to be
met by an army of merchants, curers and itinerant fisher lasses who gutted the fish and
packed it in salt in barrels, for export to Europe and Russia. At the peak of the herring
industry in 1907, 2,500,000 barrels ( 250,000 tons) were cured and exported.
(Gunn, 1941)
Activity 12
As the extract from Gunn’s book states, the peak of herring fishing was reached
in 1907. Since then this industry has seen a steady decline. Read the text about
Overfishing on HistoryShelf to find out more about the decline of herring fishing in
Scotland and note down three important factors in this decline.
Provide your answer...
23 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 20206.5 Herrin, caller an saut: herring, fresh and salt
Answer
This is a model answer. Your answer might be different.
● Overfishing began in the 1920s which continued for almost 50 years until the
stocks were so drastically low that a fishing ban was imposed that lasted for 4
years.
● Markets for cured herring declined as standards of living rose.
● Scotland/the UK joining the European Common Market in 1972 meant that fishing
fleets from other nations were entitled to their share of the fish in ‘Scottish’ waters
● Fishing quotas were introduced in the 1970s
Fishbones and winkle shells in a Lewis midden
Following the decline of the herring fishing, many fishermen turned to catching shellfish,
including fresh oysters. While shellfish were in the recent past considered as worthless,
they have been a source of food since prehistoric times.
Archaeologists have discovered many Scottish middens (household rubbish dumps) with
large quantities of shells buried in them, some dating back to the Stone Age.
Newhaven fish wives
24 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 20206.5 Herrin, caller an saut: herring, fresh and salt In the 18th century, oysters were a popular food and ‘caller ou’ (fresh oysters) was the cry of the oyster wives as they stood at their stances on Edinburgh streets. Oysters are in season in those months which have an R in them, unlike herring which are in season in the months of May, June, July and August. They were so popular in Edinburgh that the main taverns in the city were called Oyster taverns. Musselburgh on the Firth of Forth owes its name to the rich shoals of mussels at the mouth of the River Esk. Today, most of the langoustines you see in Spain have been exported from Scotland: Scottish lobsters are exported to Europe and China. Activity 13 The poet Robert Fergusson (1750-1774) wrote his poem ‘Caller Oysters’ in praise of oysters, celebrating this particular seafood with immense enthusiasm and hyperbole. Not only does he praise their culinary qualities, his hyperbole extends to their alleged medicinal qualities as well. Listen to the beginning of this poem and try to understand its words. Again, use this as an opportunity to practice your spoken Scots by reading this verse out loud and comparing your version with our model. Finally, read the transcript with our translation. Voice Recorder is not available in this format. The saumon lowps ower the linn (English: The salmon leaps over the waterfall) Wild salmon used to be so abundant in our Scottish rivers that it was considered a peasant food and farmhands complained that they were fed so much of it. Atlantic salmon begins life in the rivers of countries bordering the North Atlantic. They migrate to the sea as adults then return, after one to four years, to their native rivers to spawn and produce a new generation. 25 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.5 Herrin, caller an saut: herring, fresh and salt Our rivers have been so over-fished that most of the salmon we eat now is produced in fish farms. Nevertheless, in 2014, it beat confectionery to become the UK's biggest food export. Fish supper When you are in Scotland, you will hear people talking about having a cairry-oot (also carryout, cerry-oot, carry out, kerry oot, cairy oot) for dinner. This word describes food or alcoholic drink bought in a restaurant, pub, etc. for consumption elsewhere. And a fish supper is considered by many as Scotland’s most popular take-away food or cairry-oot. It traditionally consists of deep-fried potato chips and haddock; the supper is often wrapped in layers of (news)paper to keep it warm: usually eaten with the fingers – though today a box of some sort and plastic fork is now common. A recipe in Scots A plate of Cullen Skink And to finish the food and drink unit, here is a fun activity that will hopefully encourage you to get cooking. This time it is another iconic Scottish dish… Cullen Skink. This soup is a local speciality, from the town of Cullen in Moray, on the north-east coast of Scotland. 26 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.5 Herrin, caller an saut: herring, fresh and salt To add a twist to your cooking experience, we have provided the recipe for the dish in Scots so that you can train your cooking and your Scots language skills at the same time. And just to make sure that your Cullen Skink turns out the way it should, here is an image to show you what it should look like. Enjoy! Cullen Skink : a receipt frae the shores o the Moray Firth Ingredients: Finnan-haddie, ingans, champit tatties, butter, milk, pepper an saut - Skin a Finnan-haddie*, an pit it in a pan wi enough watter juist tae cover it (an nae mair). - Bring it tae the byle an add a chappit ingan. - Whan the haddie is cuikit, lift it oot an tak oot aw the banes. - Flake the fish an pit aw the banes back intae the poat. - Byle for an oor then strain the banes oot an bring it tae the byle again. - Byle aboot a pint o milk separate an add it tae the stock wi the fish an saut tae taste. - Byle fur a meenit or twa. - Add enough champit tatties tae mak the soup guid an creamy - Add a tablespuinfu o butter wi saut an pepper tae taste. *Finnan Haddie: a lightly smoked haddock from north-east Scotland 27 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
6.6 What I have learned
6.6 What I have learned
Activity 14
The final activity of this section is designed to help you review, consolidate and reflect
on what you have learned in this unit. You will revisit the key learning points of the unit
and the initial thoughts you noted down before commencing your study of it.
Before finishing your work on this unit, please revisit what you worked on in Activity 1,
where we asked you to take some notes on what you already knew in relation to the
key learning points of the unit.
Display of content entered previously
Compare your notes from before you studied this unit with what you have learned here
and add to these notes as you see fit to produce a record of your learning.
Here are the key learning points again for you as a reminder:
● The influence of geography on the production of Scottish food and drink
● Food and drink: their role in Scottish culture
● The Scottish eating and drinking habits and the nation’s health
● A gastronomic trend.
28 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020Further research Further research Listen to this BBC Bitesize clip in which chef Tom Kitchin explains that Scots words are a vital part of his working kitchens. He references Scots dishes and local produce, suggesting that restaurant workers need to be more aware of the Scots words for the food they are preparing. Learn more about Scotland’s fishing industry. View a snapshot of Scotland's eating habits. Gain more information on the manufacture of malt whisky. Read the Scottish Government's MESAS (Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland's Alcohol Strategy) report. Try out this recipe for making real ginger beer. Read an analysis of responses to the consultation on development of a revised national food and drink policy published under the heading Becoming a Good Food Nation in Feb 2015. The Food and Drink Federation Scotland provides easily accessible statistics about the Scottish Food and Drink industry. Now go on to Unit 7: Arts and Crafts. References Alexandria Burns Club (n.d.) Address to a Haggis by Robert Burns [Online]. Available at http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/toahaggis.htm (Accessed 09 Jan- uary 2019). Alistair Macdonald (n.d.) Skyscraper Wean, Big Tim Productions, YouTube [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U8HtzXZiUg (Accessed 20 Jan- uary 2019). BBC Scotland (2014) UK government bids to overturn US haggis ban [Online]. Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-28070716 (Accessed 20 January 2019). Bonnie Plants (n.d.) Growing Kale [Online] Available at https://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-kale/ (Accessed 15 January 2019). Burns, R. (1785) Scotch Drink [Online]. Available at http://www.robertburns.org/works/84.shtml (Accessed 11 January 2019). Burns, R. (1786) Address to a Haggis [Online]. Available at https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/address-haggis/ (Accessed 17 Jan- uary 2019). Burns, R. (1790) Tam o’ Shanter [Online]. Available at http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/tam-o-shanter-tale/ (Accessed 20 Jan- uary 2019). 29 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
References Dods, M. (1823) The Meg Dods Cookery Book [Online]. Available at https://archive.org/stream/cookandhousewif01johngoog#page/n628/mode/2up (Ac- cessed10 January 2019). Note: This is the Bible of Scottish food and drink, written allegedly by Meg Dods who is the feisty fictional mistress of the Cleikum Inn in Walter Scott’s novel, St Ronan’s Well. The actual author was Isobel Johnstone, wife of Scott’s publisher. Everything you need to know ( and some you are perhaps better not knowing!) about Scottish food and how to cook it is here. Dove, A. (2017) ‘Scottish seafood industry adds value with innovation’, The Scotsman, 24 August [Online]. Available at: https://www.scotsman.com/business/companies/scottish-seafood-industry-adds-value- with-innovation-1-4537828 (Accessed 18 March 2019). Fergusson, R. (1772) Caller Oysters [Online]. Available at https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/robert-fergusson/ (Accessed 01 Decem- ber 2018). Note: This novel is the story of 18th century Highland Scotland and includes lots of information on the rise of the herring fishing industry. Gates, P. (2017) ‘5 top exports for Scotland right now’, Insider, [Online]. Available at https://www.insider.co.uk/special-reports/5-top-exports-scotland-right-10987328 Gault, A. (2017) ‘Scotland produces world class fresh fish but 70 per cent don’t eat enough seafood’, The Scottish Sun [Online]. Available at https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/living/684281/scotland-produces-world-class-fresh-fish- but-70-per-cent-dont-eat-enough-seafood/(Accessed 11 December 2018). Gunn, N. (1941) The Silver Darlings, London, Faber and Faber. Heriot Watt University (n.d.) Scot's Word of the Week [Online]. Available at http://waf.eps.hw.ac.uk/fun/words/SWOTW_archive3.html#piece (Accessed 09 Jan- uary 2019) Historyshelf (n.d.) Overfishing [Online]. Available at http://www.historyshelf.org/secf/silver/11.php (Accessed 02 December 2018). McNeill, F. M. (1929) The Scots Kitchen, London, Birlinn Ltd. Note: Prefaced as ‘An Historical Sketch’, this is a fascinating guide not just to Scottish foods and how to cook them, but to the history, traditions and folklore associated with the nation’s food and drink. NHS Good Food (n.d.) Fish and Shellfish, [Online]. Available at http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/fish-shellfish.aspx (Accessed 09 Jan- uary 2019) Scotch Whisky Association (2018) 2017 Export Figures, 9 Feb [Online]. Available at https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/news-publications/news/2017-export-figures/#. XG_TIfZ2vIV (Accessed 09 January 2019). Scotland Food & Drink (n.d.) [Online]. Available at https://www.foodanddrink.scot/ (Accessed 09 January 2019). Scottish Development International (n.d.) Food and Drink [Online]. Available at https://www.sdi.co.uk/trade/sectors/food-and-drink/(Accessed 01 December 2018). Sharp, A. (1985) A Green Tree in Gedde, London, New York, Penguin. Taste-of-Scotland (2017) Scottish Cuisine – Contemporary & Traditional [Online]. Available at http://taste-of-scotland.com/scottish-cuisine-contemporary-and-traditional-food-from- scotland(Accessed10 January 2019). Traditional Scottish Songs (n.d.) We're No' Awa' Tae Bide Awa [Online]. Available at http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_bide.htm (Accessed 09 January 2019). 30 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
Acknowledgements Urban Dictionary (n.d.) [Online]. Available at https://www.urbandictionary.com/ (Accessed 09 January 2019). World Goumet Summit (2015) Singapore's best chefs talk Scottish seafood, YouTube [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/embed/ritcen3hqzo (Accessed 09 Jan- uary 2019). Acknowledgements Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders. If any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity. Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources: Course Image: Supplied by Bruce Eunson / Education Scotland Activity 2 Image: Burn the asylum. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Activity 3 image: Arthur Melville, A Cabbage Garden, National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund, 2007 Activity 4 image: Julie Deshaies/123RF.com Image on page 10: Elenathewise/123RF.com Images on page 11: Joerg Beuge/123RF.com Image on page 19 left graletta/123RF.com Image on page 19 right Danny Smythe/123RF.com Activity 10 image: PaylessImages/123RF.com Image on page 24: tahe4ka/123RF.com Image on page 25 top: Anna Phillips/123RF.com Image on page 25 bottom: © peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk Image on page 26: Pots of Gartness, salmon leaping 02 by byronv2. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial Licence http://creativecom- mons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ Image on page 27 top: www.theedinburghblog.co.uk. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ Image on page 27 bottom: Cullen skink by Pseph. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ Text 245974: Extract in Activity 11: Scottish Development International 31 of 31 http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2705 Monday 3 August 2020
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