By Carolyn McDonald Graf Parkin is a moist sticky ginger cake. Its origin probably goes back to pagan times when cakes were made to celebrate the beginning of winter and …
Tastes of Scotland: Heather Honey Steamed Sponge
By Carolyn McDonald Graf Honeybees seem to have their origin in Afro-Eurasia and appear in the fossil records from 34 million years ago. Bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasian …
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Taste of Scotland: Caledonia Meatballs
By Carolyn McDonald Graf This is not the first time this recipe appeared in our newsletter, but I brought these meatballs to Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and many people asked …
Taste of Scotland: Grains for Bannocks
By Carolyn McDonald Graf The word “bannock” probably comes from the Gaelic bunnuch or bannach which means morsel and may come from the Latin word for bread panicium. A bannoch …
Tastes of Scotland: Cottage Pie
By Carolyn McDonald Graf Cottage pie, as the name suggests, is a pie of humble origins. Using simple ingredients of vegetables and meat with potatoes as a topping, it is …
Tastes of Scotland: Smothered Turkey with Walnuts
By Carolyn McDonald Graf One story goes that in 1526, a man from Yorkshire named William Strickland got two turkeys from an American Indian trader and sold them for tuppence …
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Tastes of Scotland: Treacle Scones
By Carolyn McDonald Graf Half a pound of tupenny (= two-penny) rice,Half a pound of treacle.That’s the way the money goes,Pop! goes the weasel. Treacle brings up memories of sweets …
Tastes of Scotland: Raisin History and Recipe
By Carolyn Graf It’s said that raisins were discovered when humans stumbled into some grapes drying on a vine. History books record that raisins were sun-dried from grapes as long …
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Tastes of Scotland: The Outer Hebrides
By Carolyn McDonald Graf Scotland is an island nation made up of large and small bits of land surrounded by water. The western most of these are the Outer Hebrides. …
Tastes of Scotland: Cabbage and Barley Broth
Cabbage is a very ancient food going back 4,000 years. There is evidence that Mongolian nomads learned to preserve cabbage in brine bringing a new method of preservation and flavor …
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