From Spring Lamb to Hand-Dived Scallops -- For too many years, restaurants in Scotland were known mainly for their boiled meats and watery overcooked vegetables. There was a time when Scots going out for fancy dinner would head for the nearest hotel, where chefs at least splashed a bit of Worcestershire sauce onto a sirloin steak. But in the past 20 years or so, independent restaurants have opened in spades, especially in Edinburgh and Glasgow, along with stylish bistros, brasseries, cafes, and wine bars. There has been a significant improvement in Scottish cookery.
One of Scotland's best-known exports remains Aberdeen Angus beef. But equally fine is free-range Scottish lamb, known for its tender, tasty meat. A true connoisseur can discern differences in flavor according to grazing grounds, ranging from the coarse pastureland and seaweed of the Shetlands to the heather-clad hills of the mainland.
Game plays an important role in the Scottish natural larder, ranging from woodcock and grouse to rabbit and venison. And fish in this land of seas, rivers, and lochs is a mainstay, from pink-fleshed wild brown trout to the modest herring that's transformed into the elegant kipper. Scottish smoked salmon is, of course, a delicacy known around the globe. Scottish shellfish is world-class: whether lobsters and langoustines or oysters and crabs. Most of it is exported. Of course, it is a wise chef who focuses on simplicity, and many Scottish cooks know that given the quality of the ingredients (especially items like hand-dived scallops or Loch Etive mussels), heavy sauces are not necessary.
Heather honey is justly celebrated, and jams make use of Scotland's abundant harvest of soft fruit. Scottish raspberries, for example, are said to be among the finest in the world. You'll definitely want to try some of Scotland's excellent cheeses. One of the best is Criffel from the south of the country: a creamy and rich semisoft cheese made from the milk of Shorthorn cows that graze only in organic pastures.
The word "eclectic" describes the restaurant scene in Edinburgh and Glasgow today. Fresh salads are often given an East Asian twist with lime leaves and chili, while stir-fries and the chargrill are standard features. Indian restaurants abound, as do French, Italian, and Thai options. Scots today can eat better than ever before, although much of population still seems to subsist on fish and chips -- or, as the locals say, fish suppers.
And, yes, haggis remains Scotland's national dish -- though it's perhaps more symbolic than gustatory.
Uisge Beatha -- The Water of Life--"It's the only liquor fit for a gentleman to drink in the morning if he can have the good fortune to come by it . . . or after dinner." So wrote Walter Scott of whisky. If you're in Scotland or almost anywhere in Europe, you do not have to identify it as Scotch whisky. Most connoisseurs prefer varieties of single malt whisky, whose taste depends largely on where it is distilled: smooth Highland, peaty Island, or sweet Lowland. Single malts are usually seen as sipping whiskies and should not be served with ice or diluted with anything other than a few drops of tap water.
