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Scottish Fare for Hogmanay
| Article
# : |
19092 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1991 |
2,818 Words |
| Author
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Kay Shaw Nelson
Food and travel writer Kay Shaw Nelson has written for
numerous magazines and newspapers, including Gourmet, House
and Garden, Washingtonian, and the New York Times. The author
of thirteen cookbooks, she most recently published A Bonnie
Scottish Cookbook. |
The Scottish celebration of Hogmanay, Old Year's Night, on December 31 is an important and merry event characterized by cordial exchanges of good wishes and gifts, singing of nostalgic songs, playing of bagpipes and dancing and eating of certain traditional dishes. Scots cherish their age-old holiday rituals, including foods, and delight in sharing them with family and friends.
Tradition demands an abundant supply of favorite dishes, enough to last through Old Year's Night and until the wee hours of New Year's morning. Scots are noted for their warm hospitality and enjoyment of fine fare. For days prior to the holiday, Scottish women around the world prepare homemade specialties for the family festal board or table, covering it with a handsome array of cold and hot dishes.
The art of baking is the glory of the Scottish kitchen and Scotswomen are skilled in making a wide range of mouth-watering treats, especially breads and cakes. Throughout Scotland, characteristic treats have long been and still are baked and given to firstfoots and callers. A "firstfoot" is the first vistior to cross the threshold of a home once the new year is struck.
Some breads and cakes date back to ancient times, when they had symbolic or religious significance and were served at seasonal festivals. One typical bread called a bannock, a large thin oatmeal round, was marked with the sign of the cross, thus dividing it into quarters. It was supposed to presage the future. In the morning, each family members was given a share of the bread and would try to keep it in one piece until the evening meal. "If it remained whole, the owner might expect unbroken prosperity in the coming year; if it were broken, shattered, likewise were his hopes of good fortune," writes F. Marian McNeil in The Scots Kitchen.
The best known of the thin bannocks is the oatcake, a crisp, biscuitlike roundele with a nutty taste. When Robbie Burns, the famious Scottish poet, called his beloved Scotland the "Land o' Cakes," he meant the humble oatcake. Over the years oatcakes have been made in various forms and from a number of mixtures. They are served at all Scottish gatherings. In the northern islands, children enjoy New Year oatcakes that are made, "one for each child and varying in size with that of the child."
Once a favorite Hogmanay specialty was oatcake farls, or triangles with kebbuck (a soft white cheese). Now oatcakes are served with Caboc, a rich double-cream cheese rolled in
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