Eat Like a Local in Scotland

Before we begin, let’s take a moment to get the haggis jokes out of the way—we’ll wait. The famous dish of organ meats mixed with oatmeal and cooked in a sheep’s stomach gets most of the attention when it comes to traditional Scottish cuisine, and it’s fair to say the dish’s description can be divisive. To an adventurous foodie, however, haggis’ rich flavour might just make you an instant convert.

Even if that one seems a bridge too far, there’s plenty of traditional Scottish food that will please your palate. If you want to eat like a local on the Scotland: Highlands & Islands Hiking tour, we’ve got some notes and recommendations all ready for you.

What is authentic Scottish food?

Let’s start with some staples. A dish you’ll find plentifully all across the country is classic fish and chips. You’re never very far from the ocean in Scotland, so it makes sense to see this dish high on the list. Haddock is caught just off the coast, and is likely to be the type of whitefish underneath that crispy batter. The chips themselves are typically thick cut and fluffy.

Take away from the “chippie” may be a national favourite, but you’ll find plenty of other seafood too: lobster, crab, scallops, salmon, and more. Possibly less familiar are langoustines, which are similar to a saltwater crayfish. They’re well worth a try if you see them on the menu.

One distinctly Scottish seafood dish is Cullen Skink, a hearty soup made with potato, onion, and smoked haddock. After a long day hiking the Highlands, dropping into a fishing village for a bowl of this might be exactly the nourishment you need.

Scottish breakfast

Speaking of hiker fuel, it’s hard to beat a full Scottish breakfast. A staple feature is the tattie scone, made primarily with potato. These have a different texture than their flour-based cousins, and they’re delicious with butter or dipped into fried egg.

The rest of the ingredients may vary slightly, but expect to see some combination of Lorne sausage (a type of square sausage made without casing), fried egg, baked beans, fried mushrooms, tomato, and black or white pudding. If your culinary tastes don’t stretch all the way to black pudding, know that white pudding is almost the same minus the blood.

As you can imagine, a Scottish breakfast makes an impression piled high on a plate, so it’s not an everyday kind of meal. A traditional food consumed in many modern Scottish homes is simply porridge. Scottish oats are ground finer, which makes them creamy, and are served more savoury than sweet. This is the meal that powered the Scottish farmers of old, and a hearty start to a morning of hiking.

What is haggis?

You won’t necessarily find haggis served as a weeknight meal across the country, but few Scottish dishes have developed such a reputation abroad. It’s a staple of Burns Night, a celebration of Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote an ode to haggis describing it as “Great chieftain o’ the puddin-race!”

In earlier times, the dish was celebrated partly because of its practicality. It provided a way to prepare organ meats, which spoil easily, in a nutritious and flavourful meal. Especially if you believe in sustainable nose-to-tail eating, add haggis to your list of dishes to try. A fully traditional haggis is made from the organ meat of a sheep mixed with oatmeal, onion, and spices, then boiled in a stomach casing and served with a side of neeps and tatties (mashed potatoes and turnips).

These days, you can also find nut-based vegetarian haggis, which provides a meat-free way to enjoy the flavours and texture of haggis, as well as modern twists like haggis burgers. Just don’t let anyone tell you haggis is an animal with legs shorter on one side than the other so it can scurry up mountains faster—that’s a prank for the tourists.

Single malt Scotch

Single malt whisky might be Scotland’s single most famous export. “Single malt” refers to the fact the whisky was produced exclusively from malted barley at a single distillery and aged for several years. As connoisseurs will be quick tell you, this gives them a distinctive character that blended whiskies struggle to match.

The unique qualities of each distillery contribute to a strong sense of regional character. As a rough guide, whiskies produced in the Lowlands are often lighter and smoother; Auchentoshan is one example. Whiskies produced further north in the Highlands and islands are often distinguished by a briny, peaty flavour reflecting the location that produced them.

If you haven’t had a dram of the good stuff before, you’re in good hands. The Highlands & Islands tour stops at Scapa distillery, so you can see how Scotch is made and try a wee sample.

It may not have the same cache in the culinary world, but if you don’t drink alcohol you might be interested to know Scotland has a favourite national soft drink. Irn Bru (pronounced “iron brew”) actually beats giants like Coke and Pepsi in sales here, and you won’t have the slightest bit of trouble finding a bottle of the bright orange stuff. The flavour is tough to describe—once you’ve had it you might just default to “it tastes like Irn Bru”—but cream soda comes close.

What’s for dessert?

Cranachan, of course! This dish incorporates two Scottish staples, oats and whisky, with cream and fresh raspberries. Soaking the oats in whisky overnight gives them a depth of flavour that pairs beautifully with the sweetness of strawberries.

It tastes best when the raspberries are in season, of course, so another delicious option is Scottish shortbread. Based around the fundamentals of butter, flour, and sugar, the shortbread is crumbly yet indulgently rich.

Filling, traditional Scottish meals

Few things can work up an appetite like a day’s hiking, so you’ll be in a prime position to enjoy classic Scottish fare. The Highlands and islands of Scotland are rich with history and tradition, and hearty, simple, and delicious cooking is an integral part of that.

Learn more about the Scotland: Highlands & Islands Hiking tour here.

If you’ve enjoyed reading and are inspired to join us or have questions about the adventures featured in this post, please give us a call at 1-800-941-8010 or send us an email at info@boundlessjourneys.com.