LL-L "Review" 2007.04.16 (06) [E/S]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  16 April 2007 - Volume 06

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Review

Lowlanders,

When I was in San Francisco about one week ago, I had two surprise
encounters of the Lowlands kind. A security officer at the airport turned
out to be a native Afrikaans speaker of the "Cape Coloured" kind, and she
and I had a bit of a chat, with somewhat questionable Afrikaans on my part.
In the used books section of one of the older stores a book fell on my head
when I bent down to reach for a dictionary. Rather than consider suing the
store owners à l'américaine, I immediately realized that the book wanted to
be taken home by me, and so I did. Please see my review below.

The publishing house is now defunct (1890-1991). I wonder what this means
regarding copyright, for this little beauty ought to be digitized and
posted.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

***

*REVIEW*

F. Marian McNeill, *The Scots Kitchen : Its traditions and lore, with
old-time recipes*; London & Glasgow : Blackie & Son Ltd., 1929, reprinted,
1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948;  259 pp.,
hardback.

This is an unassuming and therefore easily overlooked little treasure trove
packed with educational and entertaining information aside from recipes of
what at least used to be basic Scottish cookery. In addition, it provides
the student of Scots language with tidbits of terminology and poetry, as
well as some Gaelic verses and numerous references to the Gaelic provenance
of names.

The contents are structured much like those of ordinary cookbooks, but these
are preceded by over seventy pages of valuable background information. Most
of this is of a historical nature sprinkled with glimpses at folklore and
customs. A section devoted to "The Replenishing of the Kitchen" provides in
Scots rhyme form instructions for keeping stocked the larders of millers,
fishermen, farmers, cotters and shepherds. We are even introduced to
old-time customs of blessing the kindling in both English and Gaelic
(*Beannachachadh,
Beannachachadh*). There are descriptions of typical old-time Scottish tables
and hospitality on different occasions, and there are reminders of the
virtue of good Scottish frugality:

·      Mickle meat, mony maladies.

·      Surfeits slay mair than swords.

·      He but eats but ae dish seldom needs the doctor.

·      Licht suppers mak lang fife.

Many of the recipes come with more or less elaborate descriptions and
background information, sometimes longer than the usually simple recipes
themselves. Most recipes come with credits to a person or a place.

Among the soups and broths we encounter intriguing old-timers such as the
original hotch-potch, powsodie (sheep's head broth), skink (beef stew soup),
Cullen skink (haddock soup), Partan bree (crab soup), Highland nettle broth
and the now widely known cock-a-leekie.

Seafood dishes are numerous and include interesting-sounding ones like
cropadeu (oatmeal with haddock liver) and cod-liver bannock (known as *bonnach
donn* "brown bannock" on Skye).

Game and poultry dishes include deer haggis, roast grouse, and "stoved
howtowdie with drappit eggs."

Meat dishes are preceded by the most talked-about Scottish creature, the
haggis which comes in three varieties. We encounter various types of
collops, also forfar bridies, inky-pinky, potted head, potted hough, and we
learn how to salt a Yule mart or whole bullock.

Vegetable dishes include colcannon, kailkenny, clapshot, rumbledethumbs and
all manner of potato dishes.

Recipes for puddings, pies and sweets abound. Some of them are astonishingly
simple, like that of crokain (< French *croqu'en bouche*: sugar, water,
lemon). The names are often more intriguing that the recipes, such as Scots
flummery, whipt sillabubs, and whim-wham.

When we get to bannocks, scones and tea-bread, then on to cakes and
shortbread, and finally to brewed and mixed drinks, Scotland shines with
simple baked goods, and this is also where Scots likes to shine with sayings
and ditties.

Wha in a brulyie
   Will first cry a parley?
Never the lads wi'
   The bannocks o' barley!
      Bannocks o' bere meal,
      Bannocks o' barley,
      Here's to the Hielandman's
      Bannocks o' barley!

***
O whar did ye get that hauvermeal bannock?
   O silly blind body, O dinna ye see?
I got it frae a brisk young sodger laddie
   Between St. Johnston and bonnie Dundee.

We learn about old prohibitions:

Atween Yule and Yearsmas,
   Auld wives shouldna spin;
An' nae hoose should be waterless
   Whare maidens lie within.

Among the appendices we find a Scots-English-French glossary of domestic
terms, old Scottish measures and a festival calendar with customary dishes.

This volume serves several purposes and bridges divides between genres,
especially between entertainment and reference.
Reinhard F. Hahn, Seattle, April 16, 2007
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