The creek at Glengoyne Whisky Distillery
The lovely people of Scotland are good at making two things: drunk food, and hangover food. How do I know this? Having just turned 21 the night before leaving for Edinburgh and Glasgow. . .how do you think?
Of course, there has to be a reason for this - Scotland has a rich culture dating back thousands of years. I learned this reason when my class visited the Glengoyne Scotch Whisky Distillery for a tour and liquid debriefing. Glengoyne is located in the lowlands of Scotland near Stirling - essentially "Braveheart" land. It is one of the few distilleries left in Scotland that is still owned and operated by Scots, as most have been bought by other countries including Japan and the US. So we felt as though we were getting the real deal.
Even if you do not like Scotch Whisky, (most of our class made faces of complete disgust when they tried it) you have to respect the process. A tradition that is centuries old, Scotch is made with three simple ingredients: barley, yeast, and water. A single malt Scotch, or the expensive stuff, is made exactly how it sounds: with one type of malted barley. Our guides stressed that it should be served by itself, or perhaps with a splash of water. Since it is an oily drink, water can help to bring out the intricacies of flavor in the spirit. The cheaper blended whiskeys are often times only 40% barley, and up to 60% of other grains. That is what you use for your whisky and coke, my friends.
The barley is traditionally dried out for a few days on the floor of a large store house. Because it is so labor intensive and production has grown, Glengoyne now gets their dried barley delivered to them. The barley is then ground and combined with yeast and water and churned in these huge vats. Water is an extremely important part to making whiskey, as it takes 100 liters of water just to make 1 bottle. The mixture is then left to ferment in large wood containers. Taking a peek into the barrels we could see huge bubbles foaming off the liquid. Our guide warned us not to breath in too deeply while standing over the vats, as the CO2 coming off of it is so strong that it could knock you out!What is then essentially beer is taken away to a copper distiller. They use copper because it is a good heat conductor. The liquid is then heated, and since alcohol boils before water, the steam from the alcohol leaves the liquid and goes up a tube to another compartment. It is there that it returns to a liquid state, and becomes much higher in alcohol content. Scotch whisky makers do the distilling process twice, where as Irish whiskeys and bourbons tend to distill 3 times, thus having a higher alcohol content. Scotch is only distilled twice because the makers believe that too much alcohol takes away from the flavor.
After reaching the appropriate alcohol percentage, the Scotch is stored in oak barrels for a period of at least 10 years, although 20 is preferable. The barrels at Glengoyne all had a previous use as storage for Spanish sherry, so the Scotch, a clear liquid when it goes into the barrel, emerges a golden color as it soaks in the residual alcohol and the color from the wood. The longer it sits, the deeper the color gets. When it is ready, the liquid is bottled and is ready to be enjoyed by the masses.
And it IS enjoyed. Along with beer, the Scots love their alcohol as dictated by the dozens of whisky shops that line the streets of Glasgow and especially Edinburgh. Go into one of the many pubs and you can expect to see a long menu of different types of Scotch. Chat up some of the friendly locals, have a few drinks, and a few hours and whiskys later, you will realize that it is time for something to eat.
Which leads me to the food of Scotland. While several international places, especially Indian, have opened recently, dinner hours end relatively early in Scotland. I personally think it is because restaurants know that they cannot compete with the traditional Scottish meal after one too many whiskeys. That meal is at your corner fry shop, where you can have anything your heart desires - as long as it is deep fried.
wedding photo? enjoying a fried mars bar
it totally needed to be fried longer, but still gooey and good, if that's your type of thing!
Fish, chips, pizza, mars bars, burgers, oreos, I am not kidding when I say 'anything your heart desires'. Whether you prefer sweet or savory for your "fourth meal", the Scots have got you covered. While in theory it is completely appalling and gross sounding, and most joints are not of stellar quality, when you have been drinking a bit too much there is nothing better than sinking your teeth into the fattiest substance you can get your hands on. It helps ease the potential morning hang over as well.
fry shop fish and chips. we had the real deal at a restaurant in glasgow, and it was much more delicious
And of course, as a food blogger, I could not leave Scotland without trying the infamous haggis. If you do not know what haggis is, one of my favorite quotes from the movie "Armageddon" explains it perfectly: "hearts, lungs, and liver. You stuff that into a sheep's stomach, and then you boil it. That'll put some hair on your ass". Seeing it on the breakfast buffet among the various meats, I decided to give it a go. Don't get too excited - it tasted like a frozen brand of breakfast sausage.
So now here is some food for thought (pun intended): Just what exactly is in your favorite brand of breakfast sausage?
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