What is typical Scottish food and drink?
Discover the variety of Scottish food and drink, which has much more to offer than just haggis and whisky. Scottish food ranges from hearty meat dishes to delicious seafood and traditional desserts. Scotland invites you to enjoy. Be inspired by our selection of typical Scottish food and drink and learn more about the culture and traditions behind these unique delights.
Eating and drinking in Scotland
Eating and drinking in Scotland was a real adventure for me. I remember our first haggis, served with mashed potatoes and turnips. We also tried fresh salmon straight from a small village on the coast. In the evenings we enjoyed whisky in a cozy pub while the locals told us stories. Every day brought new culinary discoveries. Scottish cuisine is diverse and exciting.
Popular Scottish dishes
You should definitely try these Scottish dishes:
- Haggis: A traditional dish made from sheep's stomach stuffed with offal, oatmeal and spices.
- Cullen Skink: A hearty soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes and onions.
- Scotch Pie: A small, spicy meat pie, often filled with lamb or beef.
- Arbroath Smoky Mountains: Smoked haddock, traditionally prepared in the town of Arbroath.
- Black pudding: Black pudding, often served as part of a Scottish breakfast.
- shortbread: A buttery, crumbly pastry, typical of Scotland.
- Cranachan: A dessert made from whipped cream, honey, whiskey, oatmeal and raspberries.
What do people eat in Scotland?
Scotland is all about traditional, hearty cooking, often using local and seasonal ingredients. Scottish food culture is characterised by simple but flavoursome dishes that reflect the country's landscape and history. We found that meals in Scotland often include meat, fish and grains, and cooking methods are often passed down for generations.
Typical Scotland: Haggis, Neeps & Tatties
Thanks to Google and a good internet connection, we quickly find out that Haggis is a typical Scottish speciality. The ingredients sound strange at first. Haggis consists of sheep's innards such as heart, liver, lungs and stomach, which are minced in a meat grinder. They are then mixed with fat, oat flour and onions. Beef and oat flakes are added to taste. Haggis is always well seasoned with pepper. This mixture is stuffed into a sheep's stomach and cooked in the oven.
My initial scepticism quickly disappears when I notice that it tastes quite good. It is a bit spicy for my taste, but that is apparently part of it. More information about Haggis can be found on Wikipedia. In Scotland, “neeps” is a puree made from turnips, and “tatties” are potatoes that are also served as a coarse puree.
Haggis, Neeps & Tatties was also the favorite dish of Robert Burns, Scotland's most famous poet. He even wrote a poem about it. You can find this (and a German translation of it) here.
It is Scottish food, perfect for an evening after a walk on one of the lochs. We are served it for the first time at dinner. It is the first course of our dinner at Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness * (Book the hotel on Booking). In hotels you can sometimes get haggis for breakfast. However, since we are only in Inverness and at Loch Ness for a short time, we try out other breakfast versions. After all, we want to get to know as much typical Scottish food as possible during this time.
Breakfast in Scotland - typical Scottish food
Our first breakfast in Inverness reminds me very much of what you would have in Ireland starts the day. It is served in a coffee shop in the hotel. The ambience is not exactly cozy, more functional. The selection for a continental (cold) breakfast consists of cold cuts and cheese, fruit, cereals, dried fruit and nuts, yoghurt, bread, pastries, porridge, milk and juices.
However, we are interested in a cooked Scottish breakfast. We can put together the ingredients ourselves. There are pork sausages, black pudding, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs (fried or scrambled) and baked beans. You can find everything except the beans in the photo above.
In addition, there are other side dishes or warm breakfast variations. These include vegetarian sausages, poached eggs, potato scones, omelets, Pancakes, haggis, boiled eggs, smoked herring (Scottish kippers), smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, poached Scottish smoked haddock and poached eggs.
On the second day we ordered Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. I usually can't resist that. Here too, it was a good choice and typical Scottish food. We often see salmon on menus in Scotland.
Scottish lunch
For lunch, restaurants, pubs or coffee shops along country roads are ideal. Since we spent the first day of our stay in Inverness with a tour of the surrounding area, we stop at one of the coffee shops along the route. Scottish Highland cattle graze in the pasture. A doe greets us curiously from her paddock, and geese cackle excitedly when they see us coming.
The coffee shop is small but well visited. There is still space at one of the wooden tables for us. From our seats we have a good view of the cattle pasture and the countryside. We choose our dishes from a slate board, that advertises the daily specials. I opt for a salmon roll with meat salad, mixed salad and chips. There is also tea. This is as popular in Scotland, as it is in England. Petar has a potato soup with bread.
Scottish food at pub lunch
On the second day of our stay we visit the Restaurant Number 27 (27 Castle St, Inverness IV2 3DU) below Inverness Castle. Number 27 is a mixture of pub and restaurant. It describes itself as a "bar and kitchen". The walls advertise the current desserts of the day. However, we choose our lunch from the extensive menu. It is cozy here.
The group of women who arrive shortly after us also think so and are obviously enjoying their lunch together. This time we decide on pork belly on pumpkin puree with red wine sauce. Even at lunchtime it becomes clear how hearty - and good - Scottish food and drink is. We don't have enough time or stomach capacity for dessert. We save the desserts for our dinner.
What do you eat for dinner in Scotland?
When it comes to Scottish dinner, haggis might be the first thing that springs to mind. Haggis isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's still worth a try.
If you want to try something less adventurous, then you should try Cullen Skink. This is a delicious soup made from smoked fish, potatoes and onions. Often served with fresh bread, it's a great choice for a cold night.
Another option for a Scottish dinner is the famous fish and chips. Fried fish is served with french fries. While it may not be traditionally Scottish, it's definitely a popular dish in Scotland.
There are also plenty of other tasty options for a Scottish dinner, from steak to vegetarian dishes. Whatever you choose, don't forget to try a Scottish beer or whiskey with it. That makes the food even better!
For dinner there is typical Scottish food in Inverness and at Loch Ness
We have dinner twice during our short trip to Inverness. Once at the Conservatory Restaurant at the Kingsmills Hotel in town, and once at the Fiddler's Pub in Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness. We got Scottish food at both locations. Scottish gourmet food with haggis, neeps and tatties (see photo above) as a starter was available at the hotel. We liked, that traditional Scottish food was part of a gourmet dinner. In the pub we got pub food as is common in Scotland. That is also an experience, that we like to remember.
Scottish specialties in the Conservatory Restaurant at the Kingsmills Inn in Inverness
We are served a gourmet dinner at the Conservatory Restaurant at the Kingsmills Inn. The Scottish starter is followed by a featherblade of Scottish beef with châteaux potatoes, seasonal vegetables and red wine jus. With the "Featherblade" I had to google again and found this explanation at LEO: It is the piece "above the (shoulder) blade and is probably called "feather blade" because a thick layer of connective tissue runs through the middle, from which the fiber in branches off in both directions as if from a quill.” In any case, it tasted excellent.
The raspberry slice for dessert rounded off our gourmet dinner perfectly. Light and fluffy, it ended our first dinner in Scotland.
We also enjoyed a coffee and a glass of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Tomatin Distillery, which we visited the next day. I'm not normally a fan of Scottish whisky because it's often too smoky for me. I usually prefer triple-distilled Irish whisky. But I was all the more surprised by Tomatin's Legacy Whisky. So Scottish food and drink win me over in this respect too.
What I particularly liked about this gourmet meal was that only Scottish products were used. This gave us the opportunity to gain an insight into the traditional cuisine of Scotland.
Dinner at the Fiddlers Pub in Drumnadrochit
As we stayed at a B&B in Drumnadrochit on our second evening Loch Ness We stayed overnight and ate at Fiddler’s Pub in the town centre (The Village Green, Drumnadrochit). This is one of those pubs that the locals also like to go to. Pubs like this are almost something like the living room of the village community. Everyone meets there for a beer, a chat with friends or a meal with the family. It was the same here. It was tight in Fiddler's Pub. And loud! But it was fun to watch people spend their evening. We followed suit by enjoying our dinner with them.
The Auswahl is great
This time we eat à la carte. There is a large selection, but we want to try Scottish food here too. That's why I choose the Loch Ness Cider & Onion Pork Belly. It's slow-cooked pork belly with black pudding, Loch Ness cider and onion, mashed potatoes and red cabbage. Petar takes the Highlander Chicken, that grilled It is served with Cockburn's haggis from Dingwall, mashed tatties and neeps. It is served with Dijon mustard sauce.
How about dessert?
Although the food is hearty, tastes good and is filling, we also want to try a dessert that evening. After all, it is not every day that we get the chance to try Scottish food. This time, however, we limit ourselves to one dessert for both of us. We simply cannot have more. Since Petar is a big fan of Pavlova, we choose the Forest Fruit Pavlova for dessert. It is a meringue with wild berry compote. It is served with whipped cream, strawberries and ice cream.
To finish our dinner off, we treat ourselves to a satisfying glass of whiskey from the Tomatin Distillery range of products.
Conclusion on Scottish food and drink:
Scotland offers a rich culinary variety, from hearty haggis to delicate Cullen Skink and sweet shortbread. Scottish cuisine is deeply rooted in traditions and offers unique taste experiences. Try these typical dishes and discover the culture behind the food. Do you have a favorite dish or a Scottish recipe you would like to share? Leave a comment and let us know which Scottish specialties you like best!
In our two and a half days in Inverness and at Loch Ness, we certainly didn't get to know all the specialties that Scottish food and drink have to offer. What is missing from our list, for example, are the many fish and seafood dishes that Scotland has to offer. However, we weren't able to try them in such a short time. They are therefore a good option for a longer trip through the country.
However, with our examples we hope to introduce you to some dishes that you should definitely try on a trip to Scotland. Perhaps our explanations will also help you to find your way around Scottish menus.
Questions and answers about Scottish food and drink
What are some traditional Scottish drinks to try?
In Scotland, there are many other drinks to discover besides the famous whisky. Be sure to try a sip of Irn-Bru, an orange-colored lemonade that has almost achieved cult status. For beer lovers, the various Scottish ales and stouts are worth a try. Scottish gin is also enjoying increasing popularity and should be on the tasting list.
What vegetarian options are there in traditional Scottish cuisine?
Scottish cuisine also offers some tasty treats for vegetarians. Try Cullen Skink with smoked tofu instead of fish, or vegan haggis, which is made with lentils, beans and oats. Delicious cheeses from Scotland, such as Mull of Kintyre Cheddar, are also a great option.
Are there any special food markets or festivals in Scotland?
Yes, Scotland has a vibrant foodie scene with many markets and festivals. The Edinburgh Farmers' Market offers a variety of local produce. The Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight in September is another highlight that celebrates the diversity of Scottish cuisine. Here you can sample many local delicacies and talk to the producers.
What is special about a Scottish breakfast?
A traditional Scottish breakfast is a real experience. It usually consists of fried bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, potato scones and often black pudding. Sometimes kippers (smoked herrings) or haggis are also served. The whole thing is rounded off with toast and jam. A hearty start to the day!
Which Scottish desserts are a must-try?
Scotland has a variety of delicious desserts to offer. Shortbread is a classic that you should definitely try. Cranachan, a dessert made of cream, honey, raspberries and roasted oats, is also a delight. For cake lovers, Dundee Cake with fruit and almonds is a must. These desserts are not only delicious, but also typically Scottish.
Travel Arrangements:
Parking at the airport
Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.
Arrival:
Compare and book flights here*. Inverness offers an international airport. From there you can then continue your journey by rental car or bus.
Trips:
For example, there are numerous Excursions and tours in and around Inverness.
Accommodations:
Hotels in and around Inverness * You can book here. We have the first two nights in the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness * The third night we spent at the Glenkir B&B in Drumnadrochit. Bed and Breakfast Inverness Scotland * you can book bed and breakfasts in and around Inverness. You can also find suitable accommodation on this map instead:
Scotland Travel Guide:
Order your travel guide for Scotland here*.
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Source Scottish food and drink: own research on site. In any case, our opinion remains our own.
Text Scottish Food and Drink: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs as well as TravelWorldOnline and Unsplash
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
