When looking at Scotland’s food history, it’s easy to understand how the country became known for hearty, humble and wholesome food such as porridge, broths and stews.

It’s exactly those types of meals that were available in Scotland back in the day, which gave ancient Scots the warmth and strength to live their lives. But Scottish food has developed over time through a number of different influences, including from the Vikings, Medieval times and the French.

Both immigration and invasions have also heavily shaped the famous Scottish food that’s still enjoyed today. Let’s take a trip back in time to look at the history of Scotland’s fare…

Pretty as a Pict-ure (The Picts and the Celts)

After the Ice Age, the first set of Earthlings to find the stunning landscapes of Scotland (or ‘Alba’ as it was called back then), are understood to be the Picts, a group of hunter-gatherers. Not much seems to be known for certain about the Picts, other than seafood being one of the main ways they avoided going hangry! Surrounded by the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, it was a top-notch fish-fest from day one in the land of the early Scot!

They also hunted inland, for cattle, deer, sheep and pigs (although no bacon sandwiches or Haggis just yet!) Oats, barley and indigenious plants were also popular snacking items. The upper class Pict enjoyed hunting during the day and had their pick of the best meat for dinner, like boar or venison. The poorer folk made do with cows.

The Picts seem to have disappeared around the 9th century, around the time that Gaelic and Celtic tribes turned up (known as the Celts). The Celts are believed to have been forced away from their original home, Ireland, due to food shortages. The Celts were also hunter-gatherers and similar to the Picts, are understood to have hunted animals like deer and game, whilst fishing in the oceans and the Scottish lochs. They also enjoyed the basic vegetables that we today call ‘superfoods’ including kale, beans and carrots.

Vikings Incoming!

Scotland was first invaded by Vikings in the late 8th century and Scottish food took another step in its journey towards the deep Fried Mars Bar (we’ll get to that!) These Scandinavians settling in Scotland brought with them their cattle, which are believed to be the origin of the famous Scottish delicacy that is the Aberdeen Angus beef. 

Not only that, the Vikings also brought with them their cooking and food preservation techniques, including smoking and salting. It just so happens that the smoked haddock dish ‘Arbroath Smokies’ is still a popular and classic Scottish food today. Salting was a common method used by the Vikings to preserve their food on long journeys.

Scottish Food in Medieval Times

It was during the Medieval times that Scots started moving closer to towns and castles to work, from the countryside. People naturally started to mingle and Scottish food began to take on more influences, with word getting out about new flavours from Europe and Asia. The Spanish, French and Italians had a big influence on Scottish cuisine at the time. 

Seasonings seem to have been the main things that were introduced, bringing a bit more excitement to the Scots’ grub! Salt was considered a huge luxury although other herbs and spices like garlic, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, root ginger, mint and rosemary were more commonly used.

A Medieval Scottish banquet might’ve involved any number of top-notch meats and game, including beef, wild boar, venison, pigeon, rabbit, grouse and even peacock and swan. The seafood eaten included unusual items like pike, lamprey, eel and porpoise. The lower classes instead mainly ate produce of the animals rather than the meat itself (like milk). It’s understood that they also mainly lived off of vegetable broths, oats, soft fruits, nuts, plus bread and cheese when they became available.

It might’ve actually been the Vikings that first brought Haggis to Scotland, but certainly by Medieval times, what was to become one of Britain’s most famous dishes had been born. Either way, it seems clear that Haggis was created through the need to preserve food (why else would you put your meat inside a pig or sheep’s stomach lining?!)

It’s considered that some other Scottish food classics were also invented during this period, such as Scotch Broth and Cullen Skink.

Enter… The Potato!!

It’s hard to imagine a world without something that brings us so much joy, but before the late 1500s, Scottish food knew not of the legend that is the simple spud! People in Scotland, especially the lower classes, actually relied on potatoes so much that it later led to tragedy. In the 1840s, Scotland was faced with the Highland Potato Famine, where death was the result for many, as starvation took place across Europe. 

Almost two million Scots were forced to leave the country for America, Canada and Australia. But, the famine was thankfully over by 1857 and the spud was back! Since then, potatoes were reintroduced and are still a huge part of Scottish cuisine.

A little help from the French

During the 16th century, Mary Queen of Scots spent some time in France and returned to Scotland with a love of the cuisine (what’s not to love about crepes and croissants!) It was actually the French’s use of rich, thick sauces that she mainly introduced to Scottish cuisine. French chefs were also brought back to cook in the Scottish Court.

Scottish Food in the Georgian Era 

The Georgians were our type of people it seems! Rather than settle for only two courses at dinner, they decided to increase this to three or more. In Scotland, their classic soups would often be served first, before a typical meat and fish feast. This was followed by a cream and sugar fuelled dessert course (the early days of Great British puddings!)

This type of feast was still only common in wealthier households, with the mere peasants settling for much more basic meals during this 18th century period. It was also at this time that railways allowed Scotland to develop profits from further afield, in exchange for its top-notch nosh.

Have your cake and eat it

The 19th century saw the introduction of the tearoom to Scottish food (along with the rest of Britain). Queen Victoria, the cheeky minx, loved a bit of tea and cake, and she made sure the whole of Britain benefited from the delight we now know and love as the famous Afternoon Tea. Traditional Scottish baking included items like shortbread, scones, Dundee Cake and loads more, many of which would be featured on TV centuries later, on shows like The Great British Bake Off!

Scottish Food in the 20th Century

During World War II, the entire UK suffered from food shortages. For one thing, this led to Britain’s food reputation taking a bit of a bashing.

In Scotland specifically, a dude named John Raeburn began a campaign known as Dig For Victory, which encouraged landowners to use their land for producing food wherever possible. It’s said that private gardens were used to raise over 5,000 pigs alone to help the cause (now that’s a lot of bacon sandwiches!!)

Even in the years after the war, it was slim-pickings when it came to food variety in Scotland. With farming taking place on a huge industrial scale, it meant little excitement where Scottish food was concerned. Some adventurousness did eventually come though, when goods were again imported from overseas. Mass immigration from countries like Italy, India and Pakistan also took place, adding some extra variety and flavour (hello pizza and curry!!)

Modern Scottish Food

As folk have come and gone from Scotland over time, the food has naturally developed from international influences. As time goes on, the food culture and eating habits in Scotland continue to evolve. As of the 21st century, Eastern Europeans especially seem to have taken a liking to Scotland, in particular the Polish. This meant international artisan shops popping up throughout Scotland. 

The Italians, Indians and also the Chinese also grew increasingly fond of Scotland in the early 2000s, meaning we’ve been treated with their culinary delights and restaurants ever since. That said, loads of the traditional Scottish produce mentioned above and below is still widely eaten today, including the meat, game, oats, seafood and more.

Believe it or not, the traditional Scottish diet was actually pretty healthy. We say this because in more recent times, the typical perception of Scottish food is anything but healthy, partly due to fast-food and takeaway outlets becoming so common. The invention of the deep-fried Mars Bar and fried Haggis probably didn’t help, but you won’t find us knocking such genius creations (all good if eaten in moderation!)

Modern Scottish food in general, like modern British food, is all about mixing new ideas and techniques with the classic Scottish food traditions. A classic example is Haggis Pakora, a creation combining awesome delicacies of Scotland and India. On the fine dining scene, there’s loads of impressive ideas brought to life by Scotland’s best chefs, who can be found in many of the UK’s Michelin star restaurants.

So, the food eaten in Scotland today is similar to the rest of Britain really, in that there’s massive pride in the traditional dishes (such as Haggis, Neeps and Tatties), but also a love for modern and foreign flavours.

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