Biadh na h-Alba or Scottish Food Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the national dish of Scotland, usually served with "neeps" and "tatties" and a wee dram?

Answer: Haggis

Haggis may not sound appetising when the ingredients are listed but believe me it is so tasty. Traditionally haggis consists of the heart, lungs and liver of a sheep, ground down and mixed with onion, oatmeal and spices. It used to be encased in the animals stomach for cooking but it is more usual today to find it in an artificial casing, similar to a sausage skin. "Neeps" and "tatties" are parsnips and potatoes, and together with the haggis are a traditional Burn's Night meal on 25th January, along with a wee dram, or several of whisky.

2. Cullen Skink is a fairly well known traditional Scottish soup, but I prefer a bowl of Partan Bree. What would the main ingredient in this soup be?

Answer: Crab

Partan Bree is a beautiful combination of crab and rice, which goes very well with warm, thick buttered bread. Vegetables such as celery and carrots can be added and some people also add sherry to the cooking process for an extra kick. Of the other possible answers, a sheep's head would be found in powsowdie soup, barley used mainly in Scotch broth and chicken would be found with leeks in cock-a-leekie soup.

3. Christmas isn't Christmas without some of this fried oatmeal dish on the festive table. Which dish are we talking about?

Answer: Skirlie

Skirlie is oatmeal fried up with onions, lard and salt and pepper, and apart from being served as a side dish, is often used as a stuffing for chicken. This is a dish I've never been keen on, but when in Rome, or Edinburgh..

4. Whisky is Scotland's national drink, but which non-alcoholic beverage is often referred to as the country's "other national drink"?

Answer: Irn-Bru

"Made in Scotland, from girders" was the advertising tagline I remember from my childhood and this drink made by A.G. Barr in Cumbernauld, is still one of my favourites. In Scotland, Irn-Bru outsells every other carbonated drink, despite some heavy advertising from Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

5. When would you traditionally eat a Festy Cock while in Scotland?

Answer: Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras would be the usual time to eat a festy cock or two, although this Scottish pancake, made with finely ground oatmeal instead of standard pancake batter is delicious any time. It is traditionally shaped into a cockerel shape and fired in a kiln, rather then on a flame, the cockerel shape, believed to be a reference to chicken which would be given up for Lent.

6. In England, left overs from a roast dinner are used to make Bubble and Squeak. Which dish would one make from these left overs in Scotland?

Answer: Rumbledethumps

Similar to bubble and squeak, rumbledethumps is made using mainly left over vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage and onions although thinly sliced meat can also be added. Unlike bubble and squeak though. which is fried, rumbledethumps is covered in grated cheese and baked in the oven. Former UK prime minister and Renfrewshire native, Gordon Brown has said that rumbledethumps is his favourite meal.

The other answers are all characters from the musical, "Cats".

7. Leann Fraoch is a wonderfully tasty Scottish ale, made from which plant, often associated with the country?

Answer: Heather

There are recipes for Leann Fraoch dating back hundreds of years and it is believed to be one of the oldest beer styles in the world, possibly having been drunk since 2000 BC. Brewers say that each variety of heather has a slightly different taste, for example bell heather is sweeter than ling heather, which I think, makes each bottle an adventure.

8. Once very popular in the fishing communities of Northern Scotland and the Hebrides, what would the main ingredient of Crappit Heid be?

Answer: Cod

Crappit heids really were a food borne out of poverty, when the less fortunate could afford only oatmeal and the fish they had caught. The caught fish were usually sold though, leaving only the offal and the head, which is what formed the basis of crappit heid. Simply stuff the head of the cod with oats and the fish liver, sew it up and boil it for a nutritious dish, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fats and cod liver oil. Incidentally, "crap" is an old Scottish word meaning to fill or to stuff.

9. Known as the "king of Scottish desserts", cranachan typically consists of whipped cream, oats, honey, whisky and which fruit?

Answer: Raspberries

Traditionally served in summer to celebrate the end of the raspberry harvest, cranachan is now popular year round, especially so on Burns Night. A bed of toasted oats, topped with whipped cream and raspberries, drizzled with honey and whisky certainly sounds like something that should be eaten year round to me.

There are now many variants to the original cranachan, with blueberries or blackberries used in place of raspberries and I have heard tell of some folk who dare to use spiced rum in place of whisky.

10. It wouldn't be a Scottish cuisine quiz without mentioning the country's largest exporter of food, Walkers. Which iconic item do Walkers produce?

Answer: Shortbread

Baked according to a family recipe dating back to 1898, Walkers pure butter shortbread is shipped all over the world and is seen as the finest shortbread there is, a notion backed up by the fact the the company are three time winners of The Queen's Award for Export.

Source: Author 480154st

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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Scotland is a wonderful country full of friendly people and amazing cuisine. Here are some of their unique dishes.

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