This article is not about anything to do with scallops, but I just couldn't resist writing about Scotland's flagship gastronomic cuisine crime....Deep Fried Mars Bars. These have to perhaps go down in cooking history as possibly, in my opinion, the most hideous creation of all time that ever hit oil.Originally a novelty item, appearing in the 1990s in Scottish "chip shops", a Mars Bar is coated in the same batter as fish and chips and then deep fried and offered up together with chips. It was and rapidly developed into a cult following with mass media reporting it as an iconic urban Scottish favourite amongst Neds and international backpackers.
A study reported in one of Britain's medical journal's - The Lancet - points out concerns about poor diet and physical health problems experienced in Scotland. Reportedly, First Minister Jack McConnel, leader of Scotland's executive cabinet was quoted as saying that Scotland is "one of the unhealthiest nations in Europe."
Researchers also discovered that in addition to this delectable disaster, other bizarre specialities are available including; deep fried ice-cream, pineapple rings, picked eggs, Snickers bars and bananas.
Scotland's indigenous food culture was in the past comparatively healthy, including oats, root vegetables, venison, fish and seafood. However, due to the shift to the cities during 18th and 19th centuries with the coming of the industrial revolution, much of this was lost and the high level of calories required to perform the heavy physical jobs resulted in more consumption, with fatty food being an affordable source. Notably, deep frying also killed off bacteria and viruses, which would have been common place amongst food. Also, at the time, Scotland was successfully building an importing empire which included sugar and may be attributed to their partiality to sweets.
Needless to say, DFMB's are now an endangered species and have gone into decline in recent years. It can however, still be found in various fish and chip shops throughout England, Northern Ireland, and of course Scotland. There are chip shops to be found along Edinburgh's Royal Mile who not only cater to this perverse market, but also dish up other treats such as deep fried pizzas and kebabs, and lovingly prepared haggis pakoras. Also, sadly, the DFMB has made guest appearances in a chippie in Sydney's Campbell Parade, using a variation with the batter and finished off with a dusting of sugar. There is even shop in Wellington's Strathmore Park serving up deep fried Moro bars as a tempting alternative.
