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December 2007
Scots Word for December
Black Bun
'Ah'll tell ye whit's wrang wi the young anes the day' opined ma
neebor, sclimin up her soap box. 'They ging oot drinkin oan a tuim
wame. Nae wunner the maut gets abune the meal', an wi that she gies
me wi the ae haun a gless o whisky that wad hae floatit the Queen
Mary, and wi the ither haun she offers me an olive. Jist as weel Ah'd
haed a slice o black bun that wad hae sunk a battleship, afore Ah cam
oot. It's ane o the staples o ma Hogmanay preparations, alang wi the
sausage rolls an the shortie.
F. M. McNeill describes it in her
Scots Kitchen (1929) as 'A Festive Cake at
Hogmanay. Big blue raisins, currants, sweet almonds; orange, lemon,
and citron peel; flour, Demerara sugar, ground cloves or cinnamon,
ground ginger, Jamaica pepper, black pepper, baking soda, buttermilk
or eggs, brandy; crust: flour, butter, water'. Noo that's whit ye
need tae pit a linin on yer stomach! Mrs Dalgairns in her
Practice of Cookery
(1850) gies a similar receipt unner the name o Scotch bun. Afore that we read in Jamieson's
An Etymological
Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1808) o 'a sweet cake or loaf, generally one of that kind which is used
at the new year, baked with fruit and spiceries; sometimes for this reason called a sweetie-scone'. Sae, gin ye
tak a wee gift o black bun wi ye for first-fittin, yer cairryin a wee bit o history wi ye.
Hae happy an upricht New Year!
The Scots column is written by Director Christine Robinson. You can
contact her with any questions.
