21 hours ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Get your teeth into the history behind collops
Another early citation comes from David Fergusson's Scottish Proverbs (a1598): 'It is a sairie collope that is tain off a capone'. This proverb must have proved popular, as Andrew Henderson also records a version more than 200 years later in 1832: 'It's a sary collop that's taen aff a chicken'. Of course, today's chickens are much heftier than the ones Fergusson or Henderson would have encountered.
In March 1830, the Aberdeen Press and Journal concluded its report on a successful boar hunt with a reference to the 'ancient method of roasting [boar] whole, and the more modern method of cooking in a collop, with wine sauce, as practiced at Naples and elsewhere'.
In November 1956, the Montrose Review noted: 'Now that venison is plentiful and cheap in Montrose and in the best condition at this time of the year, here is a recipe for Venison Collops, which is as economical as it is appetising'.
More recently in April 2016, The Herald listed 'traditional Scottish fare like cabbie claw, collops, rumbledethumps, and Cullen skink', demonstrating how the dish persists into the 21st century. Long may it continue!
