Alan Davidson

Skirlie

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

skirlie a Scottish speciality, is a fried mixture of oatmeal, onion, and suet, with seasoning. It can be used as a stuffing or served as an accompaniment to roast meat or game.

The name, which does not seem to have been used before the 20th century, is thought to be derived from ‘skirl’, to cry out or make a noise like bagpipes; this because of the noise made by skirlie as it is fried in the pan.

© the Estate of Alan Davidson 1999, 2006, 2014 © in the Editor’s contribution to the second and third editions, Oxford University Press 2006, 2014.