The Scotch egg is a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. It was created by Fortnum and Mason, a London-based retailer, in 1738 as a portable and tasty product for cross-town travelers. It has become a popular pub item in the United States, and is sometimes served hot with dips or dressings.
A Scotch egg is a hard-boiled egg encased in a sausage, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. Contrary to its name, it is not a Scottish dish, but was a picnic item created in 1738 by Fortnum and Mason, a London-based retailer. Traditionally, it has been a food that is eaten on the go, such as for outdoor lunches and events, and is usually served cold. It is sometimes called a snack egg, party egg, or picnic egg. Scotch egg has become a popular pub item in the United States.
Fortnum and Mason is a London department store that was founded in 1707 and is credited with creating the Scotch egg dish. The shop initially focused on groceries and became famous in the Victorian era – from 1837 to 1901 – for their quality products and, in particular, their picnic foods. The store developed the dish to offer cross-town travelers a portable and tasty product that can be easily packaged and eaten on the go. The meat used for the sausage in the 18th century version was probably tastier and the eggs were much smaller than in the modern ones. It was not a food that everyone could afford as meat was generally very expensive.
As meat became cheaper for consumers, cheap cuts were used, and scotch egg became available to more people. It has started to become a staple in some English shops, restaurants and cafes. Today, pubs in England also serve the dish, although they tend to serve it hot, fresh from the fryer. Home cooks may bake the dish in the oven rather than frying it, which creates the same flavor, but doesn’t create the outer crust that fries.
The type of sausage used to encase the egg is usually a country or grass type. To make a simple herb sausage, combine some ground pork with dried, ground sage, marjoram, and thyme. Season the mixture with a pinch of salt and pepper. Some recipes also use a raw egg or two in the meat mixture, because this binds it together and helps ensure it sticks together when wrapped around a hard-boiled egg.
To assemble a scotch egg, come ready peeled hard-boiled eggs, sausage and seasoned breadcrumbs. A thin sausage patty is flattened on plastic wrap and the egg is placed in the center. Using plastic wrap, the sausage is carefully wrapped around the egg until it forms a ball. It is then rolled in the breadcrumb mixture. These are generally dried crumbs seasoned with flakes of dried parsley, salt and pepper. Scotch eggs are then fried until the sausage is cooked through and the coating is golden brown.
Scotch egg has become very popular in the United States, especially in English-style pubs. The dish is also sometimes found at local fairs, where it may be served on a stick. It can also be served hot, with various dips or ranch dressings.
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