Food Biadh

[Seonag] Bhiodh mo mhàthair gan dèanamh seo agus mo sheanmhair. Chan aithne dhomh mòran eile a bhios gan dèanamh. Chan eil fhios a’m an e rud a bhiodh iad a’ dèanamh ann am Barraigh a-mhàin no ann an seo.

[Màiri] Chan aithne dhomh fhìn mòran nas motha. Feumaidh gur e. ’S e rud gu math traidiseanta a th’ ann co-dhiù.

[Seonag] Chan eil fhios a’m ach bhiodh mo mhàthair daonnan gan dèanamh agus chan eil tomhaisean agam air an seo idir ach bha piuthar mo mhàthar ag innse dhomh, seo mar a bhiodh i ga dhèanamh, is’s e an cupa a bh’ aice a tha seo. Agus chan eil thu ach a’ cur car dhen…

[Màiri] Cia mheud cupa a th’ ann?

[Seonag] Chuir mi a dhà dhiubh seo ann. Tha e a rèir dè na bhios tu a’ dèanamh. Tha thu a’ cur beagan a bharrachd de mhin-flùir ann agus baking powder a chur ann còmhla ris ’s a tha thu a’ cur ann de mhin-choirce.

[Seonag] Cuiridh sinn fear gu leth ann dhen mhin-choirce agus chì mi nuair a ... Chan àbhaist dhomh a bhith ga thomhais ann. Chan eil mi ach chì mi nuair a bhios mi ... Is tha mi a’ smaointinn nach e, tha mi a’ smaointinn gur e siud e. Nist cnatachan beag’ de shalann a chur ann cuideachd.

[Màiri] Agus saoil a bheil seo caran rudeigin eadar sgona phlèan agus aran-coirce?

[Seonag] ’S e, ’s e tha a chionn ’s bhiodh mo sheanmhair ga dhèanamh dha mo sheanair a bha ag iasgach agus bhiodh e a’ toirt leis rudan. Bha barrachd neirt an seo ’s na bha ann an sgonaichean, ach cha robh e cho tioram ri, fhios agad, aran-coirce. chan eil fhios a’m an e sin a dh’fhàgadh mi ga dhèanamh.

[Màiri] Dè th’ agaibh an seo a-nist?

[Seonag] Tha seo dìreach rud beag ime air a leaghadh. Cha bhi mise ga chur dhan mhin idir tioram. ’S e dòigh chliofar a tha seo air a dhèanamh.

[Màiri] Aon ugh.

[Seonag] Bidh mise a’ cur ugh ann. Cha leig thu leas ugh a chur ann. Gu math tric cha bhi mo mhàthair a’ cur ugh anns an aran-choirce.

[Màiri] Agus tha tòrr nach bi a’ cur ugh dha na sgonaichean nas motha.

[Seonag] Tha.

[Màiri] Bidh mise.

[Seonag] Bidh mise daonnan. Ach uaireigin dhan t-saoghal, cha bhiodh scones phlèan. Bhiodh mo mhàthair a-riamh a’ cur ugh annta. Nist, ’s e bainne goirt a bhiodh aca uaireigin dhan t-saoghal cuideachd.

[Màiri] Tha cuimhne a’m a-nis mo sheanmhair fhèin, ’s e sgonaichean agus bainne goirt a bhiodh i a’ cleachdadh, agus fiu ’s nuair a bhiodh bainne a’ dol dheth anns am frids, chanadh i, feumaidh mi sgonaichean a dhèanamh a-nise oir tha am bainne a’ dol dheth.

[Seonag]Ach ann an seo a-nist, uill, chan fhaigh thu bainne goirt san latha a th’ ann, chan eil mòran dhaoine a’ bleoghann, ach ’s e a gheibh thu anns a’ bhùth buttermilk. Sin a th’ agamsa an-diugh. Mar as trice ’s e yoghurt, yoghurt plèan a bhiodh mise ag ùisneachadh air a shon. Agus tha e uabhasach math. Fàgaidh i nas aotruime iad agus an uair sin bainne no blàthach - ’s e a’ Ghàidhlig a th’ air buttermilk - agus fhad ’s nach cuir mi tuilleadh ’s a’ chòrr ann.

[Màiri] A-rithist dìreach a’ cur a h-uile sìon uile còmhla sa bhobhla.

[Seonag] ’S e.

[Seonag] han eil thu ach dìreach ga fhaighinn mar sin. Agus a’ cur cnatachan de mhin air an rud.

[Màiri] Agus a-rithist tha seo, tha iad luath a dhèanamh.

[Seonag] Tha iad uabhasach cliobhar. Air sailleibh ’s nach eil thu a’ cur an ime ann thu fhèin, ma tha thu ga leaghadh an toiseach, tha e uabhasach cliobhar a dhèanamh. Seo mar a tha mise a’ dèanamh a h-uile sgona. Nise tha seo a-nis gu math bog agam, ’s dòcha gun do chuir mi tuilleadh ’s a’ chòrr de bhainne ann, beagan, ach tha iad nas aotruime, eil fhios a’d, meadhanach bog. Bidh mise a’ toirt a chreidsinn orm fhìn gum bi iad nas fheàrr air sailleibh ’s gu bheil mi ag ùisneachadh nan seann rudan a tha an seo. Sgian a bh’ aig mo mhàthair agus an siuga beag a bh’ aig piuthar mo mhàthar.

[Seonag] Ma bhios am bobhla, eil fhios agad, ma bhios tu ag ùisneachadh an aon bhobhla fad an t-siubhail, tha na tomhaisean agad nas fhèarr. Rolling pin…

[Màiri] Tha e annasach cuideachd, bidh feadhainn a’ cleachdadh rud airson na sgonaichean a roiligeadh agus feadhainn eile nach eil a’ dol faisg air.

[Seonag] Dìreach ga dhèanamh le làmhan?

[Màiri] Tha a h-uile duine eadar-dhealaichte.

[Seonag] ’S e. Chan eil mise math gu leòr gus a dhèanamh corra. Tha iad gu math Gàidhealach a’ coimhead an seo. Dh’fhaodadh tu an dèanamh nas sgiobalta. Bidh feadhainn ann ... ’s cha bhi mise ach gan gearradh nan squaraichean uair sam bith, sgona sam bith a bhios mi a’ dèanamh, a chionn ’s cha bhi mi a’ bodraigeadh rin dèanamh cruinn. O chionn fhada dhèanadh iad mòr iad, dìreach ceathramhnan dhiubh, ach bhiodh iad nas chliobhaire mar seo agus gheibh thu an uair sin, fhios agad, tha e nas fhasa dhut.

[Màiri] Gheibh thu barrachd asta cuideachd.

[Seonag] Uill, gheibh thu fear an duine, ach ann an ceathramhnan mòra, ’s e a b’ àbhaist dhaibh a bhith a’ dèanamh. Is gu h-àraidh mar a bha mo mhàthair, tha teaghlach mòr againn ann agus bhiodh i a’ dèanamh tòrr fuine, bhiodh i a’ fuine.

[Màiri] Cha mhaireadh seo fada eadar teaghlach mòr.

[Seonag] Cha dèanadh e sìon. Cha dèanadh e a’ chùis anns an teaghlach a bh’ againne.

[Màiri] Uill, tha iad a’ coimhead snog co-dhiù.

[Seonag] Uill, tha mi an dòchas gum bi am blas aca a cheart cho math. Chì sinn.

[Màiri] Deiseil a-nis airson an àmhainn.

[Seonag] Tha iad deiseil a-nis airson a chur dhan àmhainn.

[Màiri] Agus àmhainn theth?

[Seonag] ’S e àmhainn cho teth ’s a ghabhas a bhios agamsa daonnan a chionn ’s, tha mi a’ smaointinn ma bhios an àmhainn agad car fuar, bidh iad a’ dol car ùigeach san àmhainn

[Màiri] Agus chan fheum iad ach ’s dòcha deich mionaidean?

[Seonag] Ò aidh, mun sin.

[Seonag] A bheil sinn a’ dol gam feuchainn ma-thà?

[Màiri] Tha iad a’ coimhead sgoinneil.

[Seonag] Thionndaidh iad a-mach.

[Màiri] Cho snog ’s a tha iad a’ coimhead.

[Seonag] Tha iad diofarach seach sgones àbhaisteach.

[Seonag] Tha. Nist dh’fhaodadh tu, faodadh tu an gabhail còmhla ri ìm. Dìreach tha iad math plèan le ìm agus tha iad math cuideachd còmhla ri càise.

[Seonag] Tha iad caran nas tiorma na sgones eile.

Chaidh am prògram seo, Fuine, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2013. Le taing do Caledonia TV.

[Seonag] My mother and my grandmother would make these. I don’t know many others who do them. I don’t know if it is something they would only do in Barra or here.

[Mairi] I don’t know many either. It must be. It’s a very traditional thing anyway.

[Seonag] I don’t know, but my mother would always do them and I don’t have measurements for this at all but my aunt (mother’s sister) was telling me, this is how she would do it, and this is her cup. And you only put a little of…

[Mairi] How many cups?

[Seonag] I put two of these in. It depends on how much you are doing. You put a wee bit more flour and baking powder in together as what you put in of oatmeal.

[Seonag] So we put in one and a half of oatmeal and I’ll see when. I don’t usually measure it at all. I Just, so I’ll see when I, And I think it isn’t, I think that that’s it., now a wee grind of salt to put in it too.

[Mairi] And I wonder is this kinda something between a plain scone and an oatcake?

[Seonag] Yes, yes because my grandmother would do it for my grandfather who was fishing and he would take things with him. There was more energy in this than in scones, but it was not as dry as, you know, an oatcake. So I don’t know if that is what left me doing it.

[Mairi] What do you have here now?

[Seonag] This is just a little bit of melted butter. I don’t put it into the flour dry at all. This is a quick way to do it.

[Mairi] One egg.

[Seonag] I put an egg in. You don’t have to put an egg in. Very often my mother wouldn’t put egg in an oatcake.

[Mairi] And there are many who don’t put egg in scones either.

[Seonag] Yes.

[Mairi] I do.

[Seonag] I always do. But once upon a time, thereweren’t plain scones. My mum would always put egg in them. Now, it would have been sour milk that they had once upon a time too.

[Mairi] I remember now my own grandmother, it’s scones and sour milk that she used, and even when milk would go off in the fridge, she would say, I must do scones as the milk now as the milk is going off.

[Seonag] But here now, well, you can’t get sour milk these days, not many people milk, but you do get buttermilk in the shop. That’s what I have today. Most often it’s yoghurt, plain yoghurt that I would use for it. And it is awfully good. It leaves them lighter and then milk or ”blàthach” - that’s the Gaelic for buttermilk - and so long as I don’t put too much in.

[Màiri] Again just putting everything together in the bowl.

[Seonag] Yes.

[Seonag] So you just get it like that. And put a wee bit of flour on the thing.

[Mairi] And again this is, they are quick to do.

[Seonag] They are awfully quick. Because you don’t put the butter in yourself, if you melt it first, it is awfully quick to do. This is how I do all scones. Just put ... I’ve now got this very soft, maybe I put too much milk in, a wee bit. But they will be lighter, you know, reasonably soft. I kid myself that they will be better as I use these old things. A knife that my mother had and my aunt’s little jug.

[Seonag] If the bowl is, you know, if you use the same bowl all the time, your measurements will be better. Rolling pin…

[Mairi] It is strange too,; some people use something to roll scones and others don’t go near it.

[Seonag] Just do it by hand?

[Mairi] Everyone is different.

[Seonag] Yes. I’m not good enough to do it on occasion. They are very Highland looking here. You could do them more tidily. There will be some ... and I only cut them into squares any time, any scone that I make, as I don’t bother making them round. A long time ago they would make them big, just quarters, and they would be quicker like this and you would then get, you know, it is easier for you.

[Mairi] You would get more from them too.

[Seonag] Well, you get one per person, but in big quarters, that is what they used to do. And especially as was my mother, we have a big family and she would do a lot of baking, she would bake.

[Mairi] This wouldn’t last long between a big family.

[Seonag] It wouln’t do anything. It wouldn’t do the business in our family.

[Mairi] Well, they look good anyway.

[Seonag] Well, I hope that their taste is just as good. We’ll see.

[Mairi] Ready now for the oven.

[Seonag] They are ready now to put into the oven.

[Mairi] And a hot oven?

[Seonag] It’s an oven as hot as can be that I always have because, I think if your oven is quite cold, they will go quite cracked in the oven. They will not ...

[Mairi] And you only need maybe ten minutes?

[Seonag] Oh aye, about that.

[Seonag] Are we going to try them then?

[Mairi] They look amazing.

[Seonag] They turned out.

[Mairi] They look really good.

[Seonag] They are different from ordinary scones

[Seonag] Yes. Now you could, you can have them with butter. Just they are good plain with butterand they are also good with cheese.

[Seonag] They are somewhat drier than other scones.

This programme, Fuine, was first broadcast in 2013. Courtesy of Caledonia TV