Scotland's castle temperament is as harsh as its weather
On the bus, in less than an hour, the city has been left behind.
Before going to Edinburgh, we had to take a detour to Loch fyne, the narrowest bay on the Scottish coastline. Head west along the freshwater tributaries, 65 km away is the Atlantic Ocean. After crossing the border of Trossocks National Park, the lanes become more and more cramped and the forest gradually envelops the tide. Because the mobile phone signal is not good, I spend most of my time looking outside in a daze, the drizzle fogs the car window, the branches obscure the line of sight, the coast and the mountains are like a giant beast that is silently approaching, and the dizzy time seems to slow down, until the front of the car suddenly rushes out of the dark green forest, facing the loch lomond, and the black lake instantly makes the heavens and the earth become wider.
Just after the flood season, the deepest inner lake in the UK, loch lomond, is exposed by a large area of brown aquatic grass, the port where the ship was originally boarded is isolated by a seagull, the rain is rising, blurred in the distance of gray and blue mountain shadows, black slate, near the green meadows and blue and white wooden houses, together outline the colors of the Scottish countryside, not colorful, but pleasant. Soon the guide, James, handed each person a raincoat, and the best salmon farm in Scotland was nearby.
Walking down the road, there is not land at your feet, but black rough rocky beaches, stepping on the dark and damp moss above, flanked by half-man tall bushes, and the black inland sea that is getting closer and closer is silent as a mirror, the temperature is extremely low, and there is only the sound of wind and drizzle in your ears. A brown Coca hurried past us and ran to the white hut by the water's edge to report that it was the fisherman's dog. Turning his head just to see a wild blackberry, he grabbed a handful and walked while eating, and he couldn't help but shiver.
This is one of the finest of the scottish salmon company's more than 40 fishing grounds along the entire Scottish coastline, located in the National Ice Water Bay Reserve, where the crystal clear pristine waters are a salmon paradise. The principle of sustainable development is really developed to the extreme here, under the world's most stringent farming system, the fishery itself is a complete ecological chain composed of seaweed, sea shellfish and salmon, eliminating all antibiotics, producing salmon between 3 and 5 kg, low fat content, delicate and tender and elastic taste. Top ingredient buyers call it "the best farmed salmon in the world."
The slightly sweeter salmon has a strong smoky taste and is addictive to one bite
The fisherman, with a rich Scottish accent, threw me a set of rubber jumpsuits and life jackets that were still dripping, and happily drove the speedboat straight to the center of the lake, the sea breeze and splashing water on my face, a little stinging. The edge of the huge fishing net allows only one person to drag a thick rope slowly on the floating board, and the salmon jump out of the water, and the silver light is extinguished in a flash.
The fish are sent every year to the Loch Fyne Smokehouse, a few kilometres away. Smokehouses and fisheries are three generations apart, focusing on salmon for decades, abiding by ancient laws and being serious. Scottish smoked salmon is the best in all of Europe. You know, facing the magnificent river and mountain, sitting on a small log table, forking up a piece of fish with a rich smoky taste and slightly sweet oil, with oak aroma, cold and sweet Chardonnay white wine, the taste from the nasal cavity to the taste buds, eating once will be addictive.
"Salmon must be farmed or wild in Scotland and smoked locally to be called Scottish smoked salmon!" The old man in his 60s in the smoke factory stared at me with a hood, a coat, a clean hand and shoes, and lined up to enter the factory.
The smoking method that has been handed down to this day requires manual peeling and plucking, two whole pieces of fish body under the slice, dried with sea salt, and then smoked at low temperature with oak crushed for 12 hours, salmon fat and wood aroma are fully integrated into the texture, the original transparent fish meat shows a light orange oil luster, snacks, appetizers can be used, versatile on all occasions, with first-class liquor. Loch this family does not hesitate to use aged Scotch whisky barrels at high prices, make smoky materials, and creatively add a variety of herbs and dried fruits to add flavor. After more than two hours of "ordeal" of fishing and smoking fish, when I finally sat down at the table and tasted more than 6 kinds of smoked salmon with different maturities and tastes, it was impeccable in terms of freshness and appearance.
The most famous oyster restaurant in the area
Usually, I'm not a person who likes to look for a destination with a cold climate, especially when it's raining and doesn't stop until the next morning. The sky was still gloomy, I jogged along the path in front of the hotel, the clear air went straight through the lungs, there were black water birds in the left hand fjord with huge wings, and in my right hand was a sheepfold one after another, and the white and black-faced cute British lamb wood looked at me stupidly, suddenly stopped chewing, and after ten seconds it began to chew again. Today's main course is oysters.
Loch fyne is Scotland's top oyster producer, where the oysters are farmed on plankton and are pure natural foods without any input of artificial ingredients. The vast majority of Europeans have always liked Scottish oysters, crisp and full, fresh and sweet with marine flavor, with a long ending, no need to put down the sauce, swallow directly, delicious in the world. This is very different from the hard-to-reach heavy metal French oyster. Of course, there is another way to eat, which is to pour a little Scotch whisky on top of the oysters, along with the seawater.
The most famous oyster restaurant nearby is the loch fyne oyster bar, the restaurant owned by the most powerful seafood merchant in the bay, hand-picked by the queen and guarding the mouth of the bay, the scenery is excellent, and it is said that the most popular place in the bay is throughout the winter. Originally thought I could see the tall wooden house, did not expect an L-shaped blue and white cottage low-key under the corner of the boulder mountain, drilling into the door is the whole cabinet of rustic taste, the whole pot of oil stained small fish, the whole smoked fish, salted bread crab, sea crawfish according to the pound and sold, the meat is very fat and salty, the bar girl Donna explained to me: after a hard day at sea, of course, I want to eat this. It wasn't until the crispy boiled mussels were brought to the table, bucket by bucket, and Donna brought the whole box of oysters, pried them open one by one with iron gloves, and placed them neatly on the crushed ice plate, that I squinted my eyes and picked up the olives and chewed and swallowed the wine. At this time, I really wanted to learn a Scottish folk song, and went out and howled at the mountain.
Bread crab is also very flavorful
In the evening bus said goodbye to me in the capital city of Edinburgh, and the expression of the ancient city in the twilight was cold. Walking on the royal mile in the heart of the old town, every street is full of historical imprints, more than 1/3 of the buildings are monuments, and you can reach out at any time to touch the courtyards and alleys of the Stuart and Georgian periods. James, who has been talking a lot and shyly all the way, changed into a Scottish dress, and his British humor was enhanced a lot at night: the Scottish had two things in their lives, conquering the highlands + drinking whiskey. Pub is not a bar in our minds, it is a place to stay without rent. Let's go drink.
At the lowest point of the old town there are some houses built into the ground, like hidden caves. The honeycomb huts were converted into taverns, with larger rooms where a larger group of men and women danced, and some even accommodate small movie theaters. Young people gather, hormones burn, young strong whiskeys are everywhere. But Mecca, a true whisky lover, is at the "Whisky Museum" at the highest point in the Old Town. The most shocking wine cellar inside is the private collection of a British giant merchant in the last century, which is known as the world's largest and most complete variety, and can be seen from hundreds of years ago to very rare auction-level treasures. After trying it, go to the tavern to drink, it is wonderful enough.
Collection of the Whisky Museum
It is also worth mentioning that usually only the protracted war between the Scots and the Vikings and the English is not all. In fact, the successful bank classes have always been Scottish. The most successful football manager, Sir Fei, is still a Scotsman. Since the Enlightenment, there have been countless philosophers, thinkers and scientists gathered here, and the liberalism and economic theory that came into being have influenced the American and French revolutions, and Edinburgh is still known as the "Athens of the North".
The Scottish temperament is very similar to thistle flowers, which are full of thorns and can bloom purple flowers. Fate is very much like a unicorn, which should be indisputable to the world, and is infested by male lions. People are like Edinburgh Castle, without a gorgeous appearance and brave enough to guard their homes.
Saturdays in Edinburgh are special for people who are obsessed with food. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., more than 40 farmers from scottish suburbs, farms and orchards come to the market. With the merchant map and signature list provided on the official website, it is effortless to eat for 4 hours one by one.
The organic seasonal vegetable districts bellfield and east coast are two very artist farmers. Australian high-brittle cucumber, intellectually spicy dry lotus, various colors of sweet radish, Italy, Spain and France have unique basil and mint, more than a dozen kinds of different spicy South American peppers cultivated in the greenhouse, all seasonal vegetables in different colors to form the vegetable stalls of the long-range, close-up and medium-view, in which the dream is extreme.
The jam stall girl boiled strawberry jam herself and used a golden strawberry newly cultivated in Europe in recent years. Take a few samples in hand, smell the fruity aroma closely, the sweetness is not high, and there is no sour feeling when eating. A whole basket can make 50g of golden jam, which is the most unique flavor when paired with the natural fermented sour bread of the aunt next door.
More than a dozen butchers and seafood factories have freshly prepared big dishes, sauerkraut stewed pork, charcoal grilled seafood, slow-cooked leg of lamb, raw fried veal, whole dozen freshly opened oysters, the aroma is far away... Finally, pick a few seasonal pumpkin flavors and special mint flavor macarons at the dessert stall, and carry a bottle of home-made cider plus a box of miscellaneous berries, all in your hands! Sitting on a square chair while eating and watching pigeons, Liang Chaowei was not as cool as I was in London. Before leaving, you can also pack a cup of high-quality freshly brewed coffee, and hunting is always full of fun.
As the farmers gathered their stalls and left, I remembered that there was only one dinner left in Edinburgh. It seems more formal to say goodbye in a fine dining way.
The list of the 100 most popular restaurants in the UK was voted on by the people of Great Britain, one by one, and it was fair and just. Among them, Edinburgh's top ranking is the same name restaurant of the famous chef Mark Greenaway on North Castle Street. The restaurant's minimalist £24 three-course sample menu is made from seasonal Scottish ingredients. Mark is a British TV food program celebrity, 100% Scottish man, bbc food group came to Scotland to go straight to his home, the government opened a food summit to open him, cooking schools take his recipes as teaching materials, is another shining Scottish new kitchen star. Before the dinner officially began, he came out of the back kitchen to introduce the dishes to the guests, offer advice, and impeccable wording with a cute Scottish accent. "Culturally we are not very close to England. Scots prefer to use the ingredients from their land and sea to make them play their true colors, and each seasoning is clear, crisp and clean. ”
As for the dishes, chewy sour bread with homemade butter before meals; almost half-raw mackerel is sprinkled with traditional herbs and herbs, and freshly harvested citrus marinated with wild ginger is added to remove greasy and freshened; slow-simmered black cod belly with tender fava bean sauce; hunting season partridge dried with pickled beets... In the delicate production and complex taste, I seem to have eaten a kind of Nordic cold and calculated, natural ethereal cold, and there is no way to satisfy the strong appetite brought by the cold weather. Until I glanced at the bar, the brown-eyed lad threw a shy smile.