On November 30th, Scottish natives will celebrate the patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew. His canonization in 1329 coincided with declaration of Scotland’s independence. It wasn’t until 2006, when Scottish Parliament recognized St. Andrew’s Day as a bank holiday (meaning that businesses and schools close).
There are many ways that Scots celebrate the holiday, some people throw parties, play games, and make traditional Scottish dishes and desserts like haggis and black pudding. Celebrants even wear traditional Scottish clothing like tartan kilts or wearing the colors of the Scottish flag.
No matter how you spend St. Andrew’s Day, we want to share with you some of our favorite Scottish books in honor of the holiday!
Clans and Tartans of Scotland
The Scots are a remarkable race with a justifiably proud history and culture which they have successfully passed on through generations. This compact book sets out to identify the larger Scottish clan and family names, their tartans, septs (dependent family names), heraldic crests, mottos, ancestral lands and allegiances.
The Macsween Haggis Bible
by Jo Macsween
This informative and light-hearted book expertly guides you through the myths and magic to a new realm of haggis appreciation that transcends neeps, tatties and Burns Night. Featuring fifty mouth-watering recipes, haggis is a versatile ingredient that can be savoured at all times of day and throughout the year. The reader is even dared to challenge the long-standing association of haggis with whisky, and recommends a new coterie of drinking companions.
The Great Tapestry of Scotland
The Making of a Masterpiece
by Susan Mansfield and Alistair Moffat
A celebration of thousands of years of Scottish history and achievement, from the end of the last Ice Age to Dolly the Sheep and Andy Murray’s Wimbledon victory in 2013.
A unique undertaking from its original conception and creation by teams of dedicated stitchers to its grand unveiling at the Scottish Parliament in 2013, its subsequent touring and the creation of its permanent home in the Scottish Borders.
The Stornoway Black Pudding Bible
A celebration of the quality and versatility of black pudding, and above all is an encouragement to strike out in novel and fresh ways of cooking and enjoying this remarkable and underrated ingredient. Includes everything from the Cafe Gandolfi’s black pudding and mushrooms with pancakes, to black pudding pakoras, black pudding tarts and black pudding, chorizo and bean stew.
