Clootie

This traditional Scottish dessert, called either clootie or clootie dumpling, is a sweet pudding steamed in a cloot, meaning cloth. Clootie is typically made with flour, breadcrumbs, dried fruit such as sultanas and currants, suet, sugar and spices, a little milk to bind it all together, and sometimes golden syrup. The Scottish alternative to a celebration fruitcake, clooties were originally prepared for holidays, birthdays, and during the winter solstice celebrations known in Scotland as the Daft Days. These special-occasion dumplings usually contained a selection of surprises hidden in the dough: a coin signifying wealth; a ring—marriage; a button—bachelorhood; a thimble—spinsterhood; a wishbone—the heart’s desire; or a horseshoe, symbolizing good luck. Clooties are typically served with clotted cream and a dram of whisky, but when cold, even though these dumplings are quite sweet, they are often fried with bacon and eggs for breakfast.