The Ritual Master There are many countries I am fascinated by and that I’ve never visited. But in autumn, the greatest temptation is Scotland.
As I am sitting at my desk, planning this video, I find it quite difficult to explain my virtual attachment to Scotland. It must be partly because of the folklore that seems to have made a bridge over time between the 18th and the 21st century, the strong historical figures and the rainy weather that offers a perfect excuse for cosy indoor activities. My knowledge of the country is diffuse and utterly subjective, but I am challenged by every mention of it to research things a bit further, and engage in some imaginary travel.
The starting point of today’s video, is quite unusual for me, but certainly fashionable nowadays…
I have to state from the beginning that I am not a big fan of book series. I stumbled upon the Outlander tv series, and when the season ended I was so hooked I had to buy the books and continue the story. Waiting for the next season to premiere was simply not an option.
Being a fan of historical fiction in general, I was not concerned by the historical accuracy so much, but became fascinated by the general atmosphere of the novels, the precision in constructing the character’s unique traits and their way of life. Needless to say I enjoyed the novels tremendously, and even if the tv adaptation does a remarkable job, the books offer a richness of detail I would be sad to have missed.
The Outlander Series remains to this day, the only series I have read, and will continue to read as long as Diana Gabaldon feels inspired.
The passion it generated was quickly overflowing, so naturally I had to find ways of continuing my Scottish adventure…
Trying to find a perfect beverage other than whiskey to accompany my Outlander reading time, I learned a lot about… water. And one thing’s for sure, my first trip to Scotland must include a bubble bath, as I have learned Edinburg has the softest water in the whole UK.
As a result, the tea blends are specially designed to compliment this essential yet underrated part of our daily cup. My choice was limited by international shipping, but I must say I truly enjoyed this Scottish Breakfast tea, even if water here in Paris is much harder than in Scotland. I still could feel the malty roundness calming down the strength of the Assam, a tea to wake you up and transport you on the shores of a Loch, in the times of the almighty clans…
You can imagine my excitement when I learned that Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, two of the most iconic actors from the Outlander series, and real life Scotsmen, were releasing a travel book called Clanlands. This one surprised me, as I was expecting 80% humour and some light information on Scotland. Instead, I found a book that explains in simple, playful ways, a social organisational system that was in many respects, the only law that Scots recognized for centuries. The funny anecdotes of their roadtrip are just an added bonus, but the value of the book resides in the power to revive and explain events from ancient pre-roman times, up until the late 18th century, without losing the reader in unnecessary historic details. The kind of book that was missing from my pile this year : informative yet relaxing, a joy of a book.
Some books ask for complete silence while reading, others can take the hustle and bustle of your commute and still keep you 100% in the mood. And there are books that make you discover tunes you never knew existed, without mentioning music at all. My virtual tour of Scotland had a very distinct soundtrack. The one and only master of old music, Jordi Savall, has 2 complete albums dedicated to the Celtic Viol that are simply enchanting. I urge you to find them on your music app, you will thank me for the recommendation. In the words of the master : Music expresses and prolongs what words cannot say, and time acts as a filter, distilling these orally transmitted melodies and paring them down to the truly essential. They remain and will continue to remain in our hearts as the true voices and the essential spirit of a civilisation which has succeeded in staying alive, thanks to music – the memory and soul of its historical identity.
No research of Scotland can omit the one female character that marked the history of the world as unequivocally as Mary Stuart. My knowledge of the subject was vague to say the least, so what better excuse than this, to finally read Stefan Zweig’s famous book. A remarkable biographer with a keen sense of human psychology, Zweig chooses to defend his personal view of the matter by calling the book an essay and not a biography of Mary Stuart. The facts are however real, and his unique way of connecting the dots makes you read the book as if it were a novel, wanting to find out the next adventure, even if you ultimately know how it ends. The book is so much more than the story of one Queen. It paints the picture of a power game played by little girls, the picture of a clan system strong enough to keep its queen hostage, and the tragic destiny of those who refuse to understand their times. The kind of book that could make you love history if you hadn’t already.
Getting lost in Mary Stuart’s history, I wanted to get closer to the source. In Paris, the one place I could think of was the Louvre. Searching their collections database, I found one painting of Mary Queen of Scots currently on display. So I ventured into the great maze , and found my way to the lost rooms, far away from the hordes of tourists wanting a peek at Mona Lisa, in the farthest corner of the Richelieu wing, and there she was. Mary Stuart claiming her innocence at the reading of her death sentence. Painted by Francisco Hayez in the 19th century, it holds the same intensity I found while reading of her, a kind of clinging to justice and honor as if it were her divine right. Many other paintings are to be found in museums around the world, but for me, finding this single one on display nearby, felt like an a-ha moment. As if, for those 15 minutes spent in front of it, a strong connection was being built between a queen, a painting and myself. I had arrived at the end of my journey, and the memories were forever engraved in me.
With this incredible feeling in mind, I felt I needed to make one last stop before leaving. There aren’t many Scottish artists on display at the Louvre, but the one I needed to see was right where he should have been. Sir Henry Raeburn was known for his portrait painting and his love of Scotland. President of the Society of Artists in Edinburgh and full member of the Royal Scottish Academy, it was a true privilege to find three of this portraits so close to home. The portrait of major James Lee Harvey in Gordon Highlander uniform felt like a present for me alone. In search of little Scottish details, I found the spitting image of Jamie Fraser waiting patiently for me to discover him. A true Gabaldon moment of time-travel…
I couldn’t end my Scottish ritual without cooking something meaningful. So I took to the books, the trusty cookbooks that hold on to tradition and boldly bring it to the future. The choice is not simple, and Scottish cuisine proves to be more varied and creative than I would have believed. The oysters look good, the leeky soup is a long time favourite, and the salmon seems divine. In the end, I choose the ultimate cliché : a home made, simplified, yet still quite Scottish, haggis. Since a sheep stomach is not an easy thing to find, I took all the ingredients of a full haggis dinner, and put together a Scottish parmentier, or shepherd’s pie if you wish. Starting off with the potato and turnips mash, nice and buttery still light and airy, I should make it again on its own one day. For the haggis, I replaced all the lamb’s organs with two easy to find ingredients : minced lamb and chicken liver. You could also use some cooked lentils if you’re a vegetarian, and with the same spices, it should be a pretty good alternative. Cinnamon, black and white ground pepper, some cumin and coriander powder, and we’re off to a good start. The full recipe is in the recipes menu, as always.
It turned out to be a success, with some unexpected guests at the table as well. A hearty autumn dish, to make you travel to Scotland right from your dinner table.
My Scottish tour ends here for today. I am still dreaming of a real trip to the Highlands, but I’m pretty happy with my virtual one for now. It was a pleasure taking you along, I really hope you’ve enjoyed it. Until next time, enjoy your reading, and your rituals !
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