traditional food

Fastern’s E’en or Fasterns Een is a festival in Scotland, held on the Tuesday before Lent, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday. Fastern E’en comes from Scots. Fastern’s E’en is also known as fastern-, fastren(‘s)-, fasten(‘s)-; fasting’s- (Sc. 1750 W. McFarlane Geneal. Coll. (S.H.S.) II. 138), festern(‘s)- (ne.Sc. 1952), festerns-even (Kcd. 1700 Black Bk. Kcd. (ed. Anderson 1843) 119), festereven (Abd. 1829 A. Cruickshank Poems 34), fosterneen (Cai.7 1950). The form fasten alone is found (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.) and the variant comb. fastern’s night (Sc. 1805 Scott Last Minstrel (1821) IV. vi.). In English Fastern’s E’en is known as Shrove…

“Till buttered so’ns (sowens) wi fragrant lunt (lunt – steam) Set a’ their gabs a-steerin (steerin – mouths watering) Syne wi’ a social glass o’strunt (strunt-Liquor) They parted off Careerin’ Fu’ blythe that night” – Burns : Halloween Ah what better way than to start a post with Rabbie Burns! Here he is mentioning the rather famous (yet now somewhat forgotten) dish of Sowans ( pronounced Soo-an and written as so’ns in the poem). Sowans were once part of the Scottish traditional diet and not many households would have been without their Sowan-Bowie. More on this in a moment. But first…