Scotch eggs

Scotch eggs are one of Britain's most popular snacks, consisting of hard-boiled eggs that are encased in sausage meat and coated in breadcrumbs. However, if desired, the eggs can be slightly runny. The combination of these ingredients is then deep-fried in hot oil until golden and crispy.

Although they can be consumed either hot or cold, the eggs are traditionally consumed chilled, preferably with pickles and a fresh salad on the side. It is believed that the snack was invented in the 19th century, when people used to dip the eggs in boiling water combined with lime-powder disinfectant, in order to preserve them.

The process was called scotching, and the eggs were discolored in the process. Scotch eggs were invented as a way to mask the unappealing, yet perfectly edible eggs. There are people claiming that Scotch eggs were either posh food or a humble snack in the past, but regardless of the truth, their popularity started to decline rapidly during the 1990s, when they started appearing at gas stations across the country.

In recent years, there has been something of a turnaround, as Scotch eggs started to appear on Cool lists in magazines and even in Michelin-starred restaurants.