Deep-fried Mars bar
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Place of origin | Scotland |
---|---|
Region or state | Aberdeenshire |
Main ingredients | Mars bar, batter |
A deep-fried Mars bar (also known as a battered Mars bar) is a
Preparation
The dish is prepared using standard commercial Mars bars. The chocolate bar is typically chilled before battering, to prevent it from excessively melting as it is fried.[citation needed] It is coated in flour batter of the type commonly used for deep-frying fish, sausages, and other similar foods, then immersed in boiling fat or oil, until the batter is cooked.
Origin
The origins of the deep-fried Mars bar are disputed. John Davie claimed to have invented it in 1992 in The Haven Chip Bar (now The Carron)
Scottish broadsheets The Herald and The Scotsman ran the story the following day, and the UK broadsheets the day after, each adding their own cultural slant. On the fifth day, Keith Chegwin performed taste tests on The Big Breakfast TV programme and the story was covered by the BBC World Service.
Other chip shops have disputed Carron's claim.[8] Tom Cummings, the former owner of Duncan Street Chip Shop in Banff, stated that he had sold fried Mars bars in the 1980s, and he had copied the recipe from the since defunct Dodie's Chip Shop in Buckie on the Moray Firth coast.[9]
Popularity
After the food was mentioned in 2004 by
- 66 shops (22% of those responding) sold them; three-quarters of those had only been selling them for the past 3 years.
- An additional 17% had sold them in the past.
- Average sales were 23 bars per week, although 10 shops reported selling 50—200 per week.
- The mean price was £0.60 (range £0.30 to £1.50).
- 76% were sold to children.
- 15 shops reported health concerns with the food.
- Many of the shops which did not sell the product refused to do so as it turns the frying oil black.[6][7]
In 2012, the originating Carron Fish Bar estimated sales of 100–150 deep-fried Mars bars per week, but 70% were sold to visitors who have heard of its reputation.[6][7]
Culinary influence
In 2000, Scottish chef Ross Kendall included the bars on the menu of Le Chipper restaurant in Paris.[10]
The deep-fried Mars bar has also given rise to the frying of other
Symbol of an unhealthy diet
Since the Daily Record described it as "Scotland's craziest takeaway" in August 1995,[6][7] the deep-fried Mars bar has become a symbol for ill health, obesity and high-fat diets.[6] The original article was quickly followed up by other UK publications, with the food portrayed to speak eloquently about Scotland's and the wider UK's poor diet, and resultant levels of obesity.[6][7]
In 2012, the Haven sought an application for the protected geographical indication under the
In a 2012 interview, Glasgow restaurateur John Quigley felt that Scotland had been trying to "shake off" its unhealthy image for 20 years, since the media coverage of the deep-fried Mars bar.[6]
See also
- Deep-fried Twinkie
- Deep-fried pizza
- Fried ice cream
- Baked Alaska
- List of deep-fried foods
References
- ^ Original source, Scottish Daily Record via:- "Deep-fried Mars myth is dispelled", BBC News online. BBC article dated 17 December 2004, retrieved 2006-11-15.
- ^ Crooks, Lauren (July 26, 2015). "The man who created the deep-fried Mars bar has made a shock confession". mirror.
- ^ McColm, Euan (February 26, 2000). "No Haven for the Deep Fried Mars Bar; Birthplace of the Battered Choccy Treat Closes Down". Daily Record.
- ^ French batter Mars bars menu publisher:BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/654750.stm BBC News
- ^ Aberdeen Evening Express, 23 August 1995
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Steven Brocklehurst (6 September 2012). "Deep-fried Mars bars: A symbol of a nation's diet?". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ S2CID 38869524.
- ^ "Scottish chip shops at war over who invented the deep-fried Mars bar". thetab.com. 2015-07-29.
- ^ "Buckie lays claim as true home of the deep fried Mars Bar". insidemoray.com. 2015-07-28.
- ^ "French batter Mars bars menu". BBC News. 24 February 2000. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- ^ "Deep-fried fair foods move from midways to restaurant menus around Tampa Bay". Tampa Bay Times. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 2018-12-13.
- ISBN 978-0-7011-8933-4.
- ^ "Deep-fried Mars bars disowned by chocolate firm". BBC News. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
External links
- Media related to Deep-fried Mars Bars at Wikimedia Commons
- Deep Fried Mars Bar at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
- CBS NewsThe page cannot be found
The page may have been removed, had its name changed, or is just temporarily unavailable.
- Deep-Fried Candy Bars: Scotland's Worst Food? National Geographic News, Dec 28, 2004