Gigot
As chefs and foodies are no doubt aware, gigot makes a delicious dinner choice. Defined in the Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) as
“A leg of mutton; also used of pork and beef”,
this word entered the language from French, though its ultimate origin is unknown.
[Illustration by Bob Dewar]
The term has a long history within Scots. DSL records an early use from 1791 in Mrs Frazer’s The Practice of Cookery:
“To broil a leg of Lamb: Cut off the loin and boil the gigot”.
Curious readers may even wish to try this recommendation from F Marian Macneill’s 1946 Recipes from Scotland:
“A Gigot of Mutton… Trim the gigot and rub all over with the sugar”.
In 2005 a correspondent from Edinburgh told DSL that the word was still being used by the meat industry:
“Gigot is used for pork as well as lamb and also for beef in wholesale usage”.
However, it doesn’t only appear behind the scenes. Take a look at this example from February 2022 when the Largs and Millport Weekly reported on the local ‘Ladies who Lunch’ group’s first post-pandemic meal. The menu for their Robert Burns tour at Ayrshire’s Seamill Hydro Hotel ran as follows:
“... the delicious lunch menu will be; roast gigot of lamb, with a leek & nutmeg pomme puree, braised carrots & a rich thyme-scented red wine jus followed by a meringue nest filled with vanilla cream, mixed berries & chocolate shavings”.
A wee bit fancier than our Bard would have been used to!
This Scots Word of the Week comes from Dictionaries of the Scots Language.
Visit DSL Online at https://dsl.ac.uk.