Scotland’s ‘worst dishes’ ranked, including beloved chippy classic

Scotland is known for its infamous culinary delights, but not everyone will be happy to find out that their favourite dish isn’t to everyone’s taste.

From Black Pudding to Cullen Skink, we Scots are known for our unique, regional delicacies. Many of them are a matter of taste, meaning some are more popular than others.

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Online travel guide Taste Atlas has released new data on the 25 most unpopular dishes on the Scottish menu.

The country’s ‘worst rated’ dishes have been ranked by location, with the classic chip shop taking number one spot.

With a rating of only 2.7 out of 5, the fried pizza is the least popular meal on the list.

This delicious – and high-calorie – meal usually consists of a cheap pizza with cheese and tomato, fried in oil instead of in the oven.

If you want to take it a step further, you can ask the fryer to dip the dish in batter, turning the fried version into a Pizza Crunch.

Although famous foodies like Nigella Lawson previously praised her for the “Pizza Crunch”, fans of scran were not keen on the boozy snack.

TasteAtlas described it as “extremely high in calories and unhealthy” and named it the least popular dish.

The Dundee cake was ranked second with a rating of 3.1 out of five.

Until the 1970s, the traditional Scottish almond cake with cherries, raisins and candied peel could only be baked by Keiller’s baker in Dundonia.

It was first recorded in the 19th century, by marmalade makers, but is unfortunately not so well appreciated by culinary enthusiasts.

The most popular hangover cure in Scotland, the lorne (or square) sausage, was ranked third on the worst-rated list.

This breakfast snack is made from a combination of ground beef, rusk and various spices such as nutmeg, coriander and ground black pepper. According to meat experts, it is not officially a sausage.

Although the exact origins of Lorne Sausage remain unclear, it is believed that the dish takes its name from the Lorne region of Argyll.

Nowadays the sausage is made into sandwiches or served as part of the Scottish version of the full breakfast.

Surprisingly, the deep-fried Mars bar, a modern Scottish invention that has become internationally famous, also made it to number five on the list.

Although often seen as a quirky and decadent treat, not everyone is a fan of the breaded and fried chocolate bar that has become a cliché.

Other dishes that the Scots have a strong aversion to are mushy dishes such as stovies and mince and tatties.

These ingredients, often found in hearty, home-cooked meals, have been dividing dinner tables for years.

Food experts have even put Scotland’s national dish, haggis, on the list of the country’s worst dishes.

This hearty meal of sheep’s organs is traditionally served with neeps and tatties, which can also be found in the TasteAtlas overview.