Deep Fried Scottish Specialty

When I travel, I rarely research what kinds of treats I might find at my destination.  I find that if I do too much research I'll start looking for particular treats, instead of just seeing what's around me.  That sometimes leads to novelty treats being featured more than the treats people actually might enjoy.  On my recent trip to Scotland I really didn't have much in mind, except a deep fried Mars bar.

The trend of deep frying every and any unhealthy food really stemmed from the deep fried Mars bar, and the deep fried mars bar originated in Scotland.  I thought it would be silly not to sample this now famous treat in its country of origin.  Not that I thought it would be any better than the times I've sampled them at various fairs in North America, I just thought I would make sure I tried the original.

As it turns out, the deep fried Mars bar in Scotland has turned into a bit of a rare novelty. I was expecting to find it on the menu at every pub and fish and chips shop I came across, but in fact it was a little difficult to find.  In Edinburgh I decided to use the internet and search out any shops that might sell one.  This was already well into my fourth day in Scotland, after checking many menus.  I found one place that really seemed to be getting the lions share of attention for selling these gooey treats, the Clam Shell restaurant.

Fortunately it's located on the main street, not too far from Edinburgh Castle.  The place wasn't too fancy, which made me happy.  I'd hate the idea that I would sample a Scottish deep fried Mars bar at a place that was really selling it as a novelty.  The Clam Shell didn't even have any signs promoting this sweet treat, which surprised me a little bit since it's one of the few places I found online still selling them.  When I got into the restaurant, I walked up to the counter and asked if they still sold them, the lady said they did, and in no time I had one of the classic Scottish treats in my hand.

As far as treats go it was exactly what I expected.  It was also very similar to the others I had tried in the past, except this was the first time I've had one that wasn't cut up into little squares.  It melted in my mouth beautifully, and it was very rich and greasy.  If you've never tried one, and you're not sure if it's the treat for you, then it's simple to know if you'll like it.  If you're worried about the grease, sugar, and richness of this treat, a deep fried Mars bar is not for you.  This is a very unhealthy treat, it tastes unhealthy and it's makes you feel a little sick when you get to the end.

While I was very surprised at the lack of deep fried Mars bars, I'm glad I eventually found one.  I've heard from some websites that there was some kind of lawsuit from Mars about using their name, but I thought that it was settled.  I also don't know if a lawsuit could really shut down so many places that used to sell them.  I'm thinking that this idea was once trendy in Scotland, but that ship has past.  Since it didn't evolve the way it has in North America, deep frying everything, the trend died, and only a few places still keep it up.

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