Of the remaining traditions of Samhain (SOW-in or SAH-win), the most famous has to be Guising. The meaning of which suddenly becomes clear when you know that the origins of guising lie in dressing up children (and adults) to disguise them from the returning dead who might seek to exact revenge on anyone who had wronged them in their life.
Disguised children could wander among the spirits of the dead visiting the feasting houses on Halloween, where they would receive an offering of nuts or fruit to ward off evil. Now, Halloween guising is still a common practice, although fruit and nuts would be less popular among the youth of today. Guising in Scotland consists of kids dressing up and singing to willing doors in exchange for sweets and money.
Scots Tablet, or Fudge
Most Scottish households keep supplies of fudge, often homemade, for the guisers who come knocking at the door on Halloween night. This is a foolproof recipe:
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups/2 lb/900 g sugar
1 cup/8 fl oz/225 ml milk
1/4 cup/2 oz/55 g butter
2/3 cup/7 oz/200 g sweetened, condensed milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Put the sugar, milk, and butter in a large, saucepan and stir over a very low heat until the sugar is completely melted. There should be no scratching sound as you stir.
- Bring to a boil and add the condensed milk carefully. Keep stirring all the time and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and test the fudge. Drop a teaspoonful into a glass of cold water and wait for it to cool, then feel the consistency. If it forms a soft ball, the fudge is ready. If it does not, return the pan to the heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes: test again. Don't overcook.
- When the soft ball stage is reached, take the pan off the heat, then stir in a few drops of vanilla extract and pour the fudge into a shallow buttered pan. While it is still slightly warm, mark it into squares with a knife and leave it to cool.
- This produces about 3 lb (1.3 kg) of fudge, which is usually all eaten by the end of the day. Scots Tablet is extremely versatile and you can add different flavorings, including chocolate powder, raisins, or liquor (such as dark rum) to make your own variation.
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