Scotch Egg or Scott's Egg?

SCOTCH EGGS

A hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, dipped in breadcrumbs and deep-fried - it couldn’t sound more Scottish if it tried.

But according to food historian Alan Davidson, the Scotch egg actually hails from India - brought home by returning soldiers of the British Empire.

It is a descendent of the Indian dish nargisi kofta, which consists of eggs covered in minced lamb and cooked in curried tomatoes. Nargisi Kofta, which my learned friend Ian Quinn tells me translates to  Narcissus meatballs.

It wasn’t until the early 19th century that the first written reference to Scotch eggs popped up (with the recommendation that they be eaten hot with gravy) in the Cook And Housewife’s Manual, thought to be secretly penned by Ivanhoe author Sir Walter Scott. Perhaps they should have been called Scott’s eggs?